Down the street in a dilapidated little house lives a somber, bedraggled boy. Call him Davy. He recently told me he’s 12 years old; I had figured nine or 10. The house, whose windows are covered with plastic and duct tape and are never opened, holds Davy, Davy’s fat, unprepossessing siblings, and Davy’s harried and vaguely slutty mother. No father of course. Davy has an air of refinement that doesn’t fit. My gut tells me that within a year or two he might be struggling with his sexual identity. But for now one of his biggest problems is that he…
Author: Claire
Dealing with some stuff right now. Having a chaotic and upsetting day (in part because of a dog rescue gone wrong and causing a neighborhood uproar). Should have a nice, content-heavy post soon, but for now, just so you’ll know I’m thinking of you … This is one of those gee-whiz-golly “security” inventions we can expect, and hope, never to hear about again. (Tip o’ hat to PT) Who really invented the Internet? How Batman lost his gun. From an anti-gunner’s (ugh) viewpoint. (Who knew that the Miller decision was “uncontroversial”?) Those cables that Wikileaks published and are now all…
Judge acquits Oregon man who stripped naked to protest TSA snoopery & gropery. (Tip o’ hat to PT) I always knew there was some reason I liked Lenovo. Aside from the fact that they make good computers, I mean. Wow. Just wow. Put yourself in this position: You inherit a multi-media work by a famous artist. However, because of the media used, the federal government forbids you to sell it. You’d go to prison if you did. So every appraiser says its value is $0. Ah, but not the IRS . They not only want millions in taxes, but the…
The local rescue group put on an event over the weekend. They wanted a pit bull, bulldog, or some sort of bully mix to man a “Kiss A Bull” booth. The idea was to raise a few bux while also helping to un-demonize bully breeds. My Robbie may be only part bull, but he’s the kissin-est dog in two counties. At least. So he got chosen and I loaned him out for the day. The same fabulous photographer who earlier took pix of my dogs at home was at the event and got these shots of my boy in action.…
Last week I tossed out the opening of a ghost story but had no idea where to go with it. Reader JG got inspired. His story “The Dulling” is now appearing in serial fashion on the BHM forums. You go, JG. I’ll be one of your faithful readers. I still think that, with a title like “The Dulling,” your nom de plume ought to be Stephen Peasant. Or maybe Stanley Z-bric?
Too much heaviness this week (though you guys gave even better than usual comments on my last rant, thank you; I hope everyone will read them). Time for the better side of the world. Which means dogs. The first story isn’t a happy one. Far as you can get from happy. Unconscionable bastard careens down a residential street at 80 mph, plows through a stop sign, then smashes into a young couple walking four Australian cattle dogs. All four dogs dead. Young man’s leg torn off. Young woman hospitalized. Bastard drives off without stopping. No, as far from happy as…
[rant] I was just finishing up a head-banger of an assignment, watching my flat-fee dip to within a few dollars of minimum wage and thinking, “I can’t do this any more. This whole political thing.” Then the email came in. The first thing I noticed was that it was a forward of a forward of a forward, and — standard with these things — my address was one of about 35 on an open cc list. I didn’t know the sender; he and I are merely involved in the same group and some of the others’ names were among those…
T’was mentioned recently in these parts that James Howard Kunstler, agree with him or not, writes like a demon on some unholy combo of LSD and steroids. This week he does it again. One can only stand aside and regard him with awe: The word lamppost is popping up lately with alarming frequency in connection with the word banker in all kinds of respectable places, and I don’t think this refers to, say, men in Armani suits searching for their car keys where the light is shining on the sidewalk after quaffing a few rare cuvee jeroboams of Louis Roederer…
Yeah. IF you just forget the past and vote for him again, oh please, dear trusting core Dem voters, the man who broke Bush-Two’s record for most cannabis-dispensary busts will tame the drug war. Really. Seriously. I wouldn’t lie to you now, would I? Is this the most cynical campaign ploy you’ve ever heard? Is it total BS to report this huge stinking pile of campaign coswallop as “news”? —– ADDED: Okay, not the most cynical campaign ploy ever. But maybe the most cynical since 2004? Well … if you don’t count the whole “hope and change” thing from 2008…
Last week you no doubt heard news about the highly successful scam: The Obama administration will pay your utility bills! Just give us your social security number … First thought is what kind of moron would fall for that? Second thought is: a whole nation of morons. Isn’t that exactly how the welfare state works, anyhow? —– Speaking of dumb stuff to fall for, Microsoft is revamping its Office suite. One of the big changes is that it will now store all documents and settings in the cloud by default. (H/T PT for the link.) Nothing against the cloud. I…