a blog about ratiocinations out of thin air and elsewhere
THIS IS THE DEFAULT CATEGORY on this blog and was previously the General Observations category. Here you’ll find articles about my wife and my cat, anecdotes and jokes—basically anything that doesn’t fit into any of the other, more specified categories.
Most of the pieces here are reasonably gentle—those essays or articles that contain any vitriol will be found in the Neal’s Rants (Really Political) category.
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SHE IS RUNNING ABOUT here there everywhere at once making a noise between a growl a meow a touch of purr helterskeltering off the walls furniture things humans can’t see bounding from room to room back again between my legs Berni’s legs around our legs with no apparent goal except the run itself all the while grounding us Berni and me guarding our being and just who is she! [Continue reading]
WE WERE DINING OUT at a well-known Chinese restaurant that came highly recommended—despite being rather old and in need of some attention. This was one of the few excursions we have made recently and were looking forward to the food, which was rated among the best in the Pacific Northwest. [Continue reading]
THE TEASER USED TO LURE READERS to William Rivers Pitt’s thoughtful editorial on legalized and home-grown pot titled “Homegrown” is a pair of questions:“What is more caustic to this society: marijuana or thousands upon thousands of people consigned to the tender mercies of the penal system? [Continue reading]
I DON’T KNOW WHY, but for the past forty or so years I have had my self convinced that I did not like Earl Grey tea! Was it denial? Some form of cognitive dissonance? Just plain stubbornness? Now, the slightly oily, slightly tangy taste beckons me ’round the clock—not that I need constant dosing with caffeine. [Continue reading]
THE TITLE OF THIS POST, “Fossil Catches Ancient Bugs in the Act,” was the headline for a piece in today’s Seattle Times (November 7, 2013). According to the paper, “Scientists say a fossil recovered in southeastern China depicts two insects locked in sexual congress roughly 165 million years ago, the oldest such relic ever discovered.” [Continue reading]
I AM NEW TO BLOGGING, therefore I am new to the kind of spam sent to blogs. I have not plugged in any anti-spam software (yet), as I am having a hoot reading the messages that are attached to the spam. [Continue reading]
I SUBSCRIBE TO SEVERAL NEWSLETTERS that are accurately referred to by my less-enlightened brothers and sisters—you know them as “conservatives”—as being of the “bleeding heart liberal” (BHL) ilk. You know: things like global climate change, endangered species, women’s/gay/minority rights (notably any steps toward equality for any or all groups who do not currently enjoy that status), letters to the President, Congress, large corporations, etc., [Continue reading]