photo credit: Nicola since 1972 I’ve been listening to “The History of Rome,” Mike Duncan’s series of half-hour podcasts tracing… the history of Rome. That is, the Roman Empire, of course. So far, there are 115 podcasts and more coming, and I’ve listed to almost 60. Today, while hearing about the tragic fate of Augustus’s […]
Voting
I’ve occasionally bought lecture courses from “The Great Courses.” For example, I bought a 36 lecture series on the history of Russia. I don’t buy them very often because they’re expensive and there are so many great podcasts out there for free. (NEVER buy one of these lectures when they’re not on sale. But even […]
I Could Care Less
Ladies and Gentlemen, another crossover from my writing blog (Save the Semicolon): From all the language pet peeves that I hear about, the phrase “I could care less” seems to peeve people the most. Well, let’s say it’s tied with “irregardless.” Taken on its own, of course, if Rhett Butler had said, “Frankly, my dear, […]
Authors: Lynd Ward and Anthony Powell
Have you ever read 11 novels in a 12 novel cycle, and just wanted it all to end? Have you ever read 11 novels in a 12 novel cycle? I have! Anthony Powell‘s vast series, “A Dance to the Music of Time,” seemed like a good idea back when I started it. 11 novels ago. […]
How I Spent My Morning
photo credit: tuppus But first, let’s go back to Saturday afternoon. My grandfather calls and says the following: “A friend of mine gave me something to put on the computer. Where you click things and things come up. So where should I put it on the computer?” Now, anyone who’s ever taken a similar call […]
How they see you
photo credit: xavi talleda Isn’t it strange how people see you? For example, I currently weigh about ten pounds less than I did a couple of months ago, but about fifteen pounds more than I did ten years ago. If I sat in a room with two people from different times in my life, one […]
Paperwork
Have you ever emigrated? Here are some of the things I’ve had to do or collect for the Australian government that have kept me from writing this blog: Local background check from the Atlanta cops. Fingerprints and national check from the FBI. Physical check and chest X-ray from a doctor specified on Australia’s list of […]
My New Mont Blanc Pen
I’ve never written with a Mont Blanc pen. Have you? Depending on the model, they go for between $150 and $350, which is a bit out of my price range. But I do like nice pens. I like pens that write without skipping, or scratching the paper. And I like pens that don’t go dry […]
Eggies and Australia
My post about hot and cold made me think about my imminent move to Australia. In short, it occurs to me that it will take less time to make a hard-boiled egg over there. This isn’t true for all of Australia, but I’ll be living very close to sea level, whereas I now live about […]
Comprise and Utilize
This is a short post with two requests: If you feel the need to say, “utilize,” would you please have a really good reason not to just say “use”? If you want to say that something is composed of things, please say “composed” rather than “comprised.” Thanks for your help!