When I was little, I remember the saying, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” The way I understood that was, March is stormy and awful at the beginning, and it’s spring’s early days at the end. Life experience tells me that’s sorta true, and this year has probably beenContinue reading “Signs of a Late Spring”
Monthly Archives: March 2026
Scraping the Barrel of Authority
It was announced earlier this week that Stephen Colbert, late night talk show host and well-known Tolkien expert, will be writing a new Lord of the Rings movie for Peter Jackson, this one based around several chapters of Fellowship of the Ring that were not included in Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation. Colbert said in theContinue reading “Scraping the Barrel of Authority”
Pop Culture, Snoopy Style
I was out of town the last several days. One cute thing I saw on Twitter was this — Snoopy and the Beatles. It’s not perfect — the audio doesn’t sync well to the video — and the Schulz-ified Beatles don’t really look like the Beatles, but it’s so charming I can’t resist. I alsoContinue reading “Pop Culture, Snoopy Style”
From Erie, PA!
Difficult as it is to believe, Facebook had an ad that was relevant to my interests. Erie’s own The Oneders had that brief residency at Villapiano’s, the pizza joint out by the airport in the early ’60s. From there, they went on to appear in a rock and roll show in Pittsburgh, then were signedContinue reading “From Erie, PA!”
Grief Written in Stone
A week ago it was almost eighty degrees. This morning I woke to snow on the ground. It’s been a wild couple of days. It was pretty but with gale force winds on Saturday when I was in Lancaster for the Shamrocked Beer Festival, genuinely nice on Sunday, and yesterday (Monday) was warm and rainyContinue reading “Grief Written in Stone”
Beer and Music, Oh My!
Today was the Shamrocked Beer Fest, held the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day by the Lancaster Stormers, the minor league baseball team across the river. I’ve gone the last two years. I did not go for the beer festival. I bought a much cheaper Designated Driver ticket, because all I was interested in was theContinue reading “Beer and Music, Oh My!”
The Last of the Melting Snow
After several gloomy days — pea soup fog, chilly drizzle, even a thunderstorm — today felt like a day in May. Bright, warm, sunny. The tree in front of my apartment looks like it’s ready to bust open. I threw down some grass seed on the dying lawn in front of my apartment. Last summerContinue reading “The Last of the Melting Snow”
The Bombing of the Girls School
Last weekend, at the start of the Iran War (which the Trump administration describes as a “war” while drawing a legal distinction it isn’t a war so they can, in their minds, avoid “war crimes”), the United States bombed an Iranian girls school. And then bombed it again for good measure. You can see immediatelyContinue reading “The Bombing of the Girls School”
Dropping an Author
While doomscrolling the apocalypse on Twitter this afternoon, I saw this intriguing Tweet… G.F. Allen, I don’t know who you are, but since you asked… Yes. I have finished a book and vowed never to read another word by the writer. There’s even a case where I have an autographed book by the author, asContinue reading “Dropping an Author”
No, That Can’t Be Right
Twitter tells me that Elbow’s Build a Rocket Boys! came out fifteen years ago today. Fifteen years! That can’t be right! Yeah, it was back during the Obama years… but fifteen? Fifteen! Nah, time doesn’t work like that. It can’t. I never reviewed the album at the time, though I shared some thoughts on theContinue reading “No, That Can’t Be Right”