A little more about how to make energy production less stressful to the populations who have to live close to it. Keep in mind that the THUMS Islands enhance Long Beach Harbor (excuse me: “Rainbow Harbor,” after the colored lights on the petro-islands), and provide a huge chunk of change to the California State budget, [...]

Posted in Attila, Girl Reporter, Economics, Energy Issues, Energy Policy, Golden State, Offshore Technology 11 Comments »

Bartender/writer Andrew Bohrer discusses Tom Waits’ song “Down There by the Train”: “it is fairly obvious that this is a song about death . . . In a less dramatic way, for me it is just a song about being done, and being tired, [of] needing relief and forgiveness. Cocktails are liquid forgiveness.”
Bohrer’s post [...]

Posted in Ain't This the Life?, Americana, City Life, Music, Whine and Spirits No Comments »

And John Hawkins is a pro; listen to him.

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Blogging Rules, Blogkeeping, The Writing Life, + Novels No Comments »

What am I not writing—or not writing right now—that you want to hear more of, or more about?

Posted in Attila, Girl Reporter, Blogkeeping 4 Comments »

But James Taranto is running early. Taranto met Bobby Sue once, as an intern. He found him “personable,” which is of course what you would expect of any cult leader.
Even one who winks at rape and counsels his flock to pray for the deaths of public figures.
For the record, I don’t pray for [...]

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Attila, Girl Reporter, Cult Life, Faith and Faiths No Comments »

Why pay for content when you can just copy it from people who are trying to make a name for themselves for little or no money?
This is f’d up. Shame on CNN.
The post I wrote did well, getting picked up by Veronica Belmont and BuzzFeed among others, and garnering close to 20,000 visits at last [...]

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, The Writing Life, + Novels 1 Comment »

. . . to Almost Everything.
That book looks like a blast. Maybe after I’ve caught up on most of my other reading, and put at least one of Father Keating’s books away. {{{Sigh}}} If only one didn’t have to take time out of one’s reading life to interact with other humans, try to make a [...]

Posted in All About Meeeee!, Around the 'Sphere, Faith and Faiths, The Writing Life, + Novels 1 Comment »

Da TechGuy will cover your event from his blog for $1000 a week, plus expenses.
And, yes: the Rockford Files joke has been duly made in his comments. But it would be difficult or impossible to find a place in Paradise Cove—or anywhere in Malibu, California—that would be compatible with that income level. Even in a [...]

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Hats, Stacy's Crew, The Writing Life, + Novels No Comments »

But I see this and to this day I ache that I wasn’t able to be there in person, because my boss at L.A. Parent insisted that I work that day.
And I worked the next day—a Saturday—too. My employee, Rod, did not: he had a doctor’s note. (Of course, his dad was a doctor.)
Rin [...]

Posted in Ain't This the Life?, All About Meeeee!, Olive Starlight Orchestra 1 Comment »

He includes a searing indictment of editors and copyeditors. (Or, as he calls us, copy-editors: the anti-copyeditor lobby likes to accuse us alternately of being too hyphen-happy, or of being hyphenophobes. The rule is that whatever we are doing, we are supposed to be doing something else.)
That is not an undeserved attack, though I naturally [...]

Posted in The Writing Life, + Novels No Comments »

1) I used to love Bigelow’s Lemon Lift tea when I was in high school, but it’s a bit costly these days, so I buy Lipton-on-sale, or the store brand of black tea. When my budget permits a flavored tea, I’ll often buy Earl Grey. But it’s possible to emulate the taste of Lemon Lift [...]

Posted in Ain't This the Life?, Culinary Concerns, Gustatory 3 Comments »

All lentils really need is some leftover garlic, a bit of sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and a topping of parmesan shavings.
Of course, it helps if you’re a former vegetarian who really, really likes lentils. And, admittedly, I’ll probably add a bit of leftover steak, sauteed with some onion, before I serve this up [...]

Posted in Ain't This the Life?, Apronics (household hints), Culinary Concerns, The Writing Life, + Novels 4 Comments »

Disadvantages: When there is a rustling sound off in the distance, one cannot tell oneself that “oh, that must be the dog.” Also, when it comes to stray mammals, it’s very nice to share the bed with Mandy, and since I’m not here as much, when I’ve stayed over she’s always ended up with me.
Advantage: [...]

Posted in All About Meeeee! 7 Comments »

If I posted the address, would someone swing for a hit man to drop by and assassinate me?
My mother’s out of town, so I’m here to do a little warfare. IYKWIMAITTD.
Posting might be light through Monday.

Posted in All About Meeeee!, Uncategorized 1 Comment »

Orders are starting to come in, little by little, for my Mary Kay business, so that is nice. I’m the skin-care queen, so let me know if there’s something you need. (I believe that you can order right off the site, as well.)
The contributions here have slowed a little; keep ‘em coming, or buy an [...]

Posted in All About Meeeee! No Comments »

I’m falling apart tonight. And right after I’d started congratuating myself for emerging from a particularly badass two-year depression.
But I’m exceedingly sensitive today; I suspected the CD player in my car of plotting against me on the way home. Or, rather, it seemed intolerable that it would refuse to play the same CD so [...]

Posted in All About Meeeee!, Family 2 Comments »

Ugh. Not this again.
Some people seem to think the way to egalitarianism is by prohibiting any criticism of protected groups whatsoever.
And it isn’t like there aren’t dicey areas: every time I use the word “cunt” in my fiction, I get slammed at writer’s group—even if the word occurs in dialogue, and even if the speaker [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Attila, Girl Reporter, Blogkeeping, Books, Freedom of Speech, Gay Rights, The English Language, new media 37 Comments »

that I have a Madonna Number of three. If one counts it by kissing, at least.
You’re welcome.
UPDATE:
I’m hoping that this will help to shed some light on the urgent nature of an Erdos number within the mathematics community.
Oh, and, you’ll want this quote from the Wikipedia article: “It is jokingly said that American [...]

Posted in City Life, Cultured, Like Yogurt 3 Comments »

This is what would have make me happy, and could make me happy, still.
I have been so blind. So very blind.

Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Art and Technology, City Life, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Ordnance for Fun and Profit, Sex/Drugs/Rock 'n' Roll, Survivalism 2 Comments »

1) When you double-checked about Bristol Palin’s age, how exactly did you phrase that question?—”Um, please confirm the age of Governor Palin’s oldest child. Not the one who’s visiting this city, but the eldest.” Um, I’ve been a fact-checker. We always give as much data as we can. I’m hard-pressed as to how he managed [...]

Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, City Life, Drive-By Media, Entertainment, Feminism, Freedom of Speech, Girlz, Lanterns and Scimitars, Media, On the Telly, Organizing, Palin-Lore, Sarah Palin, Sex Is Necessary, Tri-State, Baby, new media, politics 7 Comments »