Category Archives: Entertainment

North Carolina — September 2023

In September I visited a beach-front home in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina. I’ve been on the US east coast many times, but this was my first time at a beach. This west-coaster was amazed to watch the sun rise over the ocean where I’d only ever watched it set!

The Classics

Some years back during a holiday visit, after several hours of hurtling titles about and filling out a spreadsheet, my family and I came up with the following list of classics: our list of books to read to have a good sampling of cultural literacy.

Looking for a Good Book? Recommended Fiction.

This is my list of recommended fiction. There are a great many more fiction books that I really enjoy, but this is a list of the books that go beyond mere enjoyment: these are the books that delighted me now or in the past, that I have been drawn to read multiple times, or books that I found to be profound in one way or another.

Arizona — April 2023

I visited friends in Arizona in April. First I went to Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, where I stayed at the Goldfield Gateway B&B. Then I went to Chino Valley, a few hours north of Phoenix, and visited a few other places. [More AZ photos here.] On the way Flying into Arizona I could see the Grand Canyon… Read More »

My Glass confession

I have spent the last ~30 years with a Philip Glass playlist that shuffles nearly every track from all the Glass CDs I own. But I have a confession to make…

Airport gate greetings, actually

Back in the olden days, the NYC skyline featured the two towers and 9/11 was simply an obnoxious fraction and not the source of so much fear and dismay. Many things in our world changed as a result of 9/11, and one of them was the erasure of airport gate greetings.

The Black Lotus Magic Card Coaster

There is a card game called Magic the Gathering that’s been around for many years. I’m sure an actual player could describe it better than I, but I think of it as a variation on D&D with cards dictating what abilities you have, the circumstances you face, and the outcomes of your encounters.

Lessons from the un-blanket

Several years ago—at least four, if not more—I decided to knit a large double-knit blanket. Partly I’m only writing up this blog post so I have a place to commemorate this work. But also, I’m sure there’s a moral to this story somewhere.

Videos of small moments

I can be stopped in my tracks by patterns of growing moss, dew drops on a leaf, unusual clouds, shadows in the wind or, really, almost anything. Beauty is almost everywhere, especially if you look for it.

Philip Glass for the New Listener

Philip Glass on Sesame Street

So, you’ve heard of Philip Glass and want more. The list of Glass compositions and performances is very long, so choosing what to listen to next is not a trivial task. I’m here to help. This post is a curated list of the approachable Glass pieces that I recommend for those just starting in their shiny new Glass obsession.

Photo shoot: Macro mushroom

In the nearly 20 years I’ve lived in this home, I’ve encouraged the moss in my Pacific Northwest suburban home to completely take over my lawn. Perhaps it is this, or the complete lack of herbicides, or perhaps just dumb luck — but my yard seems to provide the ideal growing conditions for mushrooms. Last year, when I… Read More »

Photo shoot: Smokey light

2020 has been the year that everyone jokes can get no worse. Which of curse jinxed it.

Mother nature, or at least her complete schmuck of an illegitimate son Climate Change, decided to make things worse. Cue the weeks of soaring temperatures, add high winds, stir in a conflagration — and now much of the United States, especially the west, is on fire.