I’ll be honest. I’m indifferent to the World Cup. I’ve nothing against soccer. I like Hibs in the Scottish Premier League, for instance. I’ve played FIFA on the PS2 and Xbox; I’ve even been decent at playing it. Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch is a fantastic book — and Jimmy Fallon’s Fever Pitch is an utterContinue reading “On World Cup Musings”
Author Archives: Allyn
On Shore Leave Anticipation
Shore Leave is coming up. The second weekend in July — the 9th through the 11th. Guests this year include Edward James Olmos and Katee Sackhoff. If you’re in the Baltimore area in mid-July and you’re looking for a convention, Shore Leave’s worth your time. I bring up Shore Leave because yesterday I received anContinue reading “On Shore Leave Anticipation”
On Mid-Week Errata
I’ve had Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train” stuck in my head today. My day actually began with Jethro Tull. My Tull collection is not large — Aqualung, the Christmas album, a greatest hits album. While working this morning, I needed something different to keep me going, and “Locomotive Breath” from Aqualung seemed auspicious. Which made meContinue reading “On Mid-Week Errata”
On Things I’ve Been Reading
I haven’t done one of my comic book reading round-ups since, umm, well… it’s been about nine months. I’ve read a lot of comics in the past nine months. I’m not going to try and catch up on things I’ve read; instead, I’ll point out three things I’ve read recently. Do Androids Dream of ElectricContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”
On the New Blog Design
After deciding to redesign my blog’s layout, I decided against it. I ran a Hot Wax Weekend instead over Memorial Day. The thing was, I’d already started coding the new website design I’d selected, taking the CoolBlue stylesheet from StyleShout. I had the “main” files done — header.php, index.php, sidebar.php, and footer.php. Yes, there areContinue reading “On the New Blog Design”
On Walking Through Rain
My last hour at the office, the skies grew ever darker. I had not brought my umbrella to work with me; it was barely cloudy when I left the house and I neglected to check the weather forecast. Even at lunch, sitting on the outdoor patio at Chipotle, what clouds there were were billowy, cottonyContinue reading “On Walking Through Rain”
On a Retro Weekend
Hot Wax Weekend! When I was young, the local radio stations had a Hot Wax Weekend from time to time; they would roll back the clock and play hits of the 60s instead of hits of the 80s. For me, on a Hot Wax Weekend, I also turn back the clock. The blogging clock. ToContinue reading “On a Retro Weekend”
On a Reminder of the Past
I received in the mail today a “Save the Date” postcard. My 20 year high school reunion is this year, midway through Wedmath. I’m not planning on attending. The reasons aren’t complicated, and were probably best explicated by Martin Blank in Grosse Pointe Blank — “I don’t know what I have in common with thoseContinue reading “On a Reminder of the Past”
On Madcap Ideas
On occasion, I have completely mental thoughts. Take last Friday, for instance. After the every-few-monthly pub outing with the department I, while somewhat intoxicated, wrote the following sentence: “Imagine a world without fractions.” I don’t know what that means. I can’t imagine a world without fractions. Yet, I worked that sentence into a Sherlock HolmesContinue reading “On Madcap Ideas”
On Doctor Who, Narrative, and Theories
Doctor Who inspires theories. I’ve had some interesting ones over the years, from what Jack Harkness might actually be (more interesting than the Face of Boe, let me tell you), to how Donna Noble was actually the TARDIS, to reset buttons, to a switcheroo in lieu of regeneration. Absolutely sensible, absolutely logical, and… Absolutely wrong.Continue reading “On Doctor Who, Narrative, and Theories”