Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

By Pat_B - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Friday, June 4, 2010

TMI -- a hint of what's coming in "The Game"

TMI is the second chapter of the story that started with Indian, The Antlers diner and Juiceman, the former jazz man who runs the place. It's a wide spot in the road just off the interstate in rolling desert country. I was thinking of Arizona's wide open spaces when I started, but now the locale... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The natural world of my grape arbor...

A couple weeks back I mentioned that a robin couple were building a nest on the somewhat unfriendly metal crossbars of the arbor by the back deck. I wrote that I was worried about them choosing that location. I didn't see them for several days, except once in a while the cock robin would stop for a... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Contractors... Night and Day

I made three calls to get some work done around the house. The first was to the folks who'd built the privacy fence around the back yard, one of those with arched 8-foot sections that remind me just a bit of a fortress. One section has separated from one of the support posts, which needs to be... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

December 24, 1890: Obit For A Fallen Warrior

While I was typing articles on the historic Leclaire neighborhood from archive photocopies of 1890s editions of the local newspaper, I came across this headline. So I had to read the article, which ran the full column and beyond. The Leclaire article, just left of this story, took only half the... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

LOST... it's not really over. ABC is still side-shifting...

I was ready for a 5-hour "LOST" fest Sunday. I'd been anticipating the two-hour series wrap-up, interviews with the writers and the cast. I was eager to see how they explained everything in the two-hour finale, and the commercials promised interviews with the cast on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." So the... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Sometimes a glance is all it takes

It's one of the oldest cliches in the book -- that unguarded glance across a crowded room, his eyes meet hers, violins sweeten up in the background, the two hearts beat faster, it's love, it's fate, it's... Hollywood. Or there's that look on Scarlett O'Hara's face the morning after. We didn't need... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The armpit of the court system

Not so long ago they called Madison County the armpit of the court system because juries here awarded huge damages to defendants. Lotsa lawyers here; the place is lousy with 'em. Juries seem to be ultra-sympathetic to plaintiffs, especially in the case of a big bad corporation they see as taking... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

"Joy and Sorrow are brothers.

When one sits at your table, the other is sleeping in your bed." Kalil Gibran, The Prophet. I've had that slim volume on my bookshelf for a "million" years, and I hope I haven't misquoted, but that phrase is something I tell myself from time to time. I love stand-up comedy, probably because the best... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Change is coming.

It seems to me there's been a not-so-subtle shift in the universe this week. First, and least importantly, I fell asleep during Days of Our Lives. Someone was lying, as usual. Someone else was threatening to expose someone else. There was a devious plot -- yawn -- snore. The second thing is this... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

It's raining. Again, or yet -- however you want to put it.

The sun came out for a bit three days ago... or was it four? I was fascinated by all the blazing shades of green, the emerald grass, deep blue green of a flowering tree across the alley, and nearby a strange round tree with leaves so dense the inner circle was deep forest green and the fringes were... Sign in to see full entry.

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