The morning’s commute was an exercise in missed connections. The subway train pulled out just as I reached the platform. Making the connection from the subway to the light rail can be the matter of moments. Up one escalator, up another escalator, across the street, down a block and a half, across a four-lane highway,Continue reading “On Missing Connections”
On New York’s Potential Next Senator
On TrekBBS yesterday, a poster, perhaps as a joke, perhaps in all seriousness, floated the idea of novelist Keith R.A. DeCandido to fill New York’s vacant Senate seat when Senator Hillary Clinton is confirmed next month as the next Secretary of State. Keith was left speechless by this turn of events. What say you, NewContinue reading “On New York’s Potential Next Senator”
On Some Political Musings
Something has been nagging at me for days, and it took a column by E.J. Dionne in today’s Washington Post to crystalize my thinking. Dionne asks, is the progressive Left disappointed in Barack Obama, a month before his inauguration, for not being Left enough? At the same time, I’ve noticed the belief on the RightContinue reading “On Some Political Musings”
On Watching Father Ted
Last night, I worked on Christmas cards. I needed some background noise. So I put in Father Ted. Here’s the set-up for people who haven’t heard of it. Father Ted was a mid-90s Irish sitcom about three Catholic priests who ministered to a small island off the coast of Ireland, Craggy Isle. The episodes revolvedContinue reading “On Watching Father Ted”
On Christmas Songs and Richard Dawkins’ OUT Campaign
At work last week, to build company morale in this holiday season, there was a contest — abbreviations for Christmas song titles were e-mailed out. Employees could puzzle out what the abbreviations stood for, and put their answers in a can at the lobby desk, where a winner would be selected each day. It wasContinue reading “On Christmas Songs and Richard Dawkins’ OUT Campaign”
On Modifying the WordPress Dashboard
One of the nifty new features of WordPress 2.7 is the Gravatar support on the Dashboard screen that I see. If you leave a comment, I get to see a little icon of who you are. That is, assuming you have a gravatar. 🙂 If you don’t have a gravatar, then I see something elseContinue reading “On Modifying the WordPress Dashboard”
On Customers and Kindness
I was, last night, sitting on a bench at the local mall. Christmas music played on the PA system. There were decorations strung here and there. It didn’t feel Christmassy. The reason was simple. This mall was deserted. No customers. It’s hard to feel the Christmas spirit without the throngs of customers, the blaring ofContinue reading “On Customers and Kindness”
On Unusable Ideas
It happens to every writer. They get an idea, a really cool idea, an idea that consumes their world for days on end… Only it’s an idea that they can’t possibly use. There’s an idea, an idea that’s been nagging at me for months. I can’t use it. For that matter, no one can. TheContinue reading “On Unusable Ideas”
On Tuesday
A colleague asked me at work today how things were going for me. I sighed. “I can’t believe it’s only Tuesday,” I said in reply. Summed it up, really. The week’s not as bad as that. Really, it’s not. I’ve just had a lot on my plate this week, and I’ll have a lot onContinue reading “On Tuesday”
On the Passing of an Age
There are three quirks that I am known for. First, I have an unhealthy obsession with the use of commas and semi-colons. Commas are not to be trifled with. 🙂 Two, I’m an Internet power-user; I browse with Opera, and see no reason to change. Finally, I use a trackball, not a mouse. My loveContinue reading “On the Passing of an Age”