A few thoughts, and a long, long overdue post ...

1. I just found out that a house I used to live in, at 1205 New Jersey, Lawrence, Kan., caught fire last Sunday, killing five. Four children and their grandfather. Unbearably tragic. The mother was in another part of the state at a physical rehab center where she has been since getting shot in the ( Read more... )

Becky and I took Grant and his buddy to Thermopolis for the weekend for a dip in the hot springs. Sort of a celebration of the end of the school year.
The boys are 15, and are in the process of discovering the music I listened to when I was their age.
( more old codger ramblings behind the cut )

I really don't know much about the energy commodity market, but it seems like when you create a system designed to thrive when things are most volatile and prices are at their highest, that's pretty much what you'll get.

a-provocateur has given me the G. Reply to this entry and I'll give you your letter.

• God. You either do or you don't. I do. 'Nuff said.
• Guthrie, Woody An unbeliveable life. If you haven't read Joe Klein's "Woody Guthrie, A Life" you should.
• Guitars I've played for more than 20 years, but I'm still crappy.
• G-string My sister, who's played guitar for a lot longer ( Read more... )

Shame upon Shame

A new report by the Government Accountability Office found that hundreds of battle-injured soldiers are struggling to pay debts to the military.

Among the case studies:

• An Army Reserve staff sgt. who lost his right leg below the knee. Because of payroll and leave payment errors, this soldier "owed" the Army $2,231, for which it ( Read more... )

The scene: King Henry V with his men on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt. The king, wearing a borrowed cloak, mingles among the cold, wet, exhausted troops to gauge their hearts the night before battle.
( Read more... )

Car shopping, and getting nostalgic about (some of) the cars of my past.

( My vehicle history since age 16, in a nutshell: )

From the Arcata (Calif.) Eye, home of the nation's best police blotter:

1:51 p.m. A green-haired man who quotes the Bible a lot beat on his plastic drum outside City Hall, alleging everything from assault by teenage punkazoids to discourtesy by Ranger Bob.

4:08 p.m. A dog whose social life included terminating a recent cat, was reported attacking ( Read more... )

Too few things in life are as hauntingly beautiful as these photographs.

(Flash-enhanced version)

A few weeks back, we went to see "The Laramie Project." Someone asked me about it, so here's my response.