I’m told that my handwriting looks like a girl’s handwriting. I can’t write in cursive. I forgot how to do so many, many years ago. Instead, my printing, which in high school had been crabby, jangly, and even a little jerky, began to transform into something a little more fluid, a little more open, aContinue reading “On the Look and Feel of My Handwriting”
Monthly Archives: April 2011
On Terry Pratchett and Assisted Suicide
Terry Pratchett is doing a documentary on assisted suicide for the BBC. Pratchett, the author of the Discworld novels, has been diagnosed himself with Alzheimer’s Disease. Said Pratchett, “I believe everybody possessed of a debilitating and incurable disease should be allowed to pick the hour of their death.” I can’t disagree with that. My dadContinue reading “On Terry Pratchett and Assisted Suicide”
On Making Non-Factual Statements about Jon Kyl
Mockery can be fun. And when Stephen Colbert took to mocking Arizona Senator Jon Kyl yesterday, I had to join in on the excitement. Why was Kyl the target of Colbert’s mockery? Several days ago, Kyl took to the floor of the Senate to claim that 90 percent of Planned Parenthood’s operations were abortion services.Continue reading “On Making Non-Factual Statements about Jon Kyl”
On Things I’ve Been Reading
Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown BOOM! Studios/kaboom! Written by Charles Schulz, Adapted by Stephan Pastis & Craig Schulz Art by Bob Scott, Vicki Scott, and Ron Zorman A few weeks ago, a new Peanuts animated special, Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown, came out on DVD. Adapted from a number of CharlesContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”
On the Aftermath of an Averted Government Shutdown
When I woke Saturday morning, the crisis I expected on Friday — a government shutdown — had been averted. At the last possible moment, President Obama and Speaker Boehner reached an agreement, the Republicans would give up on defunding Planned Parenthood and the EPA, and in exchange the Democrats would agree to slightly deeper spendingContinue reading “On the Aftermath of an Averted Government Shutdown”
On Taking to the Skies with Snoopy
So, how long have I had an Xbox 360? Five years? How much have I played it? Umm. I think maybe three hours. Today I hooked it up, attached a network adapter, and signed up for Xbox Live. Like I said a year and a half ago, I really wanted Snoopy Flying Ace. I’d neverContinue reading “On Taking to the Skies with Snoopy”
On the Looming Government Shutdown
So, it’s likely to happen. Sometime later today, the United States federal government will shut down. Even though the Democrats and the Republicans are within a few billion dollars of spending on the 2011 budget, the real issue for Republicans isn’t the overall spending but specific funding for Planned Parenthood and environmental regulations. Democrats wantContinue reading “On the Looming Government Shutdown”
On an Oxfordian Movie
So! The Shakespeare Authorship Question is the subject of a new film from Independence Day director Roland Emmerich, Anonymous, out this autumn. According to a write-up in Entertainment Weekly, it focuses on Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, who is considered by some (like the Shakespeare-Oxford Society) to be the true author of Shakespeare’sContinue reading “On an Oxfordian Movie”
On Anger With the Post Office
Over the weekend, I mentioned that I’ve recently started collecting some rarities relating to Elbow, the Mancunian band that I utterly adore. Toward the end of the post, I mentioned that I’d ordered the Build a Rocket Boys! Souvenir Book from Elbow’s current UK tour. In the book, frontman Guy Garvey talks with artist OliverContinue reading “On Anger With the Post Office”
On Charlie Brown Apparel
As I mentioned last week, I’ve recently started reading 3eanuts, a remix project (of a sort) of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. This morning, I noticed something, a detail that had somehow escaped my notice for thirty years. Charlie Brown wears a striped shirt. But it’s not a tee-shirt. No, Charlie Brown wears a polo shirt. OrContinue reading “On Charlie Brown Apparel”