On Tuesday I went to see my otorhinolaryngologist (or Ear, Nose, and Throat doc) for basically a routine checkup. After all, it’s been five years. I take relatively few medications (or at least that’s what the medical pros tell me) but two of them are for my upper respiratory tract. And I still have some … Continue reading Slightly Twisted Voice Box
Fire Code Violation?
Just up the street there’s a house that’s been under renovation since sometime last summer. The workers come for a couple days, make some noise, do some work, and then disappear for a week or two. Needless to say, progress has been slow. I wish they’d just get it over with. But that seems to … Continue reading Fire Code Violation?
D.K.
Penn and Teller have a television program where they invite magicians of all kinds (professional, aspiring, young, old) to try to fool them with a trick that they’ve devised. If the guest successfully fools the masters, the guest is invited to perform in Penn and Teller’s long-running Las Vegas act. One of the joys of … Continue reading D.K.
Exploding Eggs
I’ve become somewhat obsessed with making poached eggs in the microwave ever since Graham Norton mentioned doing it on his radio show/podcast a few weeks ago. According the Graham, just break an egg into a ramekin that has a small bit of room temperature water in it, then throw it into the microwave for between … Continue reading Exploding Eggs
Bert Trautmann
Bernhard Carl Trautmann, commonly known as Bert, was born in Germany in 1923 and joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, where he served as a paratrooper. He fought for the Germans for four years, earning five medals, including an Iron Cross, until being captured by the British near the end of the … Continue reading Bert Trautmann
A Stranger in Our Classroom
When we lived on the farm in that Great Stone House, I went to school in Womelsdorf. This was in 1955 to 1957 for first and second grades. One day, and I’m not sure exactly when, or even in which grade it occurred, a new kid showed up for class. But unlike the rest of … Continue reading A Stranger in Our Classroom
Incredible But True
Alain and Marie are being shown a house when the realtor reveals a secret duct cover by a hatch in the basement. “When you go down the duct, you jump twelve hours ahead in time,” he says. But, he teases, “In addition to the jump, something even wilder occurs.” And so begins Incredible But True, a little science … Continue reading Incredible But True
Fleishman Is an Idiot
I tried watching Fleishman Is in Trouble, and I rather enjoyed the first episode. But the second episode grew tedious as it became increasingly clear that the protagonist, Toby Fleishman (portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg) was making increasingly foolish choices. Plus, I came to realize that we only saw Toby’s wife Rachel in flashbacks from Toby’s point … Continue reading Fleishman Is an Idiot
Overdue Books
Possibilities
Last night I decided to listen to the Original Cast album of the Broadway musical It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman, a score I haven’t heard in several years, and it immediately threw me into a quandary. I know that the Penn State Thespians put on the musical, as I have several vivid memories of … Continue reading Possibilities