If I keep referencing Graham and Maria Wanging videos, perhaps I need to make them a separate category. In any case, once upon a time, it seemed that about the only people who got tattoos were prisoners and sailors (assuming we include Marines in there as the Marines are part of the Navy). I didn’t … Continue reading Tattoos
Critical Thinking
Once again the Saturday Q&A at EV.com has provided an interesting topic that I’m stealing. A reader wanted to know what skills their children should acquire before heading off to college. The question was answered by the two college profs and it basically came down to they should be capable of critical thinking. I’d be … Continue reading Critical Thinking
Winter Dreams
Chaikovsky’s First Symphony is nicknamed “Winter Dreams”, although in recent years that's often more literally translated as “Winter Daydreams”. I like the original, if slightly less accurate, translation, as that’s the one I’ve known for decades. But it’s not his first symphony that’s on my mind right now. I just listened to a performance of … Continue reading Winter Dreams
Thick-Crust Sicilian-Style Pizza
It seemed so easy on the video. I mean it only took them eight minutes from start to finish. And with these cold temperatures, this seemed like a good time to fire up the oven to 500° F to make a Thick-Crust Sicilian-Style Pizza. Of course, nothing is ever as easy as it is in … Continue reading Thick-Crust Sicilian-Style Pizza
Plowing On
Things haven’t changed much. Our street still hasn’t been plowed. I don’t blame the mayor for that, even though I don’t hold her in very high esteem. Cities plan their budgets for the kind of weather that they normally expect. We haven’t had a snowstorm like this in ten years, so naturally I don’t expect … Continue reading Plowing On
Acclimatization
When I started at Penn state in September of 1967, I decided to schedule my first class of the day during the first period which started at 8:00 AM. Why not? I was accustomed to getting up early. My summer job had had a starting time of 7:00 AM so I was used to getting … Continue reading Acclimatization
Snow
Philadelphia, along with a large part of the rest of this country, had a bit of snow on Sunday. It was the most snow we’ve had since I’ve moved into this house nearly six years ago. I was out at 5:00 AM on Sunday morning and pretty much every hour and a half after that … Continue reading Snow
That Didn’t Last Long
Well, that didn’t last long, did it? Given recent events—and I imagine even those outside of this country are aware of the most recent example of the Trump administration declaring war on its citizens—it’s kinda hard for me to keep blogging as per usual. All I can try to do is to perhaps keep from … Continue reading That Didn’t Last Long
Wanging On with Graham and Maria
In addition to his television chat show, Graham Norton used to have a radio program; he’d interview guests, and he and his friend Maria McErlane would dish and answer listeners’ questions about nearly anything under the sun, even though they admitted they were not qualified to do so. Highlights from those shows were repackaged as … Continue reading Wanging On with Graham and Maria
How Did We Get To Be Here? Part 2
Two points before I begin. I expect most of my fellow country folks will know most or all of what I’m about to write, as my primary audience for this short series is the people in other countries who are wondering how this nation could have gone so mad. And as I was writing this … Continue reading How Did We Get To Be Here? Part 2