All right, I'm done with the sad song shit. But! I'm not done with songs. Joe was the inspiration for this one. As we were driving to the mall after a dandy Sunday morning breakfast at Tubby's Diner, he asked me a question: "Mary, how do I get to Sugar Hill in Harlem?" And I -- of course -- answered: "Joe, you would take the A train." And thus was born a quiz. The questions... Read more →
I picked a print copy of The Onion yesterday (and yay! for the print version of The Onion) and read this article about songs the make the writer cry. "Well, that's a blog just waiting to be written," I said to myself, so here is my list of 10 songs that always make me tear up. God forbid I should try to sing these songs; I get all choked up. 1. Patchwork Quilt, by Sweet... Read more →
Back in 1997 when he when 90, Alex Holden bet 100 pounds that he'd reach 100. The bookie gave him odds of 250 to 1. Today he collected his winnings. He also got a letter from Queen Elizabeth congratulating him on turning 100. His advice for living to be 100? Eat porridge for breakfast. Work as little as possible. Take lots of holiday. Remember to keep breathing. Great advice! Well, except maybe for the porridge... Read more →
I took yesterday off -- had a touch of anal glaucoma, meaning I couldn't see my ass going to work. (And props to LA's Mr. Hunkalicious for that!) But what I could see my ass doing was executing my grand redecorating of the two bitty bedrooms plan. See, it's like this. One bitty bedroom used to be SonnyeBoy's room. It contained a double platform bed, a desk, a footstool piled high with various stuff, and... Read more →
Before we get started with today's fun, I'd like to make a Public Service Announcement, to wit: If you're on my notify list and you're not getting the notify emails, it ain't me; it's NotifyList.com. It seems to get cranky every now and again, and randomly refuses to send out the notifies. So. You can either just check back here every couple days, sign up for FeedBlitz (over there in the sidebar), or sign up... Read more →
Well, I won't limit this little bit of familial promotion to fans of sports teams located in the District of Columbia and its greater metropolitan area, but they are the target audience for the cogent analytical writings of DC Optimist. In the spirit of full disclosure, i will identify said optimist as my highly talented nephew. Check out this post in particular. If you know what's been going with the Washington Wizards (vis a vis... Read more →
My thoughts on the Virginia Tech tragedy are here. Read more →
So... the taxes are done! Joe retired early Friday night, and I thought, "Might as well get it over with," so I hunkered down in front of the big screen and fired up TurboTax For some reason, I have become the tax maven in the family. I do my Mom's, I do SonnyeBoy's, and I do ours. I did SonnyeBoy's back in March (it took all of 20 minutes); I did Mom's last weekend (also... Read more →
It's just as they say: the first one's free. It's so good, so seductive, so you try it again. Yes, still that rush, that thrill that fills you with pleasure and makes you want to do it again. So you do it again. And again. And again and again and again. Pretty soon, though, the initial level doesn't work anymore. You need more, an additional challenge, a bigger dose to get the same thrill and... Read more →
The pucks are dropping, the beards are growing, Bill Clement is looking exceptionally rugged and handsome -- it's the Stanley Cup playoffs! I couldn't quite make it through the four overtimes that the Canucks needed to win over the Stars, unfortunately, but at least the Canucks won! Why am I rooting for the Canucks? Well, Meg is from Vancouver, and she roots for the Canucks, therefore so shall I. But I'm also glad that the... Read more →