Two years ago I posted the story of the epic disaster which was my attempt to drive out to Long Island and see the Perseids. This morning, I finally tried again.

What I didn't mention two years ago was the mood I was in as I watched the sun come up over the beach -- because it was not very good at all. I was sitting on the beach and watching the ( Read more... )

Went to volunteer with the kayak club today. Early on, we had a loud and boisterous group which tested everyone's patience some -- parents, a grandparent, four kids, and girlfriend of one of the kids. The kids were mostly grown -- the youngest was about fourteen, a boy who said he was okay going out on his own kayak. He actually was -- he got ( Read more... )

(Richard and I are meeting friends for a concert, and are first to arrive. We're catching up while we wait, and I realize he doesn't know about my nephew.)

Kim: Oh, hey, have you heard the big news?

Richard: ...You're pregnant?

Kim: (boggles a bit) ...Honey, if I'm pregnant you need to call the Pope.

(He was making a serious guess. I have ( Read more... )

I Has A Nephew.

...that is all.

Spent most of yesterday afternoon in the kitchen, stocking the fridge up with salads and cold soups I could have for lunches or dinners over the coming week. It's not the most glamorous thing to do on a Saturday, sure, but it takes care of the CSA haul I get every week, and it makes sure i'm prepared for the days when the weather is too abysmally ( Read more... )

This. Is. Ridiculous.

New York City summers are bad enough. Years ago, I read in Carrie Fisher's Postcards From The Edge where one character said the most astute thing I've ever read about New York City in the summer: "It's like a cough. It feels like the whole country came here and coughed." On the really hot days, the humidity from the ( Read more... )

So it has occurred to me that sending someone a fifty-page writing portfolio is probably just a bit overkill. I'm going to have to weed out some of the things I wrote -- most likely some of the articles I've done for Scranton, because those suckers are long ( Read more... )

A short while ago, I had occasion to gather a portfolio of the writing I've done over the years, to hopefully start shopping it around for potential work. I've been dragging my feet on it a bit, though -- I'd had one all ready to go before this, but it was all scanned into my old computer, and got lost when that got stolen. Going back through ( Read more... )

I promise this is relevant to something I'm doing. But: I have an opinion poll.

Which is funniest - ouzo, tequila, or krupnik? (I am using any and all yardsticks to denote "funniest" -- whether you judge the name, the inherant alcohol content, whatever you want.)

So. This weekend I will be following up my big paddleboard adventure with another one.

Solo camping.

Well, sort of. More like "solo camping but with training wheels." I'll be joining the kayak club on a pilgrimage across to Governors' Island for the day Saturday, as part of New York's City Of Water Day, meant to promote the use of New York's ( Read more... )