Never forget the evils of socialism and communism

So much for staying away from the PC: I just have to link to my friend Adriana Cronin-Lukas’s post about her upbringing in the former Czechoslovakia, a moving and poignant piece brought about by - of all things - the smell of overripe bananas.
All this I have forgotten, or thought I had. I have spend […]

In church with Amy Alkon

On Sunday morning, Antoine and I went to church with my father and stepmother. We went with them when we were last home, for Thanksgiving, and really enjoyed it. About 300 people show up to the early service, so it’s not like one of those churches that surround my older brother in Texas, where they […]

Taking a break

Antoine and I landed in the US on Saturday afternoon, and are here for a week. I’ve promised to make a concerted effort to relax, which I think should include distance from the computer. (I also have zero cell coverage this far out in the sticks, which is probably a very good thing.)
So if […]

Joel Stein, useful idiot

Emphasis on the idiot part, of course.
While Stein’s “I don’t support the war in Iraq, so I don’t support the troops” argument may be worth discussing, the transcript of Joel Stein’s interview with Hugh Hewitt removes all doubt that this guy is a class A weenie. When I started reading it, I actually thought […]

The life you want, the life you don’t want

Stolen shamelessly from Damian, this Paul Graham quotation reminds me of what some people used to tell me when I was leaving high school, starting university, and totally unsure about what I wanted to do when I grew up:
A friend of mine who is a quite successful doctor complains constantly about her job. When people […]

Prostitution, globalisation, bottoms, and John Wayne Gacy

I don’t get much time to blog, but I do go through the non-work feeds in my RSS aggregator a couple of times each week. I must get more disciplined about clearing out my Newsgator clippings, but in the meantime, here are a few great things that you may have missed this week:
Let the legalisation […]

Audio snapshot

I have always, since I was at school, hated Sunday nights. I know I’m not alone in this. But I actually liked school, and it’s not like I’m a poorly paid ditch digger these days. I should have always looked forward to Monday mornings.
Alas, alas. Chris Evans got it right in naming his new […]

If I owe you email

…I’m sorry. I have fallen behind lately. Things are hectic, and will only grow more so as we prepare to travel to the US in less than a week. I will try to catch up on correspondence before we depart.

My resolutions

Nearly three weeks into 2006, I clearly need to do the following things ASAP:
1) Join a gym - and also, get real: There is no suitable place in the house for an exercise bike, so even though gym fees will be exorbitant, the investment will be worth it. (I used to make fun of my […]

Brokeback redux

Nancy disagrees with me about Brokeback. Fair enough, that’s allowed (but just this once).
Seriously, I was going to go into more detail about why the whole thing rang so false and irritated the hell out of me, but Irwin lays it all out pretty well, including stuff I’d even forgotten had bugged me.
Bottom […]

Brokeback Mountain

Well, that was a disappointment. (Spoilers ahead!)
The only things that kept me awake were the scenery, Heath Ledger (who, for some reason I cannot put my finger on, reminded me of Luke Ford), and the fervent hope that it would get interesting any minute. I didn’t feel much sympathy for any character except Ennis’s wife. […]

“Hope is not a strategy”

Michael Hyatt, a very cool publishing big-wig with whom I’ve exchanged a few emails over the past year, blogged a neat system for following up on email delegation and assignments. I’m going to give it a go. If you want to keep better track of those tasks which you cannot complete until someone else does […]

Remind me again why we need the state?

Alistair Campbell is not ashamed - not one bit ashamed - to write this:
I worked for Tony Blair for almost a decade, but did not use a computer. I should add that the Prime Minister is not much better. He, too, is at heart a pen and paper man.
So it is with some humility that […]

Newsflash: Starbucks isn’t your bedroom!

Amy Alkon, you are my hero.