Blogging…from A to Z

Starting tomorrow morning, I’m participating in the “A to Z Blogging Challenge” – an April blogging event sponsored by Tossing it Out. The premise is simple: during the 26 non-Sunday days in April, blog one post per day starting with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet. The posts can follow a theme, but don’t have to. I spent some time trying to decide whether I wanted to “theme it up” or not. In the end I decided to forego a unifying theme per se, but stick with the daily themes (and semi-themes) I’m working on for this blog –

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In Praise of the Pencil

March 30 is official “Pencil Day,” so in honor of the occasion, I thought I’d share a few facts about the history of pencils. 1. The pencil originated in ancient Rome, where scholars and others used lead rods (in the singular, known as a stylus) to write on parchment. 2. Graphite leaves a larger mark on paper (and fewer dead brain cells) than lead, so after the 16th century discovery of large graphite deposits in England most pencils switched from lead to graphite cores.  (Ironically, many people still refer to pencil “leads,” proving that languages, like old dogs, are slow

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This is Why I Don’t Work in Construction

My aquarium finally has a proper light. Wherein lies a tale. The light I ordered in December was undergoing a redesign at the time. The supplier promised it would be ready in two to three weeks. (As a fan of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, I should have known better than to trust that estimate, but I digress.) Three and a half months later I have a light. Not just a light.  The light. The six-bulb, 36″ T-5 max light I was hoping and waiting for. With fans so quiet you can’t even hear them running over the burble

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Just for Today the Weeds Can Win

March 28, 2011: Weed Appreciation Day. (Check for yourself. I can’t make this stuff up.) The expression “in the weeds” rarely means anything good. My father used it often (and usually with more joy and a bigger smile than the implication warranted) and the phrase passed into my lexicon – much to my benefit, since it takes the place of some much less pleasant options. The phrase is probably best known in the restaurant industry, though the meaning is much the same no matter where it’s heard.  It means you’re hopelessly behind, with new issues bearing down on you like

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No Fear, Just Plenty of Asparagus

I learned an important lesson this week: Don’t go anywhere without asparagus. I spent the last two days in the company of very good friends who came to California for business meetings. The primary meetings took place on Wednesday, so we spent Tuesday in a combination of preliminary discussions and general Running Amok.  (Trust me, the capitals are required and yes, there were cupcakes involved.) When things calmed down, the conversation turned serious and the topic turned to fear. It turns out my friends and I share a weakness – a tendency to worry despite successful lives and generally competent

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A Moment of Silence

The world is a quieter place this morning for the people who are no longer in it. Most days we go about our business without thinking of those in grief or glad we are not among them. That isn’t rude or inappropriate. It’s human nature not to dwell on others’ pain. But some days the grief comes home, either to us or to people we love. Today is such a day for me. The blog is observing a moment of silence in honor of a very dear friend. His loss is personal, and not something I will make public here.

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One Eye, One Leg, Answers to “Lucky”

Let’s talk for a moment about good fortune – blessings – what some people might call “luck.” Some people claim to be born with it. Some people say you make your own. Some people think inanimate objects can create it. I think it depends more on perspective.  Just as most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be, most people have the level of luck they look for. Bad things happen to everyone, sometimes in droves. Yet even then little blessings – little bits of good luck – can be found if you’re willing to

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The Lady or the Tiger

Can’t believe I missed this story the first time around. In February, a 55 year-old Malaysian woman  saved her husband’s life by driving off a tiger with a soup spoon. Tambun Dedin was hunting squirrels in the jungle near his home when the large cat attacked.  He climbed a tree to escape but the tiger followed him up, dragged him back to the ground and clawed at the man’s face and back. His screams alerted his wife, Han Besau, who ran into the jungle carrying a wooden ladle she was using to cook soup. When she saw her husband’s dire

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Want Cool Friends? Make Your Own.

A Chinese pensioner from Shanxi province (North China) has invented an electric unicycle which he calls “cool friend.” It took Li Yunian only two months to design and build the electric cycle, which travels at 12 miles an hour and up to 40 miles on a single charge. The retired factory worker hopes to see the cycle mass-produced commercially, and is already working on improvements to the design. All of which teaches us three important lessons: 1. You are never too old to pursue and achieve your dreams. 2. No matter how weird your ideas may seem to others, they’re

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And after the nap, let’s all have Pi

Today is International Napping Day, an “unofficial holiday set aside to help people adjust to daylight saving time” and to promote the benefits of naps. I’m a big believer in naps. Probably won’t have time for one today, but I’m sure my cats will pick up the slack on my behalf. March 14 is also official “Pi Day” (for reasons which should be obvious) – so after that nap, grab some Pi-with-an-“e” and justify it with the argument that you’re not cheating on your diet, you’re participating in a “cultural observance in the round.” In the weeds today, so that’s

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