I had noticed, in that vague not-noticing way, that there seemed to be a strip of green grass showing in the back yard, right along the drainage line when I glanced out the kitchen window this morning. It was ruler-straight, which I assumed was because it followed the line of drainage. Water, least resistance, and so on. About half an hour ago, after a half-day off spent blogging and so on in the Lair o’ Computers, I again looked out the kitchen window and noticed that there are tire tracks visible in the bare strip of lawn (in this area,…
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What a great news day. NPR reports that the new Secretary of Scariness, Bernard Kerik, had a troubled start in life and was reportedly a young tough or bully before turning his life around via martial arts and becoming a tough crimefighter. Just reading the fawning reviews at Amazon of his autobiography gives me the willies. He was a colorful beat cop only 20 years ago, with “little formal education.” And now he’s the scariest Department of Homeland Scariness commissioner we’ve ever had (admittedly, not far to go there). Guess this means the “Untitled Bernard Kerik Movie Project” will shortly…
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We’re a nation of violent lawless gun-crazy psychos, that’s why. And we’re the leaders of the Free World. The news story reads like a classic British police-procedural crime novel, except more violent than most (more in the tradition of P.D. James). An ordinary American ex-Marine with a shady past is pulled over in a routine traffic stop, and shoots the police officers, killing one point-blank as he plead for his life. A second officer was saved when a shot meant for him hit his radio instead. It happened in Leeds on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas, and a family…
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Tuesday night as I left work, it was raining, then it was sleeting, then it started snowing. I toddled off late to choir practice and found the usual suspects had only just arrived; my favorite two British choir ladies (they are sisters) were dressed in identical lavender sprigged jumpers (translation: flowered pullovers in a thermal knit). Yes, winter has officially arrived, as my ladies are very particular in matters of dress. Had it been snowing any harder, they wouldn’t have been there. They are darlings. The next morning when I went to work, the snow had thawed, then frozen solid…