Monthly Archives: March 2015

“I’ll Go Running in Outer Space…”

Posted on March 31, 2015 by

Eighteen years ago as I type, I was driving our car through a car wash in Southgate, KY, preparatory to driving Mrs. M to Bethesda Oak Hospital, in Cincinnati. I had known for a couple of days that she would … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Why I Do What I Do | 3 Comments

From Mondoville to Muscovy

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

I was pleased to see that the family of noted Gormogon-about-town The Czar of Muscovy has taken custody of a new pup. However, I’m particularly pleased to discover that the new addition shares a name with The Hound of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Pixel-stained Wretchery | 1 Comment

Bumpa Bumpa Bumpachicka Bump Bump

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

No, that isn’t the sequel to a popular children’s book — it’s my phonetic rendering of the beat popularized by rock pioneer Bo Diddley. If you ask a rock musician to play a “Bo Diddley beat”, that’s pretty much what … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Music | Leave a comment

Keeping Busy — Potpourri

Posted on March 29, 2015 by

It has been a full, but rewarding weekend here in Mondoville. Friday night I was lucky enough to get a review copy of Mr. Block’s latest, The Crime of Our Lives. It’s a collection of columns and reminiscences of LB’s travels … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Family, Literature, Medievalia, Music | Leave a comment

A Busted Economy

Posted on March 26, 2015 by

I did my Ph.D. at Ball State U in Muncie, IN, and I’m proud of my time there (whether the school is proud is another matter entirely, of course.) The first time I went to Muncie was in 1997, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Family | 2 Comments

QotD: Cooke’s Tour Edition

Posted on March 24, 2015 by

So apparently when a Senator obeys a law with which he disagrees, it’s grounds for much chortling and gotcha-shouting. I reckon this is of a piece with the folks who believe that Ayn Rand’s receipt of Social Security stands as … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

Peering at the Horizon

Posted on March 23, 2015 by

I spent a significant portion of the past weekend in Real City, visiting Flagship U with the Spawn and Mrs. M. Between a social for scholarship recipients on Friday night and “Accepted Students Day” on Saturday, we put some mileage … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family | 1 Comment

Michael Brown, R.I.P.

Posted on March 20, 2015 by

Perhaps because I was an unusual kid, there are few phrases I find more distressing than “former prodigy.” Most obviously, it carries the notion of an already passed expiry date. As Harlan Ellison has observed in “The Cheese Stands Alone”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Leave a comment

Meme-esis

Posted on March 19, 2015 by

As I’ve mentioned a few times here, I’ve got a story coming out in a new anthology, edited/curated by Lawrence Block. Some of the other authors in the collection include Thomas Pluck, Robert Silverberg, Parnell Hall, and S.J. Rozan — … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Literature, Pixel-stained Wretchery | Leave a comment

Forms for Thee…

Posted on March 17, 2015 by

So now it seems that there’s no record of Hillary! having signed the State Department form certifying that a departing State Dept. employee has surrendered all relevant  communications to the government upon departure. This is convenient, as a signature would … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment