All Purls. No Swine.
It’s Easter 1979. Mr. Right and I are living in a tiny house we bought for the princely sum of $7,200 (all we could afford), somewhere in Pittsburgh’s low-rent district, amongst the druggies and the motorcycle gangs. Monthly mortgage payment: $71.97. Rather abrupt investment in learning necessary self-defense techniques and maneuvers on the part of… Continue reading Confessions of an Accidental IT Professional, Chapter One
The following is a lightly edited version of a post I wrote on the Queen's death, a year ago today: The only British monarch of my lifetime died a year ago today. She was crowned in June 1953, slightly more than a year before I was born. I was named after her, “Elizabeth,” and–for my… Continue reading “I have to be seen to be believed”–Queen Elizabeth II
In “The Case for Filth,” Stephen Marche delves, in some depth, into sex/gender inequality as it relates to matters of housework. Men, it seems, are just not stepping it up, taking it to the next level, raising the bar, or getting with the program. And they haven’t been for decades, if not time immemorial. Marche’s… Continue reading At Last…A Practical Solution to a Troublesome ‘Gender Issue’
I’ve always loved literature. By which I mean, I’ve always loved stories. I was never terribly academic about it, even during my university days, and I’ve certainly never been one of those desperate creatures the like-minded among us used to call (with a sniff), “Serious Students of Lit-ter-a-toor.” They could usually be spotted on Friday nights… Continue reading Shadow Lands and Cyber Worlds–2023
Few English actors have radiated imperiousness upon command (see what I did there) better than did the late Glenda Jackson. Nevertheless, I found myself charmed by a revelation, in a recent Daily Mail column** written by her son, the journalist Dan Hodges, that Jackson struggled as a gardener, even amongst the flowers that she loved. To wit,… Continue reading “Grow, you buggers, Grow!”
It's July 2. 183 days down; only 182 more to go. (She said, as if that's a good thing.) I've written several posts over the years on the "twelve little words" I try to come up with at the beginning of a new year, ones which describe and put in some perspective the previous 365… Continue reading Over-the-Hump Day, 2023
My mother-in-law, Geraldine Zbozny, was born 105 years ago today. Here's an update of a post I've published annually for the past few years: It’s been sixteen years since my mother-in-law passed away, and perhaps it’s time to tell a bit of her story. Geraldine Virginia was born on May 13, 1918. She’d have been… Continue reading A Mother-In-Law For the Ages–How Great Thou Wert
Lucy: “An English name, Lucy means ‘of the light.'” So sue me, I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon watching the Coronation Concert, which was carried live on PBS. Overall, it was considerably better than I expected, with a couple of bizarre and untuneful exceptions. What has probably been the most controversial act —… Continue reading Bringing the Light
Today, April 29, 2023, is the day that one of my all all-time favorite performers begins his tenth decade on the planet, I'm reposting a piece from exactly two years ago, and looking forward to seeing the man himself in concert this upcoming August. Ain't it funny (how time slips away)? Happy 88th birthday to… Continue reading Happy 90th Birthday, Willie Nelson!
On this April 16, 2023, a day that would have been my grandmother Molly's 125th birthday, I bring back a post originally published six years ago today, on Ricochet. It was Easter Sunday for me then; it's Easter Sunday today for my Orthodox friends. Happy Easter, everyone! My grandmother Molly could be a rather stern… Continue reading On Granny. Oh, and On Chocolate, Too. And a Few Other Things As Well