Sunlight in Seattle has been hard to come by, and my poor beautiful chunk of serpentinite has been languishing in the house, unable to show off its colors. But the clouds cleared this afternoon, so I schlepped her out to the porch poste haste. Just look at her: Hard to believe California tried to dethrone …
Monthly Archive: July 2011
Jul 30 2011
An Open Letter to Those Who Think Real Names Solve the Civility Problem
Dear People Who Think Real Names Make People Behave Better: I understand the desire for a more civil discourse. Most of us would like that (except for the trolls, one supposes), but a “real name” policy isn’t the magic cure that will make everyone nice. Allow me to direct your attention to what people feel …
Jul 30 2011
Cantina Collage o’ the Week: Rhodies
I never much liked rhododendrons much, growing up. All the ones I’d seen were just plants with big boring green leaves. I didn’t know what all the fuss was about. Then I moved up here, and the place seemed covered in plants with big boring green leaves. But in mid-spring, the things exploded with blooms. …
Jul 29 2011
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bard?
It may seem bizarre that in the land infamous for a dry sense of humor, satire is banned. But politicians in both Great Britain and Ireland, it appears, are terrified of people like Jon Stewart. So terrified, in fact, that they’ve come up with inane rules meant to prevent the carpets in their halls of …
Jul 28 2011
Dragonfly Summer
I’ve been watching the dragonflies fly all summer. They swoop and swarm over the grass by our forested hillside, and there are times when I see past the little jungle gym and the tottering old teeter-totter into a much more primordial time. So many things would change if we could travel through time, but dragonflies …
Jul 27 2011
Oh, Yes. Very Frivolous
A while back, our own Chris Rhetts asked me to unlimber the Smack-o-Matic and deliver an epic beatdown. He pointed me to this: And I watched the trailer: And I grew very, very angry. Verily, I wished to unleash the Smack-o-Matic upon the deserving. Because, you see, I’d been taken in by that: by the …
Jul 26 2011
Serpentinite and Cat
Sorry, folks. The week got away from me, and I haven’t got a Dojo post ready. Besides, Karen wants pics of that delightful chunk of probable serpentinite. Alas, I missed my chance Sunday. It was baking hot on the porch, I had Aunty Flow’s typical “hi, I’m here!” agony going on, and the weather folks …
Jul 25 2011
Los Links 7/22
Okay, we’re a bit late. Look, a lot happened. Work was busy, so I got behind in my reading. Then Google+ went all assclown over ‘nyms, a right-wing Christian terrorist bombed Oslo and shot up kids, which distracted me from my linkage duties. And, just to top it all off, my darling Aunty Flow showed …
Jul 25 2011
Equality is Beautiful
New York State is celebrating marriage equality, and it’s beautiful. Niagara Falls by @LanceBass Governor Cuomo wholeheartedly declared July 24 as a day to commemorate marriage equality, which gives us even more to celebrate aside from the marriages of a lot of very happy couples. If you really want your heart warmed, click here to …
Jul 24 2011
In the Face of Terrorism: Norway, the Myth of a Madman, and a Better Way
Image Source Guardian.co.uk This man is a terrorist. Blond, blue-eyed, solidly middle-class, raised and educated in a Western democracy, yes. He’s far from the al Qaeda foot soldier everyone expected when news of the Oslo bombing and subsequent shooting on Utoya island broke. Some are calling him Norway’s Timothy McVeigh, and that’s apt: both of …
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