Category Archives: Life
One of the things that drives this blog and informs its content is that I have a sense of being on the downward part of the hill.
The hill in question being the one they say you’re over when you’re past your prime. Mind you, I’m not far over it, but the path definitely leads downwards these days. As a great poem puts it in another context, “But at my back I always hear, Time’s winged chariot hurrying near.“
[That poem, by the way, is a hoot. It’s about an 17th century guy giving his gal the old line: ‘Time is short, let’s get it on, baby!’ And you gotta love a poem with the couplet, “The grave’s a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there embrace.“]
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2 Comments | tags: age, Andrew Marvell, carpe diem, Gonzo Papers, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack London, Jimmy Buffett, over the hill, Red Lobster, wisdom | posted in Life, Writing
Today’s date, 10/11/12, is one of those dates that’s numerically fun. (For my European friends, I guess it was yesterday.) And, of course, in one month and one day, we’ll have the last “golden date” of this century, 12/12/12.
But for me, October 11th is a sad day, a day of mourning. Eight years ago today, in 2004, my dog — who brought me as close as I have ever come to having my own child — took her last breath. Her name was Samantha; she was only ten.
That she died a couple of years after we moved into a new place I’d bought in part to provide an ideal home for her was tough. That she died a bit over a year after my divorce was final was really tough. That she died only months after the first time my job at The Company was eliminated and I had found a new position two days before my end date was just icing on a shit cake.
Today I choose to commemorate her passing by writing about the perfect day.
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31 Comments | tags: beer, Black Lab, Black Labrador Retriever, dogs, fog, frost, perfect day, Sam, Samantha, snow | posted in Life
Today, of course, is the last day of September. For a variety of reasons, it’s always been one of my favorite months, and it’s always bugged me slightly that September — having only 30 days — is one of the short-changed months. August around here is usually hot, muggy and buggy, so I’d be fine with Congress passing a law to give one of August’s days to September.
And pity poor February! Not only stuck with being the shortest month (a month frequently dark and very cold), but saddled with the responsibility of having to keep an eye on the calendar to even know how many days it has!
Perhaps Congress could also declare February to be National February Month!
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44 Comments | tags: abacus, Bab's Dairy, beauty, German, high school, Hostess Honey Bun, jobs, milk, raw milk, work | posted in Life
I wrote in last night’s post that I had a bet riding on today’s college football game between the Minnesota Gophers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. That’s particularly weird, since: (a) I generally never gamble, especially on sports; (2) when it comes to football, I’m pretty much a “Superbowl-only” kind of guy; and (iii) I know nothing about college football [apparently a bronze pig, named Floyd, is involved somehow].
Well, weak from the week, I crashed on the couch all morning and missed most of the game. But I did wake up in time to catch the final 58 seconds (actually a rather long time in football). Final score: Minnesota 13, Iowa 31. That means my former boss and I get beer! [Yes, that’s right, I was betting on Iowa.]
Last night I mentioned it was a long story that I’d tell you later. What I didn’t mention was that it involves a great Humphrey Bogart movie, rotary phones, a prolonged discussion of point spreads and a parody of a famous quote.
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3 Comments | tags: Body Heat, college football, Florida noir, Gophers, Hawkeyes, Humphrey Bogart, Key Largo, Lauren Becall, Rachel Ward, Steve Martin | posted in Life, Movies
It’s a crisp, cool, sunny Sunday, and the Twins just beat the Tigers 10-4 in the first game of what will be a double-header today. (The second game is to make up from being rained out Friday evening.) I’m not pinning high hopes of their winning both games, but they have won both games of the two double-headers played so far this year. It would be lovely if they did win tonight.
On the other hand, that would put the Tigers one more game away from taking the White Sox, and — as do all Twins fans — I hate those pale hose. On the other other hand, even if the Sox do take the pennant, they’ll likely get creamed by the Rangers or Yankees.
(I’m still holding hope the Orioles will take the Yankees. Anyone who’s not an actual Yankee fan hates those pin-stripe guys. “Best baseball team money can buy,” is not a compliment!)
But on this lovely Sunday, it’s awards, not baseball, that I want to write about.
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13 Comments | tags: blog, blogging, candy corn, fall, Immanuel Kant, Minnesota Twins, Newhart, One Lovely Blog Award, rattlesnake tastes like chicken, Wonderful Team Member Readership Award | posted in Life
This is a post I have mixed feelings about writing. One purpose this blog serves is to document my life and me. It’s a way of leaving something behind, of scrawling, “Kilroy was here,” on the walls of the interweb. There are no children to carry on a legacy, so this is what I have.
If I am to do that honestly, it means writing about the dark, hard stuff as well as the fun, light stuff. I’ve thought about writing this post for a while, but was looking for the right time (which, of course, is just a delaying tactic). Yesterday I mentioned yet another moment of life synchronicity. To the extent I believe the universe “tells” me anything, it’s not hard to imagine it’s suggesting that I post this now.
I’ve been wanting to get back to the drier, more technical stuff, but I’m finding it a challenge to write. There’s research required for one thing, double-checking facts, and sometimes diagrams to find or create. Writing technical material in a way that’s interesting and accessible is tough! The personal stuff flows much more readily. (And doesn’t require the fact-checking!)
So this post is about my alter-ego: Quasimodo.
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22 Comments | tags: Esmeralda, Gardens of the Sun, Kilroy was here, monsters, Paul McAuley, Quasimodo, The Quiet War, Victor Hugo | posted in Life, Quotes
Bloggin’ Bog…
Bloggin’ Blah?
Bloggin’ Bah!
Goin’ Fishin’…
Havin’ Fun?
Likin’ This!
Comin’ Home…
Feelin’ Good?
Nice’n Calm!
Writt’n Down…
Click’n Post,
Now’m Done!
(Not feelin’ like writt’n today. Logos con carne will return anon.)
20 Comments | tags: camping, fishing, funny poetry, hammock, nap time, poetry | posted in Life
It’s party time! Friday night, and everything’s right.
For your consideration, there’s celebration in the air (that’s no exaggeration). We’re talking ’bout elation; lookin’ for participation. Ya gotta feel the situation. Join with the recreation; enjoy the circulation (and the conversation).
Listen to that good vibration, trackin’ jubilation destination. Forget your reputation; forget your moderation; ain’t no humiliation (that’s a stipulation). There’s no registration, no identification authentication.
I’m sure it’s no revelation; fermentation fascination will bring inebriation (and hallucination). Hesitation just won’t do; you have an invitation! There is no limitation at this here presentation.
That was my narration; how ’bout a small ovation?
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26 Comments | tags: beer, celebrate, Champagne, galaxy, Kessel Run, light year, Milky Way, parsec, Pluto, Sol, solar system, sun sign | posted in Brain Bubble, Life
“Pick a number from 1 to 100.”
Today I’m thinking about the number: 57.
What can be said about the number fifty-seven?
It almost looks like it might be a prime number (due, I expect, to the five and the seven, both of which are prime). But it’s not prime (or in its prime). It’s divisible by 3, and that’s easy to see, because:
5 + 7 = 12; 1 + 2 = 3
That trick works for any number divisible by three. Just keep reducing the digits by adding them until you get a single digit. If that digit is divisible by 3 (3, 6 or 9), then the number can be divided by three. We could even have stopped at the 12, since that is also divisible by 3.
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16 Comments | tags: 57, 57 Channels, Heinz 57, Heinz 57 sauce, M57, Messier 57, Passenger 57, Shure SM57, sun sign | posted in Life
What’s the word for when you receive new information that alters your way of thinking? In particular, for when you thought things were one way, expected them to be that way, but the new information surprises you.
I used to think it was the word frisson, but that word (from the French, “to be cold”) refers to the pleasant thrill shiver you experience at the awards ceremony just before they open the envelope that might contain your name. Or when you watch a horror movie (assuming you like watching horror movies).
That’s not quite what I mean. There is — at least for me — some thrill shiver associated with learning a new and surprising thing, but I need a word that focuses more on the sense of realignment that occurs to your worldview.
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13 Comments | tags: communication, frisson, grammar, Hays Code, linguistics, storytelling | posted in Basics, Life, Philosophy
Logos con carne 