I think Decider, aka the architect one, has to go into my list of fave Dick Francis books. I’m not altogether sure why. Sure, it’s got all the Dick Francis stuff: protagonist with an odd or obscure specialty, foolish and/or…
A Tale of Two Cities is well-known to be Dickens for People Who Don’t Like Dickens. The question, then, is whether it is also Dickens for People Who Like Dickens. I think the answer is yes. So, what is it…
I know, I know, all you Gentle Readers were wondering, “OK, fine, he’s written about pundits, and lulavs, and novels, and he’s endorsed a bookstore, but when will Vardibidian write about 180-foot slides?” The answer: not soon enough. And, really,…
Dang. It looks like not only did I never write about Spin, which I knew I hadn’t done, but I never even put it on the list of Books I Am Behind. Which list is currently fourteen books long. And…
A question for Gentle Readers—what’s a bigger deal, the beginning of a book or the ending? I don’t mean for marketing purposes, or for writing, but some abstract sense of importance for making a book good or bad, whatever criteria…
Well, and Your Humble Blogger has started going to Torah Study again. My new local shul is Reform, and evidently the practice at Reform shuls is to have Torah study before service on Saturday mornings, unlike the Reconstructionist practice of…
So. I’m not sure why I’m bothering to write about a column from last Tuesday, but it’s been niggling at me. The headline on top of the George Will column, at least on-line, was The Leaders We Have, which seems…
I haven’t been in for years, but evidently Pandemonium is finding money tight after their Big Move down to Central. My own experience with them is primarily going in on my lunch hour when I have neglected to provide myself…
Well, and the scandal de jour is about a nasty, stinking Republican Congressman diddling little boys. Ah, scandal. It smells like victory. And comes with a slice of schadenfreude pie! Mmm, pie. Republicans, unsurprisingly, are shocked—shocked!—that the Democrats are using…
In response to the recent and difficult to believe activities of Our Only National Legislature (Two Houses, No Balls), John Scalzi wrote a nice little rant On Moral Cowardice, wherein he happened to note the following about Our Only President:…