Reaction to Random Catalysts

I should be better about writing telephone numbers down, but quite often I remember them anyway... at least the last four numbers. I usually remember the last four numbers more easily than I do the prefixes. Probably, I am focused on the last four numbers, whereas the prefixes are common in the... Sign in to see full entry.

I am not a bicyclist by passion, neither am I as attentive to the bicycle's maintenance as I should be. I basically bike to run errands and cut down on gas consumption. In recent weeks, it seems like the bicycling has been particularly tough going uphill and not especially fast on any plane.... Sign in to see full entry.

At Karaoke the other night, one phrase came up twice: 'Karaoke suicide.' In other words, these were instances in which the singer in the spotlight had chosen a song that he or she feared not being able to sing very well. In the two cases in which the singers admitted their fear, they did all right.... Sign in to see full entry.

My tour yesterday was a reminder to me of one segment of our country's rich heritage of immigration. I attended the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle. Many factors contributed to the boom in Scandinavian immigration in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Norwegian farmers emigrated because... Sign in to see full entry.

A tote for recycling electronics stood outside the door at work today. It was the beginning of the Earth Day weekend, for which my company is participating by collecting electronics for recycling. I brought my recently expired alarm clock. I had just replaced it, because the beeping alarm sound had... Sign in to see full entry.

Three square meals is the conventional wisdom of when and how to eat, but people have their own ideas of what is best when and how to eat. I have tended to think that people who skip breakfast are lazy, but that is not necessarily so. A former coworker told me once that he does not believe in eating... Sign in to see full entry.

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I went through all of the messages left for me on my landline voice mail. My need to contact my coworker and ride-sharer prompted me. I was thinking he had told me he would be gone for the next three days, so that I need not wait for him when I drive to... Sign in to see full entry.

I learned from awkward timing that I was out of line. I had called my publisher to order more copies of my book-- The Red Meadows --but the person in charge of that was unavailable at the time. I left my number for her to call me back. At about that time, I went to the library to play Scrabble on... Sign in to see full entry.

Today marked the annual tax day Tea Party protest. In the town where I live, that is always held near the big mall in town. Conversely, when liberals or Occupiers demonstrate, it is downtown, near the Federal Building and the seat of government. The Occupiers, for a time, occupied a park near the... Sign in to see full entry.

A fellow parishioner in my church was nominated for an award at a volunteering award ceremony that was held today. I attended the ceremony and heard his name as well as others when they were called up to receive a certificate. Five from among this group were awarded with $200 to be given to the... Sign in to see full entry.