I have to admit I sniggered upon hearing the news that Pope Ratzinger was on his way out the door. I won’t miss him. And I can hardly wait to see what the Catholic Church will inflict upon us next. In the meantime, I figured we’d do a few quotes from Robert Ingersoll for the …
Category Archive: farewells
Apr 01 2012
Daniel in the Lion’s Den
This will end in tears, mark my words. The tears will begin as soon as I make this sad announcement: Daniel Fincke is leaving us. I blame the Reason Rally for this tragic loss, and I’ll tell you why. Dan emailed me afterward. He was walking on clouds. “Dana,” he gushed, “they talked about the …
Jan 18 2012
In Memoriam My Maternal Grandfather, I Shall Now Inflict The Statler Brothers On You
I got that message today that you know, in the back of your mind, is liable to come at any time. The tall, thin man with the funny hair and the thick-rimmed glasses was nearly ninety, if not past it, and he’d been ailing recently. So I wasn’t surprised to find a succession of messages …
Dec 15 2011
Christopher Hitchens Is Dead
There are moments, when you find out someone momentous has died, in which you find the world a little emptier than before. A person has died who filled up the world, poured so much of himself into it that he made it a larger and more interesting place. Someone whose words thundered and reverberated and …
Oct 06 2011
Steve Was All Right
Although, to be honest, I’m a PC girl. Have been since the personal computer fell within a middle-class price range. And there was a while there when I hated Steve Jobs, because he made my job so much harder. All right, I didn’t hate him, I hated his phone. iPhone users had an almost-religious fervor …
Jul 24 2011
Atlantis: Time to Say Goodbye
Watching her land live was agony and ecstasy. I wish it wasn’t the last, but at least her final approach was pitch-perfect and altogether beautiful. I took screenshots of that historic final landing. Figured I’d share. Pilot’s view on the final approach. Atlantis on infrared. You can see the glow around her. She’s hot! Twin …
Apr 19 2011
Goodbye, Our Sarah Jane
Elisabeth Sladen, the actress who played Doctor Who’s Sarah Jane Smith, died of cancer today. Russell T. Davies gives a worthy tribute to her here. All I’ve got is this clip from YouTube that doesn’t do her justice, and some fangirl memories. She was brilliant. So very brilliant. I’d never known her – my obsession …
Mar 27 2011
Some Brief Thoughts on Death and Dying
Diana Wynne Jones, outstanding fantasy writer and Neil Gaiman’s friend, died. She lived a long life, and a good life, and left a lot of magic behind. I found myself standing on the balcony after hearing the news, staring into the sky at the stars, and caught myself thinking, “I hope Death came for her.” …
Nov 21 2010
Give Lockwood and Ozma Some Love
Ozma’s dying. She’s Lockwood’s beautiful feral baby. We didn’t get a chance to see her when we were there – she’ll only associate with Lockwood – but we caught a glimpse. She’s a gorgeous girl. I’m glad she’s got someone she loves and trusts who will stay with her to the end. Ozma Love and …


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