Several years ago, one afternoon at work, I was reading an article on The Guardian about the Arab Spring and the violent reprisals various Arab governments launched, especially in Syria. The specificity of the memory — where I was, what it was about — is striking. What followed has stayed with me. There was aContinue reading “When the World Overwhelms…”
Author Archives: Allyn
A Paucity of Words and the Important Things in Life
I don’t have anything to say on the events in Nice, France last night. Words fail me. The world needs your kindness today. Go out and be a friend. #NiceAttack pic.twitter.com/MJbDLnuoHg — Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) July 15, 2016 pic.twitter.com/9yt9Cd1IvS — York County Dems (@YorkCountyDems) July 8, 2016 Mister Rogers' Message on the One-Year Anniversary ofContinue reading “A Paucity of Words and the Important Things in Life”
The Beatles LOVE Podcast
The Beatles have released a six-issue podcast about the making of the LOVE album. It’s not essential listening, but for a fan who likes to go behind-the-scenes, it’s fascinating to hear Olivia Harrison, George Martin, and Giles Martin talk about the music.
Writing My Congressman: The New Overtime Rules
I took some time and wrote a letter — on paper! — to my Congressman. What motivated me?
House Republicans are attempting to stop the NLRB’s new overtime rules for salaried employees in an appropriations bill. Such a move would affect me directly; right now, when the rules go into effect, I would effectively be looking at a meaningful pay raise.
Choosing Irish Music over a Science Fiction Convention
Friday Shore Leave begins. For the first time in fifteen years, I won’t be there. The Annapolis Irish Festival also begins Friday. Carbon Leaf is one of the headliners. I’m attending that instead. This wasn’t an easy decision to make. Allyn Agonistes. Shore Leave, I’ve attended every year since 2001. (And I went to theContinue reading “Choosing Irish Music over a Science Fiction Convention”
Wrestle Beetles… and Win!
I am sore. Muscles ache that I didn’t know I had. Yesterday afternoon I swapped the wheels from the old Beetle to the new. The old Beetle had new tires, the new Beetle had old. And, let’s be frank — on a purely aesthetic level, I liked the rims on the old Beetle far moreContinue reading “Wrestle Beetles… and Win!”
Things Seen and Unseen
The things you can see — the Pride of the Susquehanna tied to its pier, the lights of FNB Field after a tough loss for the Harrisburg Senators (and as they prepare for the Scouts to camp out overnight on the outfield), the fading twilight after sunset, Jupiter a few degrees from the waxing crescentContinue reading “Things Seen and Unseen”
A Quiet and Unplanned Baseball Game
Yesterday evening, after dropping off a coworker at the Light Rail, I drove into Towson for another Baltimore Redbirds baseball game. No magical reason for doing so; I’d been expecting to have to stay late at the office or possibly take editorial copy home to write, but Tuesday was incredibly productive in that I wroteContinue reading “A Quiet and Unplanned Baseball Game”
A Rainy Fourth of July
Over the weekend, I thought about going to Washington, DC for A Capitol Fourth. I’ve gone twice before, so it wouldn’t have been anything new, but I’ve been feeling the creeping need of late to spend time in, as they like to call it on CBS’ BrainDead, “this town.” But the weather forecast for theContinue reading “A Rainy Fourth of July”
An Evening of College Baseball
I hadn’t been to a baseball game in six weeks, not since I saw the Myrtle Beach Pelicans play the Frederick Keys, a game I called “a garbage game” because, frankly, the Keys played like stinky garbage. Then the Beetle died, I had to get together the money to replace it, and, finally, this weekContinue reading “An Evening of College Baseball”