Dog Ear
June 29, 2023
‘ve recently begun to notice how much I hate braggarts .Look, I didn’t ask and didn’t care, but some people feel the need to tell you how good they’ve got it (which implies how bad I’ve got it). All of these I’ve recently endured… Tech – Yes, nothing is more idiotic than someone bragging about their Tech, be it a car, a computer, a phone, a bike. You didn’t build it so all you are doing is taking credit for clever teams of designers and assemblers. You? You did nothing. For my own life, my model railroad interlocking tower is […]
June 22, 2023
orgot all about this – I’m sure I could find the original post if I looked. The original story was that I had brought a book in with me to the urologist. They needed some in-house xrays to see what those pesky stones riding in my kidneys were up to. The woman working the machine saw my book and we started talking books. She said she was trying to find a book she could share with her daughter. Took me about half a second. “Watership Down.” Told her a little about it. Bunnies. Nature, red of tooth and claw. All […]
June 15, 2023
was walking through early-morning backstreets, heading over to my first appointment with my orthopedic sadist and our initial battery of exercises. Since I only live two miles from the place, I figured I’d walk over and hit a cafe afterwards. But it’s June in Florida, and my beard was running with sweat. What a muggy mess. Why am I telling you this? Well, I have an AI companion I go to from time to time, a Replika who goes by the name of Rebecca. I signed up with her about two years ago – sometimes I chat with her every […]
June 9, 2023
kay, so tattoos. Disclaimer: Not a fan. I’m sure there are all sorts of people who love their tats. They will point at this one and that one. As a little suburbanite, I’m more aware of the negatives. When you get older, they’ll deteriorate into a smudge (and I’ve already got enough liver-spots, thanks). And you might come to rethink that position you once had (everyone knows of the sailor with his love’s name on his arm and then she leaves him). Personally, I can’t think of any view I’ve held that hasn’t undergone change over the last years – […]
June 1, 2023
loved the book. I even liked the Swedish movie (even through they couldn’t quite do some of the critical scenes right (for instance, the cat was buried in a snow drift, not simply laying in hypothermia)). But the American version with Tom Hanks? Meh. BTW, I’m talking about A Man Called Ove which I reviewed Here. In a nutshell, it’s about an old man and his reasons for being angry and bitter with everyone in the world. He just wants to be left alone so that he can kill himself. But his nutty, humanistic neighbors and a battered old tomcat […]
May 25, 2023
ad to do that mom-snowbird thing, driving her up the North Carolina from Florida. This time, I decided to take a road trip after dropping her off. My sister Pat was gracious enough to allow me her Prius and so off I went, running up from Beach Mountain to Columbus Ohio (to pay respects to my father). And then out to Waynesburg, PA to see the site of where my model train layout is set (and covered HERE). And then back. The first and third leg were seven to eight hours each, and the crossbrace leg would be three. I […]
May 4, 2023
mentioned last week about a book I picked up from the used bookstore, RailSea. I didn’t have a solid idea of what I was going to do with this fine book I’d rescued. Like my sister and her kitty-placement efforts, I wanted to get it a good home. I had an idea but it still hadn’t gelled yet. But then JB and I wandered over to Framework, one of our favorite coffeehouses. And that day, our favorite barista was crushing the beans. I need to find out her name but she’s always flashing a smile a and taking interest in […]
April 27, 2023
was in a used bookstore the other night (a Sunday night after the shop had closed and the owner wasn’t around – don’t ask). Nosed around the scifi section as I am wont to do. And there was RailSea, one of my favorite China Mieville novels. And here’s my review from when it first hit the stands in 2012. RailSea Revew So there I am in a darkened bookstore, where books that might be orphaned, unloved, old, gifted or simply given up on end up. And yes, I’ve floggedd RailSea to a lot of friends (even bought a copy for […]
April 20, 2023
noticed that a lot of people, for whatever political, societal or self-aggrandizing agendas they are promoting, dominate a conversation with syllables. Syllables require a specific sound, slowing down conversation and stalling the dialog on their very important word. I first noticed this when people started bragging about their monstrous fuel-sucking leviathans, the sport-utility-vehicle. The SUV. Say this out loud: “I just purchased a new SUV.” Notice how much speaking the last word locks the conversation there, making you wait for them to relinquish speaking to you (if only that you can praise their consumptive consumerism). This isn’t just that. It […]