I'm fine, and so are Boston and the surrounding towns (at least based on news reports). We had a thunderstorm parked right over my house for about an hour last night, but we didn't get any of the hail or the really damaging winds (or the tornadoes). The worst of it was out in the western and central parts of the state. One of the tornadoes touched ( Read more... )

I've been slowly meandering through Cheryl Mendelson's Home Comforts, which is (a) excellent, and (b) exactly what you'd expect to get if you sent a lawyer to write a book about keeping house. (It would also make a great housewarming gift, especially for a recent college graduate ( Read more... )

So there are these birds living in Terminal B of Logan Airport. I'm sure people throw them plenty of crumbs, or at least drop crumbs, so they're in good shape for food -- but I'd kind of vaguely wondered where they get their water.

This morning, while waiting for a delayed flight: An answer.


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(D. and I were discussing sparklepires ( Read more... )

And this year, we will be broadcast live on YouTube. Info at http://improbable.com/2010/09/30/ig-nobel-ceremony-tonight-2/

This is going to be a really awesome year. I say that every year, and every year it is true -- but especially this year.

The internet in my apartment has gone from "slow" to "non-existent". (Right now: free wifi with breakfast.) If I need to know anything urgently, please call me.

So I mentioned elsewhere that my dad put up an electric fence to protect his ornamental corn from the raccoons, who ate it last year. The following is photographic evidence:


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Tickets for the 2010 Ig Nobel Prizes are going on sale this Sunday.

For reasons which have not yet been officially released, we are expecting them to sell out VERY FAST this year, so if you've been thinking of going, I highly recommend getting them sooner rather than later.

I will be there! apis_mellifera is coming. I actually remembered to take time off this year, so I will be there Thursday through Sunday, as opposed to my usual thing of buying a daypass for Saturday or Sunday only.

So who else is coming?

Joe Pastry. Excellent blog about pastry for the home chef. I've found seeing pictures of process hugely helpful in expanding my cooking skills, and this is as good as it gets -- only with extra information about the history and development of the recipes and a geeky and tremendously useful review of baking basics ( Read more... )