Texas is dry. Not dry like in The Untouchables, but dry as in bush fires, bans on washing cars, and wild animals coming into the town in search of water. Dry like a desert bone. All kinds of records have tumbled since I moved to Hell's armpit, most notably the "most days over 100F" one. … Continue reading On Renaissance Fairs
Help me! I think I have a serious cake habit...
I have too many books. There: I said it. I used to be a voracious reader of books, but now I am...less so. The decline set in around the time I started being paid to read academic text for a living. It broke me. If you've read unedited academic papers, you'll know what I mean. … Continue reading The To-Read Pile
It looks like my Doctor Frankenstein plan is not going to be as expensive as I imagined...
Horror is an interesting genre. It covers a multitude of movies, from cheap home-made efforts to Oscar winners like Silence of the Lambs. The longer I thought about it, the less idea I had about what exactly counted as "horror." Sure, there were the obvious - Halloween, American Werewolf in London, Wolf Creek, The Flintstones … Continue reading #FridayNightFright 2017
OK, my entirely made up and non-existent nemesis. I see what you did this time. That is indeed how you spell "tequila". And the use of the $ in "shot" is a nice touch. But, sign makers do sell apostrophes, right? They are wont to do so, if you know what I mean. And there's … Continue reading More Baby A
“You’re a hurricane virgin,” a friend of mine texted…and it’s true. This was my first hurricane. I was lucky enough to be experiencing Hurricane Harvey from relative safety: on a second-floor apartment in Austin, well away from the dangers more evident on the coast and in Houston. So, we watched, like everyone, our weather apps, … Continue reading On #Harvey: Mundane hurricane stories
Bushes have faces. Take that, vegetarians!
Oh sure, we know our dogs aren't really babies. We know that. But, sometimes, it's hard to tell. Similarity to babies: we're responsible for making sure they eat right, get medical attention at the right time, and we pick up their poop. Differences: in my experience, if you bribe and threaten hard enough, this stage … Continue reading On Puppies and Babies
Small Change on Strangers 