One thing I never get tired of is free publicity. When Cindy sent me the notice in the Republican looking for people who have had experience with home heating oil contracts, of course I jumped in and sent the reporter, Stan Freeman, a link to this blog. I had ragged […]
Today I am working in the cafe on my birthday. It seemed appropriate, and since I couldn’t get anyone else to cover, I dove right in. I am thinking more about the post the other day, the one about what I am thankful for now that I’ve reached this milestone […]
Seaweed is cultivated and sold as a major cash crop in Indonesia, I learned tonight. That’s because certain types of seaweed are dried, ground up, and gives up a substance called carageenan, a common ingredient used to thicken many food products. There has been tumult in the seaweed market recently, […]
Last night as we sat by the fire, my daughter Kate asked me what it was like to be 50. I told her that in some ways it’s great…because I feel like I’ve got a lot to be proud of and a lot that my world has added up to. […]
I woke up this morning a bit later than usual, and heard the oil burner running. Oh no, it’s that time of year when we need to heat up the house with oil since it’s less than 30 degrees outside. I am in a quandry about this year’s heating costs, […]
We spent Sunday afternoon in Van Dog land…the industrial area of the lower part of the city of Holyoke. We recently joined a group called Holyoke CRUSH, which seeks to restore, revitalize and appreciate this historic mill city, and the group organized a tour of one of the waterpowered industrial […]
Walter is an unenthusiastic professor at Connecticut College. He uses the same syllabus year after year, isn’t friendly with his students, and barely emotes with colleagues. We met him last night in a wonderful movie recommended to us by Nat and Val called “The Visitor.” Visitors in this film come […]
We have a new favorite customer at the cafe. She arrived yesterday morning, by shiny, black Cadillac Escalade. She came in wearing an expensive coat that contrasted with her long blond hair, and was followed by her driver/bodyguard, a big burly Indian wearing a bluetooth earpiece and a suit. We […]
Mygazines was a cool idea, offering free articles from a huge selection of magazines. How can they do this without getting sued? I wrote about this a few months ago, wondering the same thing. It was an incredible site, offering digital pages that turned and so many articles to read, […]
I often think of what the world will be like when all of the veterans and war heroes die. Our society and the little town I live in are full of these guys, many of whom are still married to the woman they met three or four or even five […]
Yesterday I stumbled upon one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time on the web. It was a site called “the Places We Live,”by Jonas Bendiksen, an art project that tells the first-person stories of people who live in some of the most crowded and dangerous cities […]
I know a guy named Chet who is from Philly, and he is a rapid Eagles fan. It’s pronounced ‘Iigles,’ and he had that famous Philly accent that sounds a little like a Delaware or Maryland accent. I read today in the WSJ about how this city is combatting its […]