Eight minutes. Not too bad. From shutting off the alarm to backing out of the driveway in eight minutes. It reminded me of my days signing on at KEVN, when I regularly got up and out in 15 minutes. Of course today I took a few shortcuts I couldn't then;' [...]
As promised......Her Majesty the Drama Queen in full award-winning regalia. I think the black background, which made her black tights disappear, really makes the photo. [...]
This poor neglected blog. If it were a houseplant it would have died a long time ago. I just can't seem to find the time and/or material. Even typing this is a struggle due to Grandbaby's insistence on assisting, which is not as helpful as she thinks. She has become [...]
It was one of those innocuous questions everyone hears or asks in casual conversation all the time, the kind of not-too-deep ice breaker most people can answer without much thought, so of course I stumbled all over it. "Do you have any hobbies?"
Ben-Hur was on the other night. I wonder how many people think that's a true story?
I'm glad CBS moved The Big Bang Theory from opposite Antiques Roadshow to follow Two and Half Men. Each has something that tickles me. Two and a Half Men is crude and rude [...]
In the space of roughly a week my house has gone from bare-minimum computing power to a small network. My wife and both daughters have each acquired a laptop to accompany the hopelessly outclassed family desktop, requiring me to dust off the LinkSys wireless router and hook it back up [...]
I can't honestly say I recall what brought this to mind - when you daydream as much as I do you lose track -but it recently occurred to me that while South Dakota isn't exactly a beacon of diversity, each of the cities in which I've lived as an adult' [...]
Jon Carroll tells me something of which I could have remained blissfully ignorant for the rest of my life.
I have actually written naked, for the usual reasons - an extremely hot day, an extremely tight deadline - and it's no fun at all. I stuck to the' [...]
Do you ever have those days when you keep thinking, "What is WRONG with you people?" Of course you do. We all do. Do you ever find yourself in a room and thinking, "Please get me out of here before I kill everyone?" [...]
In his latest column in Road and Track, Peter Egan laments the time constraints that forced him to pass by various attractions during a road trip/comparison test, and ponders the idea of going back when he has more time. This revived a thought process in which I engage once in [...]
Finally a chance to peruse a few websites, and just in time: James Lileks spent some time here in South Dakota, hitting the standard stops. First up, the Corn Palace.
Mitchell has done a tremendous job of marketing itself, thanks entirely to the maize-smothered structure at the end [...]
Ah, the things that pop into my head while lying on the couch brandishing the TV remote control with Grandbaby sleeping on my shoulder (don't worry, I'm an experienced broadcast equipment operator; I haven't injured anyone in years).
- She generates considerable suction on her bottle while' [...]
I see that Anthony Bourdain's next show was done nearby, in Montana. For those of you who don't know, Bourdain is the host of a program called No Reservations on the Travel Channel (new shows are on Mondays at 10:00 Eastern, with reruns at various times). He is a former [...]
Once again, the mind wanders on the overnight shift......
The AP reported that Tito Jackson announced he'll pay tribute to his brother during a series of concerts in England. I know nothing about Tito or his act, but I can't help but think that the fact that he is [...]
Another birthday passes by. 47......not a milestone age; basically it's one of those "a few years until..." points in life. On the other hand, it’s also part of that pleasant time in life when the pop-culture marketers have given up on you and the AARP doesn't have you on the [...]
As still more Michael Jackson-inspired drivel sullied the TV screen a few days ago, a co-worker asked what I thought made him so successful. I must say that I struggled for a coherent answer at the time, and the question had been rattling around in my head since. I finally [...]
Recently I did something I hadn't done in over twenty years. Hmmm... over twenty years. I seem to make increasing use of that time frame. The list of activities or events from a score or more years past to which I find myself referring has grown quite a bit lately.' [...]
"Well God, I've heard a lot of people speak highly of prayer, so I thought I'd give it a try. Of course I need to make a couple of assumptions; (1) You exist and (2) my concept of God is compatible with what" [...]
As I type this preparations are being made to mark the passing of 52 weeks since Grandbaby made her first appearance outside of her mother's womb, to generally good reviews. Yes, she's hit the Big 1.0. Picnic supplies are being procured along with the usual birthday goodies, and presents are [...]
So far the preliminary investigation into the Steve McNair shooting seems to point toward a crime of passion or something like it,once again showing that while political and religious ideologies may motivate the large-scale human tragedies, sex continues to inflict similar damage a few lives at a time. I'm glad' [...]
Just a few thoughts that occurred while working the night shift and admiring my driver's tan, which means my left arm is slightly darker than my right and which nicely accentuates the gray hairs growing from the birthmark on my left forearm, a blemish which has elicited comment from many' [...]
A friend of mine recently told me of a conversation she had with relatives regarding homosexuality. More specifically, her trouble reconciling her desire to be what she considers a good Christian (she is a life-long Catholic) and be tolerant of all types of people with her dislike of even the [...]
The wife, younger daughter, two granddaughters and I spent the say before Father's Day in Huron at one of those family reunions where I know a few faces and a few names but almost no combinations of the two. Most of the people who know who I am hadn't seen [...]
James Lileks came across this. I really don't know what to say.
Ah, the things a little research reveals: there’s a book about the theory that the Titanic found on the bottom of the ocean was not the Titanic, but was actually the Olympic, which had suffered' [...]
An article in the latest issue of Car and Driver (not on-line as far as I can determine) has this quote from a California woman who moved to rural Texas with her husband and bought a small race track.
"We prayed about it," Laurie Scribellito says. "We prayed" [...]
Gee, I go two weeks between posts and a plane falls from the sky, David Carradine hangs himself, North Korea tests a nuke and lobs missiles, GM goes belly-up.....apparently I owe it to civilization to get here more often.Of course, it would be nice if I had something worth typing, [...]
In the comments to a buzz.mn post on drive-ins and root beer was this......
My wife is from South America. I introduced her to Root Beer and she HATED it. Said it taste like a "remedy". Then I added ice cream to the mix. Now she LOVES root [...]
James Lileks,no fan of fishing or baseball, has an er....interesting idea.
If they could combine fishing and baseball, we'd have twice as much action. "And it's a line-drive cast up the middle -- Johnson throws it right at a muskie! He's hooked! -- but no! The umpire is'" [...]
Finally back, although I'm actually cheating; I typed this up earlier to post when I could. Yes, it has come to that. It seems a bit in violation of the spirit of blogging, but sometimes you do what you must.
A sudden housing crisis has resulted in the older' [...]
Time to squeeze in bit of blogging before the chaos of Graduation Weekend sets in. Sunday my daughter will graduate from high school; then comes the fun part of learning to be an adult. This hasn't really sunk into her yet, as with many kids; even ones who seem ready' [...]
Via Dave Barry....Even death won't shut some people up, and others aren't happy about it.
The headstones — fitted with screens and speakers — play recordings of the owners' lives when their loved ones come to pay their respects. But spooked visitors have asked graveyard officials at Linz,' [...]
Via Andrew Sullivan.....Gene Weingarten encourages a realistic view of dogs.
I think we understand that one of the most endearing traits all dogs share is that they are absolute knuckleheads. In fact, if you examine the top of a dog's head -- check it out right now, if' [...]
From the police activity summary at buzz.mn....when you're doing this, you're bound to end up in jail for something.
"Drunken driving. A woman called police after a suspicious man came to her door and said he was there for prostitution. She told the man to leave and he" [...]
I had heard about this practice, but tried not to think about it.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is investigating the posthumous "baptism" of President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, as a "serious breach" of religious code, a spokeswoman said. Church records published by' [...]
While checking out the Fergus Falls website for buzz.mn, James Lileks spits out a groaner.
“In 1857, Joe Whitford was sent by his employer, James Fergus, to locate a site for a new community. Along the way he encountered an Indian family who told him of a location [...]
Jon Carroll went to his granddaughter's science fair and noticed a significant absence.
Someone asked me if there were any mock-ups of exploding volcanoes at the fair. There weren't, and I now wonder whether the exploding-volcano-at-the-science-fair riff isn't some kind of urban legend. Certainly, hilarity ensues, but did' [...]
Andrew Sullivan linked to a study seeking the evolutionary basis for the female orgasm.
.....female orgasm may thus be a relic, adaptive among our primate ancestors but potentially disadvantageous—even dangerous—to some women today. Thus, insofar as orgasm might even occasionally induce women to seek out additional sex partners [...]
I went to a drug store......The drugstore was out.
I went to another red-themed retailer. Since I didn't know where to look, I thought I'd ask the Friendly Neighborhood Pharmacist. She was talking to the man at the counter, [...]
Gee, I neglect this humble blog for a week and everything goes down the toilet. Swine flu - sorry, Influenza A H1N1 - makes a comeback (I recall the last big kerfuffle in the 1970s); Chrysler finally gives up trying to rehab its condition and goes under the bankruptcy [...]
The Truth About Cars has a feature in which readers submit their automotive biographies; a list of the vehicles they've owned. As I thought about this I realized that for a 30-year subscriber to Road & Track and Car & Driver, and a long-time follower of the car industry who' [...]
A young woman who was shot to death outside of a Maple Grove McDonald's restaurant Sunday was identified Monday by the Hennepin County medical examiner's office as Heather Rose McPherson, 24, of Plymouth. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend, who police say shot her and then committed [...]
While discussing Severe Weather Awareness Week, James Lileks offered this tip.
.....when they test the warning sirens, howl along with your dog. He might think it's the Great Dog in the Sky, and you wouldn't want to look like an unbeliever.
At last a break from the chaos that dominates my life. It happens at just the right time; today marks my second wedding anniversary. As usual, I found something trivial to ponder; signing the card I got my wife. In general it seems to be proper to sign a card [...]
I've had a few close calls in my life, but nothing like this.
A Kenyan man bit a python which wrapped him in its coils and dragged him up a tree during a fierce three-hour struggle, police have told the BBC. The serpent seized farm worker Ben Nyaumbe' [...]
More proof that being a tourist can inhibit brain activity.....
.....one local industry is thriving by producing handmade paper out of a material no-one else wants - wombat poo. The novelty paper is a hit with tourists keen to buy a distinctly Australian souvenir from the area. [...]
As promised......Her Majesty the Drama Queen in full award-winning regalia. I think the black background, which made her black tights disappear, really makes the photo.
Having reluctantly made use of similar facilities a few times, I'm not sure I entirely agree with 
