shorts: 9 – Christmas Movie Edition

Posted: December 21, 2012 in Arts
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Mistletoe and eggnog lead to strange things, like writing short reviews about a selection of Christmas movies both recent and old. As always “Shorts” reviews are limited to one sentence with a maximum of 20 words. If you wish to see the entire list (trust me, it’s a quick read) click here. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – The word “precocious” was probably coined after 8 year old Natalie Wood lit up the screen in this enduring favorite. (3) – 12/21/12

Love Actually (2003) – Christmas for the Read the rest of this entry »

more collateral damage

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Observations and Commentary
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It is hard to write through tear stained eyes, but not impossible. What is impossible to comprehend, even fractionally, is the scope of the horror in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday. 26 people mowed down at the hand of a deranged killer, massacred like characters in a video game. 26 people, 20 of them children. Good lord. How does one wrap their head around that? 20 children. It is Read the rest of this entry »

life in the big city: high rent districts

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high rent districts

Image  —  Posted: December 13, 2012 in Life in the Big City, Photography
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zero out of one hundred doctors recommend

Posted: December 8, 2012 in Humorous Bits
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Every Friday, much to my doctor’s and Aarón Sanchez’ infinite dismay, I lunch at Taco Bell. Twas a time when this meal would include heaping servings of cheese and refried beans, for what is Mexican food without the delicious anticipation of firing up a defibrillator? It’s like Frida without Diego, Mumford without sons, aid without abet. But in a quest to be better to my body I have Read the rest of this entry »

trekkin’ south

Posted: December 1, 2012 in Photography, Travel
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Several weeks ago the lovely Ms. Trask and I took a short holiday 700+ miles due south to the Palmetto State, South Carolina. The palmetto is South Carolina’s state tree and it looks like, as you might imagine, a palm tree. Seeing palm trees in what, to the mild November eye, appeared to be a decidedly non-tropical environment is an odd, though not unpleasant site. The images the uninitiated have of South Carolina may include plantations, shrimpers, marshlands, beaches, and Read the rest of this entry »

common threads #11: language employed to manipulate others

Posted: October 31, 2012 in Observations and Commentary
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These guys are not trying to manipulate you in any way.

The timing of this topic is simply too sweet to be coincidental. Too. Sweet. Citing examples of language employed to manipulate others, what with it being the sprint to the election finish line and all, is like setting Susie Sweettooth loose in a chocolate factory with a bib and a dream. Just open the door and all hell breaks loose. A quick review of what the candidates have said and continue to say as they grapple for their political lives can be accomplished in minutes, seconds really. Far, far too easy. Surely an ugly underbelly, an insidious subtext, must exist which will blow this whole “lucky” timing thing to smithereens and turn the tables of buffoonery on those who gleefully point out the creative use of “candidate speak.” Perhaps it lies in a rarely enforced covenant of the Patriot Act which allows federal agents to Read the rest of this entry »

hurricane checklist

Posted: October 29, 2012 in Humorous Bits
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hurricane fortification

  • Determine sources of information about storm, if any exist
  • Replenish stock of non-perishable chocolate
  • Replenish stock of non-perishable vodka
  • Ensure flashlight works so chocolate Read the rest of this entry »

late october

Posted: October 27, 2012 in New Jersey, Photography
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Hopewell, New Jersey

They grow ’em big here.

Hopewell, New Jersey

speech: Lou Gehrig, “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” (early draft – June 1939)

Posted: October 22, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Ed. Note: Perhaps the most famous speech given in American sports history was delivered on July 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium by baseball player Lou Gehrig. For 17 years Gehrig was a star for the New York Yankees. His skills fell into sharp decline in 1938 and by May 1939 he was no longer able to play due to extreme physical weakness. On June 19, 1939 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and given less than three years to live. (The disease is now often referred to as “Lou Gehrig Disease.”) The news of his condition spread quickly and on June 21 Read the rest of this entry »

simply put, don’t complicate

Posted: October 15, 2012 in Observations and Commentary
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Complicating things is easy. Anyone can do it. It takes no special skills, no formal training. Hell, children master it and they are still in the early stages of development. However, simplifying things…now that is hard work. Boiling situations, problems, tasks, and processes down to their essence and then working to resolve them in a way which is both satisfactory and reasonable is a skill which Read the rest of this entry »

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