I'm not sure how much I noticed the conclusion of that affair beyond that it had concluded. By Feb. 12, my then-pregnant wife had only a month to go until her due date. We had bigger things than presidential impeachments in mind.

IT'S DARWIN DAY, FEBRUARY 12TH.

Darwin Day is a celebration to commemorate the birthday of Charles Darwin on 12 February 1809. The day is used to highlight Darwin's contributions to science and to promote science in general. Darwin Day is celebrated around the world.

Definitely something to celebrate.

I'm currently celebrating a looming vacay. Goodbye ice, hello sand.

If the next contest is something along the lines of, 'Threadjack of the Year' this sucker will win hands down, imo. ;)

<img src="/images/emoticons/glasses10.gif" alt="glasses8">

God, the threadjacks I've seen (on other sites, not this one). This is minor, Rump.

Smother it in ice cream... ice cream makes everything better.

A heretic who nonetheless speaks truth. The best kind. <img src="/images/emoticons/glasses10.gif" alt="glasses8">

Never liked apple pie myself.

A heretic! A heretic! <img src="/images/emoticons/glasses10.gif" alt="glasses8">

Depends. Back in my prime reading and book buying days, I often perused the shelves of libraries and bookshops looking for interesting covers with interesting plot summaries. So a bit of serendipity. However, there was also recommendations from friends, associations between authors (e.g. reading H. P. Lovecraft led me to his friends and successors), and even sometimes reviews (this was pre-Web so they came from magazines I read and that sort of thing). And, of course, certain authors were a must.

These days, I am kind of sea where reading is concerned. I'm trying to use the same methods but I'm having a hard time latching on to anything that "grabs" me and when I do, it's as likely to be an old favorite as a new discovery (e.g. on my cruise in December, I brought like three new novels but ended up on my umpteenth re-read of Dracula instead).

1952 – Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.





Had she the gift of foretelling the future, she might well have abdicated on the spot and stayed in Kenya.<img src="/images/emoticons/588-rolleyes.gif" alt="588-rolleyes"> She's been a great Queen but what a ride she's had, especially the last half of her reign.

Freezing rain, freezing rain, purposeless and causes pain. At least that's my feelings. And we're getting it. Schools closed (but not the university or community college).

Kettle is on. I'm making a pot of Earl Grey. Anyone else?

February 5, 1631


Roger Williams arrives in America.



We went to Providence many ago when my son was still small. He read, forget why, a kids book about Williams so had an obsession with seeing sites around the city associated with Williams. Kind of cool. Personally, I was happier about being in the beloved hometown of horror/fantasy writer H. P. Lovecraft but that's a whole other story.

Today I pulled out a very old percolator coffee pot, just for the hell of it and to see how it tasted. Yuk!! The coffee tasted weak and scalded. I'm going back to the old espresso machine.


My son, the family coffee gourmet, prefers pour-over or French press but I imagine he'll get an espresso machine when he's working and has money. Right now, he's in university and living in an upper year residence.

Spooky people come out to play. This is now your special day. Scare the other folks away. Spooky people play! Monster people come out to dance, Tonight will be your perfect chance. Caper, spin, stomp, and prance! Monster people dance! Witch-y people grab your broom, Soar up through the twilight gloom, Past the stars you're going to zoom, Witch-y people zoom! Halloween people this is...

Added 31 Oct 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 199 | 5 Comments

The rider came swiftly towards Eversham. Keeping his horse at a fast trot, he reached the cluster of buildings that stood beyond the town’s West gate. Those buildings stood mostly empty and boarded up now that winter had arrived. During the summer, though, they were home to hundreds when trade caravans passed through en route to the mountain passes. Dev Jackelbury, Warden of Eversham, stood...

Added 13 Oct 2018 | Category Fantasy | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 304 | 9 Comments

I saw the light born and reborn this morning. From dark sea and dim horizon came a holy glow, A signal that night's rule was ending; A first, tentative announcement that light and life would indeed return from the underworld. That first dim glow grew brighter, and my heart quickened, Delighting in the light, celebrating the warmth and brightness that soon would be. Then it happened. In...

Added 15 Jan 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 5 | Avg Score 5 | Views 457 | 4 Comments

The wind gave a piercing howl, rattling the windows of Professor Jack Lange’s apartment. Jack lowered his book at the sound and stared out at the blowing snow. "Wow, what a storm!" announced the disc jockey on the radio as if he, too, had heard it, "If you don't gotta go out, don't go." Jack turned off the radio. The storm had given him a rare day to himself, so he wasn’t especially...

Added 29 Mar 2017 | Category Horror | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 660 | 8 Comments