Replicating success: “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” The beer: Harpoon Celtic Red Ale The headline: “Can you picture what will be?” – Doors, “The End” The commentary: (Continued.) Captain Beefheart’s “Bills Corpse” is a missed opportunity, sure, but Trout Mask Replica and its collection of bush recordings get plenty of love in […]
So far in 2024 I’ve completed five books, which (according to Goodreads math) puts me two ahead of schedule toward a goal of forty-five. (Technically, I started Melissa Maerz’s five-star—of course—Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused at the end of December.) I sometimes read two at a time, pairing […]
Resurrecting, for some reason, an effort to chronicle every book I’ve read since The Lord of the Rings in the spring of 2017. This serves as an extension of my participation in what I labeled the Old Lady Book Club. Volume 1 (2017) | Volume 2 (2018) | Volume 3 (2019) | Volume 4 (2020) | Volume 5 (2021) | Volume 6 (2022) | “Selected readings from the Old Lady Book Club” Critical […]
The game: Patriots at Steelers The beer: Long Trail Hibernator Ale The result: Win, 21–18 The method: NFL+ The record: 3–10 The headline: “Has the world gone mad or is it me?” – Hawkwind, “Master of the Universe” The commentary: Hawkwind, as related throughout Hawkwind: Days of the Underground—Radical Escapism in the Age of Paranoia, […]
Aside from the obvious answer of entitled/manipulated Trump supporters, fake Christians and self-described crackpot “free-thinkers” who do their own research—generally the same population of scum—my pet peeves are varieties of senselessness: 1. Rude behavior It is easy to be kind. To be rude takes effort, whether one goes full “Fuck your feelings!” or is purposefully […]
Faulty machinery: “What book are you reading right now?” The beer: Schilling Alexandr Czech-Style Pilsner The record: 2–8 The headline: “It’s not complete! I must compete!” – Jay Reatard, “Waiting for Something” The commentary: I’m a few days late with this former daily prompt but I needed a theme for the bye week. Remember that […]
The game: Patriots at Raiders The beer: Baxter Oktoberfest Märzen Lager The result: Loss, 21–17 The method: Live via Paramount+ The record: 1–5 The headline: “The proof is in the pudding!” – Electric Eels, “Safety Week” The commentary: A collaborative play in three acts: Act I: Malik Cunningham, American Football Player by Wikipedian Danjobilly1 and […]
Since joining the Old Lady Book Club—and, subsequently, Goodreads—in 2017, the list of read books I’ve rated one out of five stars is short. In order: Arundhati Roy – The God of Small Things (1997) Omar Fink – Rhodium Pirates (2021) “Captain” Doug Chamberlain – Bury Him: A Memoir of the Vietnam War (2019) Marcel […]
Here’s a question: what’s this daily prompt business? Every—yes—day with this, and today’s question is the first to spark action. I guess Day One Incorporated didn’t attend the Fiftieth Anniversary Super-Biffy™ spectacular and it’s just as well, for three reasons: the nominees are somewhat out of date; sponsor Blogger no longer acknowledges its participation; and […]
The beer: Earth Eagle Good Helmet Schwarzbier The headline: “This history lesson doesn’t make any sense.” – Built to Spill, “The Plan” The commentary: At Canobie Lake Park, a teenage boy with an alarming chest rash gathers among friends and wet towels. Nearby—too near, by accident—a man approaching fifty kills time on his phone while […]
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