Journal entry from December of the year 2000: I'm about to embark on a week-long sailing trip, and I'm agonizing over what book I feel like taking. It has to "fit the mood," it has to have at least the possibility of sparking poetry-writing... and it has to last the week. Correction: It has to … Continue reading Welcome to the Future
Tag: Writing
A Virtual Sit-Down with Author Dan Beachy-Quick
Usually, when you read a book, it's easy to tell how far along you are, and how much you have left. Not so with Dan Beachy-Quick's A Whaler's Dictionary---at least, not if you follow its instructions. Usually, when you read a book, you don't need instructions, but this one comes with a "How to Use … Continue reading A Virtual Sit-Down with Author Dan Beachy-Quick
The State of the Sky
Alexa has a new voice this week. If you're not familiar, Alexa is the name of the imaginary person who speaks from the Amazon Echo, which is a small speaker connected to the internet. Alexa is very helpful in our household. We call out to her from the kitchen to add things to our grocery … Continue reading The State of the Sky
Waiting for Godot
Yesterday I was put in mind of a play I had to read for my Irish Literature class. You may have heard of it, though I kind of hope (for your sake) that you've never had to read it. Waiting for Godot is an entire play's worth of dialogue between two guys who are waiting … Continue reading Waiting for Godot
Scanned-alous
I just spent the bulk of a rainy weekend scanning a load of personal photographs---several boxes-full, stuffed to bursting with the life-in-photos of an utter shutterbug. I actually have stiff muscles---not from heavy lifting, obviously, but from repetitive motions and sitting in the same position for hours on end. I bought the scanner several years … Continue reading Scanned-alous
Beat to Hell
It's only natural that most of us try to keep most of our possessions in unspoiled and "like-new" condition for as long as possible. We don't like it when our phone-screens get webbed with cracks, or the paint chips off our cars, or the knees go out in our jeans (well, maybe that's still fashionable … Continue reading Beat to Hell
Pirates of the London Underground
This morning I listed some of the significant maps in my life, and there's another one that stands out in my memory: the London Tube Map! The Tube Map has been periodically updated, and stylistic flourishes added, but the basic design of this subway-diagram was created in 1933, by a smart fellow who realized that … Continue reading Pirates of the London Underground






