Category Archives: Uncategorized

My love for posters, like many of my degenerate tendencies, started in college.  Every bookstore and headshop sold them – cheap – and what a way to cover up a blank boring wall.  Each was a form of self expression, as you could announce your musical likes, political tendencies, sexual attractions, or just general coolness,Continue reading “posters”

Some readers of this blog may have picked up by now my deathless devotion to that 70s band out of Ann Arbor, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.  Has any band had a wilder name?  And, I submit, no band was more fun.  In my life, I’ve never had more fun than what IContinue reading “CC&hLPA!”

A movement needs some good songs. We – all of us skeptical about what our betters are telling us to do about this little virus – are starting to get some. Check out the latest, out of Canada, where they have it way worse than we do, even with the “free health care”. Matt BevnerContinue reading “songs”

My wife and I have decided the masks are forever off.  Should anyone question us on our decision, our response will be “we’re just not doing that bullshit anymore”.  Sure, there might be some situations when donning a mask is a social grace, like entering the UPS store or teaching a class, when a fightContinue reading “Off with the masks!”

You think we Yanks do a New Year’s blow out, check out what the Scots do!  They’ve been celebrating Hogmanay this time of year since Mary Queen of Scots returned from Paris in 1561 (1).  The church forbid public celebrations of Christmas, as it was seen as an appropriated pagan tradition which discounted the sanctityContinue reading “Hogmanay!”

I’m sure you’ve realized by now I like to distribute Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 hit “Don’t worry, be happy” very frequently (1).  I think it’s often the appropriate response to news I’ve just conveyed, like the latest on Omicron (2). One of my dear friends and faithful readers Sandy asked about the characters in the video. Continue reading “cast”

My sister Jolene gave all of us a wonderful Christmas gift, a framed reproduction of a photo of our mom lounging on the beach – with her mom! – on Santa Anna Island (now Anna Maria) –  a seven mile barrier island off the Gulf coast of Florida – where they used to escape toContinue reading “my mom the babe”

It’s a good doctor who can explain things. I’ve been trying to do that with Mr. Corona for almost 2 years. But Dr. Ted Noel, a retired anesthesiologist/intensivist knocked it out of the park today (1). I’ve been emphasizing the high rate of errors coronavirus makes in replicating its RNA genome as source of allContinue reading “it’s over”

Happy Boxing Day, my friends. In the U.S., only Massachusetts takes it as an official holiday, and the employees don’t even get to take it off. But those in the Queen’s realm are busy seeing that those who have served them over the year, and some of the poor, are getting their boxes of thanks.Continue reading “dandy dozen, revisited”

Twisted how our Christmas traditions develop.  Perhaps because they are so varied shows how rich and wonderful our traditions really are. Following a tradition we made years ago – nothing to do with Christmas – got us into a situation that tangled up our traditions and introduced us to some new possibilities. All of itContinue reading “Lit’l Christmas Eve”