Getting organized
For years I’ve been meaning to reorganize my files. Last time I tried was probably fifteen years ago at least, and even then I should have weeded out a lot more. But now it’s gotten to the point where I … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Me, myself, and I
I heart Gerolsteiner
I’ve written before about my weird beverage preferences. I’m not a picky eater, but I’m an extraordinarily picky drinker. Basically, I like two things: water and club soda. That makes me very strange indeed, but only about beverages. However, it … Continue reading →
The Steubenville rape
The young men in the Steubenville rape case are guilty and responsible for their actions, and need to pay the penalty. However—and I say this without any weakening of my contention that the above sentence is true—the entire incident highlights … Continue reading →
Diet wars
Of all the topics I habitually write about, the only posts that generate more flak than the ones on Israel are the ones on dieting and weight. I’m not sure why that is. But I’ve observed a very marked tendency … Continue reading →
What we don’t know about obesity could fill a book—and has
The New England Journal of Medicine has published an article that sounds both interesting and brave, about obesity’s myths vs. what we actually know. I write “sounds” because the article itself is behind a firewall, and I’ve only read this … Continue reading →
Cartoons and me
When I was nine or ten years old I was given an individual IQ test by a family friend who was getting her PhD in child psychology, and having to administer the test to a certain number of children was … Continue reading →
The salon de refuses of publishing
Here’s another of those perennial articles listing the blockbuster books that were initially rejected by publisher after publisher. I remember I used to own a book that was a collection of editors’ rejection letters for great classic and popular works. … Continue reading →
A conservative house divided
I’ve written about this topic before, and will probably do so again. I’m writing about it today because this piece by DrewM at Ace’s really resonated with me: The internecine fighting we see today on the right isn’t simply on … Continue reading →
Boob school
No, it’s not college. Boob school is where women learn what size bra actually fits them, and are introduced to the perils of the side boob, the quadraboob, the high rider, the super drooper, the big stand-off, and the ledge. … Continue reading →
Looking back: the long reach of time
My mother’s very first memory was of being frightened by booming noises—guns? cannon? fireworks?—while being held aloft above a crowd to view a New York harbor filled with ships. She wept and her parents comforted her. The year was 1918, … Continue reading →
“People considered ketchup spicy”…
…back in the 1950s, according to food writer Ruth Clark, a specialist in the food of that era. Well, I must say that I don’t remember that, although I do recall that ketchup was considered to be an almost universal … Continue reading →
Take the Civic Literacy Exam
[Hat tip: Maetenloch.] If you like to test yourself, here’s one that’s kind of interesting. It doesn’t take too long, either. I don’t mean to brag (actually, yes I do) but I got 31 out of 33 correct, which is … Continue reading →