state of mine

Similar to the MyWorld66 meme, by way of Amanita.net. bold the states you’ve been to, underline the states you’ve lived in and italicize the state you’re in now… Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana […]

i spy

The “Washington Whispers” column in the January 26 issue of U.S. News and World Report notes, in the “Master of His Web: Colin Powell” entry: Hey, State Department Web gang: Think twice before blowing off those E-mails asking what may look like niggling questions. They’re possibly from Secretary of State Colin Powell. The latest proof […]

the days of book

Yesterday at lunch I finished reading an amazing Irish novel, At Swim Two Boys, written over a ten-year period by openly gay author Jamie O’Neill, whom many critics are calling the successor to James Joyce and Roddy Doyle. Fortunately I was eating lunch late, when few other people were still around, because I was a […]

seeing red

6:25 p.m., Thursday, January 29. I’m just about to leave the garage at my condo to go pick Jeff up at the Metro. The garage doors open and a red car–is that a Prius?–drives in. I circle around and see that it is, and it’s pulling into the parking space of my ex and still […]

home economics

Earlier this week I received the latest annual assessment on my condo from Arlington County. Whoa! My assessment went up by 27 percent from last year, which itself was an increase of 20 percent over the previous year; in Arlington County, condo values have increased at a higher rate the past two years than have […]

finished the game, i have

Earlier this evening in a climactic battle aboard the Star Forge I defeated the Dark Lord of the Sith, won the heart of the girl (eh, whatever; I still wish there had been an option to pursue Carth instead of Bastila, but I guess that’s why it’s called a roleplaying game), and saved the galaxy […]

no, i don’t get the picture

Last November, I noted that my television was showing signs of failure, and might need to be replaced. Recently the signs have been mounting. For probably close to a year, the set might work fine for a few days, then out of the blue I can turn it on to find the picture distorted; this […]

an open letter to toyota

It’s beginning to feel like everywhere I turn, I see or hear advertisements for your exciting and innovative new Prius. What I want to know is why you’re spending so much money advertising this car when you can’t even make enough of them for those of us who already have placed orders, and your local […]

you’re dismissed

OPM finally has decided to dismiss Washington-area federal employees three hours early today, just in time for the new round of freezing rain, sleet and snow expected this afternoon and evening. Actually, the OPM web site has yet to update the official operating status [update: it has since been updated], though we’ve gotten word from […]

the write kind of friends

My friends David Levine and Kate Yule live in Portland, Oregon. I met David and Kate back in the mid-90s through our mutual hobby of squaredancing. The couple also publish a wonderful, occasional ‘zine, Bento (some issues of which are available online). David is an award-winning, up-and-coming science-fiction writer, nominated last year for the John […]