Our 13-year-old Ryan Duplex recumbent tandem is starting to show its age (aren’t we all?). It’s been a great bike and over the thousands of miles we’ve had it, we’ve had to walk home only once (well, twice…but the second time was my fault, not the bike’s) due to a mechanical problem. And even that… Continue reading Bike Shopping
Month: May 2011
Trading the Real for the Fake
I daresay that Georges Seurat’s painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is only recognizable to most people in the most vague, I-think-I’ve-seen-a-poster-of-that-somewhere-before sort of way, and most of us would surely not be able to describe it sight unseen. I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with this; the painting is more than… Continue reading Trading the Real for the Fake
Pointy Boots
Today’s newspaper ran this AP story under the headline, “Mutant pointy boots create a craze.” When I first saw the headline, I thought, “well, so what’s new? I’ve seen lots of pointy boots on the dance floor, at country dances.” Uh, well, no. Those, my friend, are Pointy Boots. Those are “you’ll poke your eye… Continue reading Pointy Boots
The Transfiguration: The most intriguing passage in the Bible?
And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. This passage of Scripture, excerpted from the… Continue reading The Transfiguration: The most intriguing passage in the Bible?
Ant Band
OK, feast your eyes on this little jewel: That’s right – it’s an authentic Fire Ant Gazette wrist band, crafted by otherworldly artisans deep beneath the earth (in the general area of Wickett) from the finest silicon harvested by documented workers from the forests of Silicon Valley, and tinted in Classic Lead-Free Pewter to accentuate… Continue reading Ant Band
Cinemagraphs: Animated GIFs Live Again!
Before there was Flash, the primary means of displaying movement on a web page was via animated GIFs, low resolution graphics with mostly clumsy transitions. Animated GIFs have mostly been relegated to retro-cult status, with very few serious uses for the format (although done properly, with the right graphics, they provide a quite passable substitute… Continue reading Cinemagraphs: Animated GIFs Live Again!
Some Actual Facts About Oil Industry Taxes
One of our local TV stations made a provocative post on Facebook this morning, on the subject of the Congressional hearings about gasoline prices, and whether oil companies “should get these tax breaks as oil and gas prices continue to soar, even if it impacted business here in West Texas?” The comments were predictably appalling… Continue reading Some Actual Facts About Oil Industry Taxes
Cake Break(ing and Entering)
I think Dante left out at least one important level of Hell when he penned Inferno. Surely there’s a special punishment reserved for whoever invented those plastic cake containers that you get at the grocery store. You know what I’m talking about – those blasted snap-together covers that require an advanced degree in engineering to… Continue reading Cake Break(ing and Entering)
Random Thursday – The Wednesday Edition
Random observations while contemplating an age-old question: exactly how much Angel Food Cake is the equivalent of one piece of chocolate cherry fudge cake? Oh, and reader beware. Here there be snark. In large quantities. And possibly *gasp* sarcasm. Think the EPA isn’t out of control? First, they* want to shut down the oil and… Continue reading Random Thursday – The Wednesday Edition
Reading List
Here’s what I’m reading now. Well, not right now, because I’m writing this. Don’t be so literal (pun intended). Also, because I know you care about such things, I’m including a parenthetical note about the method of word delivery. The Dark Design – The third installment of Philip José Farmer’s Riverworld saga. Riverworld is ridiculously… Continue reading Reading List