[Update (2/8/2005): I’ve just been notified by Bill Catambay, Editor in Chief of The Macintosh Guild that detailed instructions for a do-it-yourself inverter board replacement are now available via the MacGuild website. Bill says that the fix is pretty simple, costs about $130, and the replacement part is advertised as being more reliable and, we… Continue reading Apple: Gazing Deeply into the Gift Horse’s Mouth
Author: Eric
Veteran’s Day Thanks
I thought about this all day, and didn’t decide until now to act on it. I don’t normally write about family members in much detail, in consideration of their privacy. But I think my dad won’t mind my sharing a bit about him and his wartime experiences on this Veteran’s Day 2003. He was in… Continue reading Veteran’s Day Thanks
Fire Ant Information
If you’re one of the several visitors who come here each day via search engines, looking for information about fire ants, you need to know that this is not that kind of website. But, as a public service, I offer this link to Texas A&M’s fire ant control program and resources. This is a world-class… Continue reading Fire Ant Information
Irony (or, “With friends like that…”)
I took advantage of the lovely weather to wash my wife’s car this afternoon. As a result, I was wearing my Teva sandals when we later took Abbye for her evening constitution. About halfway around the park, while standing on the sidewalk waiting for the dog to complete her necessary inspection of every blade of… Continue reading Irony (or, “With friends like that…”)
Snake Eats Tail
I just finished a bike ride, the fifth this week, making an even 100 miles of cycling since Monday. That’s a rare achievement for me, but the nice weather combined with a realization that such good riding opportunities are coming to an end gave me added motivation to get pedaling. Unfortunately, many of those miles… Continue reading Snake Eats Tail
Yeah, that’d work…
Yesterday’s mail delivery included the new edition of “Reader’s Digest” (slogan: “Validating Attention Deficients For…Wait, Was That A Hummingbird?”). One of the headlines on the cover read “The New Pill That Can End Aging.” I overhead MLB mumble, almost to herself, “what is it…cyanide?”
Praising the Many-Layered Golden Orb
One of the more important developments of the 20th century, ranking right up there with steel-belted radials and cordless drills, is the Texas 1015 sweet onion. This miracle of modern horticulture was developed in the early 80s by Dr. Leonard Pike at Texas A&M, and is now the “Official State Vegetable” of Texas. Sweet onions… Continue reading Praising the Many-Layered Golden Orb
Death observed, embraced, conquered
I watched my mother-in-law die this morning. Her labored breathing — “chain breathing,” I believe the charge nurse called it [Update, many years later: the phenomenon is Cheyne-Stokes respiration, and it often occurs in those nearing death] — grew quieter, slower, more shallow, and at 6:15 a.m., 12 days shy of her 85th birthday, she… Continue reading Death observed, embraced, conquered
Your Last Meal…?
When, as a mere lad, I began reading science fiction, one of the short stories that stayed in my memory was about a man on death row who made a deal with the devil. The details are a bit hazy — for example, I can’t recall exactly what the devil was going to get out… Continue reading Your Last Meal…?
Reading About Writing
I hope you’ll pardon my recent lack of writing, as I’ve been too busy reading. But, the result of that reading may be more writing.I’ve just re-read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, subtitled Some Instructions on Writing and Life. It’s a book that every writer — and by that I mean every blogger — should… Continue reading Reading About Writing