Twice I fought Napoleon — first on the Great Plains, then in the Pampas region of South America. On the Great Plains, I had at my side Ivan the Terrible. To the north, I had an enemy in Maurice of Nassau. To the east, Napoleon. I made allies with the local tribes, Comanche and Sioux.Continue reading “On Napoleon’s Twin Defeats”
Category Archives: Asides
On Candy Bar Consumption
My “blood chocolate content” had fallen to a precipitously low level. This called for a trip to the vending machine on the third floor. For reasons that pass beyond my understanding, while the vending machines in the third floor breakroom and the sixth floor breakroom are stocked by the exact same company and contain theContinue reading “On Candy Bar Consumption”
On Watches, Faucets, and Headaches
A year ago, I discovered that Underground Toys was producing a replica of the Doctor’s fobwatch from the “Human Nature”/”Family of Blood” two-parter of Doctor Who‘s third season. While I sort of wanted one, it wasn’t high on my list of priorities. Unlike The Journal of Impossible Things, which I instantly wanted, and I’m nowContinue reading “On Watches, Faucets, and Headaches”
On the Things That Last
I was writing on the subway train this morning. I missed my stop. It wasn’t that I was writing anything important, just some notes for an article for work. But so engrossed was I in the words, so lost in the thoughts was I, that only as the train pulled out of the State CenterContinue reading “On the Things That Last”
On Random Wednesday Thoughts
I love the way the air feels in spring. There’s a crispness. A tanginess. It’s like a sense of anticipation, that nature itself knows that something amazing is about to happen. I went for a walk on my lunch break today. The neighborhood around the office is, to be honest, not particularly exciting. There’s notContinue reading “On Random Wednesday Thoughts”
On the Sixth Floor View
Seriously, I do not get the weather today. This morning was rainy. No, worse than rainy. It was dreary. Sheets of water poured forth from the grey sky and ran down the sidewalks. The rain had brought out the earthworms. Hundreds of them, all stretched out on the wet sidewalks. Rain beat against the officeContinue reading “On the Sixth Floor View”
On Rainy Saturday Thoughts
There are fonts that I like. And there are fonts that I do not like. Among the fonts I do not like: Comic Sans Garamond Times New Roman I should say that I don’t just not like Garamond. I outright hate Garamond. The problem is that I spent years looking at resumes working as aContinue reading “On Rainy Saturday Thoughts”
On the Smells of Springtime
Springtime is a time of smells. This week, the landscapers have been hard at work around the office. Step out of the building, and the odor of mulch wafts over you. It’s overpowering. Everyone seems to hate it. Except me. I’m actually quite taken with the smell of mulch. I can’t tell you why. MaybeContinue reading “On the Smells of Springtime”
On Painful Wisdom
Note to self. Do not laugh like that when your sinuses and bronchial passages are clogged and are in serious need of Drano. You will hurt something, your nose will go all caddywumpus, and you will start hacking like Grignr the Ecordian in some stygian abyss. That is all.
On Mistaken Identities
Earlier this week, I felt a little scratchy at the back of my throat. The sinus passages felt clogged. A cough began. I went to the drug store. I studied the cough drops. I saw some citrus cough drops. I like citrus! That’s what I bought. I’ve been popping these things. Only, my cough hasn’tContinue reading “On Mistaken Identities”