Oh, if only I lived in New York City. I could, tonight, catch the final night of Rutlemania, a tribute concert to the Rutles. The Rutles! The only band that Mick Jagger truly feared! The Rutles! The band who played Che Stadium! The Rutles! The band that expanded their minds… with tea! The Rutles! RonContinue reading “On Rutlemania”
Author Archives: Allyn
On Warrior Nuns
I picked up a comic this week. The cover was intriguing — a nun, in her habit, with a big-ass sword, and a demon or somesuch behind her. A nun. With a sword. There seems to be a whole genre of comics based around the concept of warrior nuns. There’s Antarctic Press’ Warrior Nun Areala.Continue reading “On Warrior Nuns”
On the Magical Editing Pen
I have a magical editing pen. It is red. It uses gel ink. It writes smoother than any pen I have ever known. It fits my hand like no other pen I have ever owned. It is magical. Gel ink is so beautiful. It’s vibrant. It’s heavy. It looks like absolutely nothing else. It’s aContinue reading “On the Magical Editing Pen”
On Barnes & Noble and Borders
I heard at work today that Barnes & Noble has made an offer to buy Borders. There may be some anti-trust investigations, but it’s a formality. Much as when GameStop — itself a division of Barnes & Noble — bought EB Games three years ago. The real issue is probably online sales. I’m sure partContinue reading “On Barnes & Noble and Borders”
On Shakespearean Dreams
My dream began in a school auditorium. Seats were the hard wooden pull-down type. Nothing special. The auditorium was packed. My former boss was there. So, too, was Arrested Development star Jason Bateman. The speaker took the stage. The audience stood. We began to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. “I pledge allegiance to the flag…”Continue reading “On Shakespearean Dreams”
On Tolkien Reading Day
As per the Tolkien Society, March 25th is celebrated as Tolkien Reading Day. Like Bloomsday is devoted to Joyce, Tolkien Reading Day is a day when fans of Tolkien gather informally and read from The Lord of the Rings or other Tolkien writings. Why today? Why March 25th? Per the chronology in The Lord ofContinue reading “On Tolkien Reading Day”
On Winston Churchill, Astronaut
I thought American schoolchildren were muddled in their historical thinking, believing that Abraham Lincoln was at the first Thanksgiving, or that George Washington delivered the Gettysburg Address. (For the record, neither of those are true. Just so we’re clear.) It turns out that factual mistakes of historical knowledge aren’t limited to children on this sideContinue reading “On Winston Churchill, Astronaut”
On the Bush Mosaic
A few short days ago the United States reached the fifth anniversary of its military involvement in Iraq. Yesterday — Easter Sunday, for those of the Christian inclination — another milestone was passed. The four thousandth American soldier fell in Iraq. An artist has commemorated that dubious milestone with a photomosaic of President Bush andContinue reading “On the Bush Mosaic”
On The Quiet of the World
Did anything happen over the weekend? It doesn’t seem like it. I haven’t seen anything interesting in the news. Except, of course, that Duke lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Which, really, in the long run, is insignificant. I was disappointed. No Cubs on WGN over the weekend. White Sox, yes. ButContinue reading “On The Quiet of the World”
On Doctor Who Viewing
Last night BBC America showed the third season Doctor Who two-parter, “Human Nature”/”Family of Blood,” in a two-hour long block. If you missed it last night and you have BBC America, have no fear — they’re repeating it again this afternoon. Watching the two-parter in a single sitting last night, it occurred to me howContinue reading “On Doctor Who Viewing”