Back from a good — but busy and tiring — weekend. As Dave says, the Mother Earth News Fair was even bigger and better than last year. My friend and I were there only a few hours in a very full weekend. Some links and a couple of funnies for you: Part one of a four-parter on how DC cops SWATTED a vet because they thought he might have some unregistered guns. (Several people sent me this one, thank you.) The FBI and ATF bust yet another harmless but idiotically careless victim. Check out the middle name on that young…
Category: Travels
Observations while wandering near and far.
It’s not that fostering a dog is a full-time occupation — although dealing with the politics of a canine pack can be as consuming as (though much more honest and direct than) dealing with human politics. I have Robbie — normally the bully of the bunch, but this time remaining blessedly aloof. Clearly he believes introduction of a new female is a problem to be worked out solely by the girls. There’s Nadja. She’s low dog on the totem pole, but those few privileges she can claim for her own are hers, by damn. She’ll even head Robbie away from…
But if I posted it, poor old Dave would be compelled to fire my sorry self from the blogging crew. Reader JP sent it to me this afternoon. It shows an airport “security” checkpoint. Picture a conveyor belt. Picture a male TSA agent in blue uniform. Well, partially in blue uniform. Partially … not. Picture a blonde woman passenger with, shall we say, unusually developed glands. She is emphatically not wearing any uniform of any sort. Said TSA agent has said passenger bent over conveyor belt and is … um … subjecting her to an unusually thorough probe. Without using…
This just in from a reader who’s a frequent flyer. It’s creepy, even though it is voluntary. I have no words, so I’ll just let him tell it: Hi Claire, This is just too weird. KLM will help singles hook up on flights between Amsterdam and New York, San Francisco and Sao Paulo. They call it “Meet and Seat.” The basic idea is that single travelers can browse the Facebook and LinkedIn pages of strangers booked on the same flight, and request a seat next to them. I thought it was a joke until I went to the KLM website:…
The following was sent to me by a long-time reader with the subject header “I HATE Flying.” But it says more than that. Thus my headline. What follows is all from reader JP: —– Hey Claire, Due to financial issues, I surrendered, and took a contract because I need the money. Part of the work requires me to travel to Austin, Texas; and Eugene, Oregon. Yesterday, I came back from Austin, and went through the TSA portal. I have flown exactly six times since the TSA was created. The last time was 5-1/2 years ago. EVERY SINGLE TIME I have…
And to lighten the mood … Here’s brief commentary from one of my favorite radio guys, Dave Ross: “When Seniors Explode.” (Hint: His topic is the TSA.) This comes courtesy of one of my even more favorite radio guys, Brian Wilson.
Two from The Onion (language in both NSFW): Steve Jobs obituary and “Nervous American Voters Worried About Botching Another Election.” One from Ragnar in a recent comment section. Sort of a redneck punk rap song, “My Country, My Ass.” (“Teacher used to say we had a Bill of Rights. I think they took our rights and sent us the bill.”) Regulators vs an enterprising ship salvager. What to do if you can’t afford a vet. DRM encourages piracy. No surprise, really. Neither is this. (Not that the fedgov should be subsidizing anything, of course.) Funniest pet Halloween costumes. Think it’s…
You remember the globe-traveling Klaf family, mentioned here (and here) a while back? Well, from Gabi Klaf comes “10 Families, 7 Continents: How They Afford It.” Maybe you don’t have the slightest interest in roaming the world with a passel of kids. I sure don’t. Me, I’m a nester. But every one of these families is doing something that common wisdom says is “impossible” or “too difficult” or “impractical” or “foolish.” And in doing it, they’re giving themselves and their youngsters vital experiences and vital creativity. We all have an “impossible” something we’d like to do. These folks are a…
I have about two more days of deadlining before I can get back to serious posting. In the meantime, here are some pix from the Montana ranch where L. and I stayed over the weekend. Here’s our cabin: The cabin featured solar power, a composting toilet, a claw-foot bathtub, on-demand hot water, and despite the satellite dishes, a blessed absence of all electronic media. It was a short walk from our hosts’ house, but our nearest neighbors weren’t human. This is Ben, a rescued Belgian draft horse, and one of his buddies. In the same pasture were Highland cattle. They’re…
Returned from a lightning trip to Montana last night bearing warm memories and a freezer full of Highland beef (which my friend L. and I will divvy this morning, with some going to my vet in part payment for excellent dog care). I also returned with the generously donated raffle rifle. It’s not the Mini-14 we talked about but a rebel rifle that offers even more potential for Customized Claire Camo. I should be posting photos later today. Also plan to be catching up with both email and deadlines. I had less Internet access on the trip than I anticipated…