from that glorious blog of old (that is, ***Dave): Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Duh…where’s the chocolate? Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Hm…how do I say this? Ray believes in Santa, but he doesn’t bring specific presents. It’s a compromise. Colored lights or white on tree/house? Colored lights. Do […]

A Story of Detection, by Michael Chabon Another Sherlock Holmes pastiche, but a lot more interesting. Holmes is almost ninety, and England is a war with Nazi Germany. (He’s never named; he’s just “the old man.”) Watson is nowhere on scene, never mentioned; Holmes lives alone and raises bees.* Okay, that’s pretty much as much

(A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes), by Caleb Carr The plot is amiss in this book. The mystery is revealed 2/3 of the way through the book! But the characters…Caleb Carr defines Sherlock Holmes in terms of his relationship with his older brother, Mycroft. Very interesting. The book’s much more of a psychological study than

It’s my own invention. I was trying to make pecan pie that tasted like these cajun spiced nuts I’d made before. You think it would be spicy, but it’s not–the cayenne works to bring out the taste of the butter and honey. The only time I noticed I’d used it was walking up four flights

Ramble. People who know me should be surprised; I may not be a liberal, but I’m not a conservative. We had a potluck/white elephant at work today. There’s a guy that sits across the cube wall from the Tech Pubs area, a real bastion of conservatism, who’s been teasing everyone about being gay and watching

Those of you who have played World of Warcraft: On the way home from school, Ray says, “I have a line and a dot!” I glance over my shoulder. One hand is raised with one finger pointed up, and the other hand is pointing at the base of her other finger: an exclamation point. “Momma,

Got in a discussion today. Some people need a physical result or object in order to feel that they’ve accomplished something. Some people do not. How do the people who do not need a physical result or object get satisfaction from their accomplishments? I belong to the second class of people: I find satisfaction in

Saturday was a tale of two Christmas Parties. I’m going to tell you about the second one first: Lee’s Work Christmas Party. We went with his boss and his wife, left Ray over at their house with a babysitter, Taylor, who is the boss’s son’s wife’s sister’s child. I think. Good kid. She and Ray

I don’t talk to myself. I talk to inanimate objects. There’s a better chance somebody’s listening.