tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134940352012-02-02T10:14:26.349-08:00half full, half emptybaxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.comBlogger33281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-19617053590597631742012-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:002012-01-31T17:31:00.366-08:00

So, a new way Amazon is screwing the small seller is with their 'Fulfillment by Amazon' program, wherein participating dealers ship their stock to Amazon, transferring packing and shipping to one of their sweat shop warehouses in return for a small s&h fee and a space rental fee for stock that hangs around longer than 30 days. It doesn't make any sense for low volume dealers who sell hand

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-1399193536182675832012-01-31T16:16:00.000-08:002012-01-31T16:16:32.965-08:00

In this post I will consider the fact that it doesn't really matter what you pay for books provided you know what you're doing. When you're out scrounging, price is relative.  50 cents is twice as much as a quarter, but really, what's the difference?  A buck for a hardcover or two bucks, what's it matter?   But perception is king, and so the place that charges a buck for paperbacks and two for

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-18670690348261236122012-01-31T12:32:00.000-08:002012-01-31T12:37:59.757-08:00

Via my pal George, a list of 25 Things I Learned From Opening A Bookstore. Firstly, good on her for following through on the impulse to open a shop. Countless people over the years have waxed eloquent on the theme of wishing they had my job, predominantly well turned out professional folk with expensive shoes and conservatively cut jackets.  All more in love with the perception of the job (

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-176836407752625862012-01-30T18:17:00.000-08:002012-01-30T18:17:30.981-08:00

Fuss was relaying something I'd said to Meek this morning, and it went like this: "Dada said it would be here tomorrow, two days ago next YEAR!" That's my boy!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-28884001643439773062012-01-30T13:16:00.000-08:002012-01-30T13:16:20.306-08:00

You be the judge! Found inside a copy of Simone De Beauvoir's feminist milestone The Second Sex: Great job on the 1st week of dieting!  You look fukin HOT! Oh, the humanity...

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-1369324731559189952012-01-30T12:18:00.000-08:002012-01-30T13:16:35.059-08:00

Say what you will about the staid, traditional, often backwards world of publishing- the high bar for entry and entrenched editorial system make crap like this really hard to get away with. Sharazade, who worked as a college professor, says she felt there was something odd about the ebook. "I took a sentence from the description and put it in between quotes and dropped it into Google, and

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-31698546516957876052012-01-29T23:36:00.000-08:002012-01-29T23:44:21.313-08:00

Dear lord have I been horribly wrong about this band for the past two decades plus? Because this song straight up kills. I somehow had them lumped up with all those low-fi 90's indie mope-rockers I couldn't stand at the time and hate even more now. Whoopsie! Off to do more research...

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-28775576862754732232012-01-29T19:08:00.000-08:002012-01-29T23:31:48.413-08:00

Fuss, considering the cover of my copy of Jack Vance's Ports of Call: "Hey, dada? Uh...dada?" Pointing. "Is that where Frankensteins and Mummies live?"  "Sure, it looks like they'd like it there."  "Uh..dada? Are those buildings where Frankensteins and Mummies like to live?"  "It looks like a castle, and they like castles."  "Hmmmm." Considering.  As I walked away, he cracked the

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-17310793937387546702012-01-29T17:47:00.000-08:002012-01-30T13:17:25.847-08:00

Mangy, muttering guy in filthy watch cap juggling pins beside a bicycle that looked like it was about to be carried aloft by a cluster of balloons, if you replaced the balloons & string with duct tape and bulging grayish-black Hefty bags. He was using actual, honest to God juggling pins, dingy white with jaunty red stripes around the neck like ducks. They didn't fit his mise, and were I a braver

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-62766766744196907772012-01-28T19:36:00.000-08:002012-01-28T19:36:00.073-08:00

                              Or, to quote the artist, drawing from his love of punk rock and swiss modernism, two movements that have (almost) nothing to do with one another, mike has redesigned vintage punk, hardcore, and indie rock show flyers into international typographic style posters. each design is set in berthold akzidenz grotesk medium, all lowercase. They're SUPER NEAT, I

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-5548970463841388442012-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:002012-01-28T18:29:30.519-08:00

I have a beef with the modern thrift store, and I blame Ebay. The fear of being 'ripped off' by customers has led all the shops in our neck of the woods to adopt what I call lose/lose pricing.  It's not high enough to bother the resellers (like me) who 'take advantage' of them because we know what the good stuff is and we'll still buy it, so they fail in their intent.  The random customer off the

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-33522671940603934432012-01-28T13:20:00.000-08:002012-01-28T13:20:47.079-08:00

I'm not a cook who values a dish for the intricacy involved in its creation, but entirely based on the end result.  My favorite recipes are 'bang for buck' types, where small investments of time and energy deliver massive flavor and enjoyment.  The crock pot (I eschew the fashionable re-branding slow cooker) is terrific at these kinds of things, and the heavyweight champion thus far is the Salsa

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-67896600081281268052012-01-28T12:17:00.000-08:002012-01-28T12:55:29.997-08:00

Guy comes in looking for a few things, I direct him around for a while and he finds some he likes.  When he checks out I notice his shirt says LOVE in giant black letters with a little green 'Jesus' down below, working its way in between the O and the V with a proofreader's arrow. In a parenthetical box, it notes "Without Jesus LOVE is just another four-letter word".  What a bizarre idea, even

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-83342116100966795692012-01-26T17:27:00.000-08:002012-01-26T17:32:33.432-08:00

I wouldn't watch a GOP debate if I were paid in Apple stock & hand-fed ambrosia from a cup of beaten gold by the Cherubim the entire time, but I have taken to obsessively checking Twitter for what has been, hands down, the funniest running commentary ever.  Patton Oswalt, Rob Delaney, all the comedians I follow are unstoppable on this subject. So it feels strange to award BEST GOP DEBATE TWEET

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-44114424710190421182012-01-26T15:42:00.000-08:002012-01-26T15:42:58.745-08:00

I dragged the exceptionally fussy Fuss out with me yesterday to look for books in and around the area thrift stores.  Thrift stores are a good environment for him, as they always host an emigre community from the Island of Misfit Toys.  They're unfamiliar, which entrances him for a certain period however questionable their provenance, and they're already messed up enough that I'm comfortable

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-12184453376494908672012-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:002012-01-26T12:02:06.826-08:00

Found this nugget buried at the end of an article titled Amazon's Hit Man: In that world there could be even fewer traditional bookstores than there are now, and Amazon may look a whole lot more appealing to prominent authors.  Good information overall, but the lack of insight in that graf is startling. That's Amazon's whole game- push ereaders, kill what's left of the physical distribution

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-57225562073013665152012-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:002012-01-24T20:46:04.563-08:00

There are some artists you take for granted, their greatness so cemented in the fabric of your life you can go months or even years without consciously noticing how mind-blowingly, unbelievably amazing they are. Today I can thank Malik & the Soul Patrol for plugging my appreciation for Stevie Wonder back into the main line, spinning this one on my commute home- There's some serious magic in

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-66588374205131788252012-01-24T18:18:00.000-08:002012-01-24T18:18:00.592-08:00

Step the second on my journey to the heart of baking. This time I extracted my template was extracted from the exemplary America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.  Their fastidious testing regime pairs well with the exacting nature of baking- little did I realize essaying my Rustic Italian Loaf would become a two day marathon. And yet.....it looked so easy! Well, technically, it is easy, at

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-20449673226245193752012-01-24T11:03:00.000-08:002012-01-24T11:03:42.693-08:00

Here are my first several customer interactions of the day in chronological order: #1:  Do you have a bathroom? #2: Where do you keep the porn? #3: Wow, that Board of Supervisors meeting is really riveting, isn't it?  I woke up this morning and I knew it wasn't the fifth Tuesday! #4 Do you have any books on identifying mushrooms?

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-73633187564700343702012-01-23T17:44:00.000-08:002012-01-23T17:44:25.232-08:00

I left work early yesterday and went looking for children's ibuprofen.  Note to locals, Ralph's will gouge you to the tune of $10 for a small bottle, while Rite Aid sells the big bottles for $6.  Plus, they sell twelve packs of beer at six pack prices- Advantage: Rite Aid. He was out when I got home, out and hot.  He slept until 7-ish then joined me on the couch, leaning against me quietly while

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-7476563270195565492012-01-22T15:21:00.000-08:002012-01-22T15:21:28.711-08:00

Fuss has been positively maniacal the past few days, even by his own high standards of lunacy. Our answer to the question 'why?' arrived in the middle of last night in the form of violent wretching, followed by a forlorn (and now superfluous) "Dada, I don't feel good..." It's weird the way you acclimate to stuff and then lose it.  Last year he was up a couple of times every night and that was

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-41491045230985061722012-01-22T11:55:00.000-08:002012-01-22T12:19:02.577-08:00

The cause given is lung cancer, I prefer to think it was shame and regret. A genuinely contemptible memorial from ESPN: In the span of 12 weeks, Joe Paterno transformed from beloved Penn State icon to Rorschach test on child abuse to ailing victim. His fate, the one that awaits us all, arrived with charitable swiftness. As tough as Paterno could be, at 85 years of age he proved no match for

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-89985532583674435312012-01-19T22:53:00.000-08:002012-01-19T22:53:07.474-08:00

Had a recipe I wanted to make from Cook's Illustrated, but was missing a few necessities. Poked around online for a late sub and came up with this gem from Epicurious. Really, really good.  Also dirt simple- my kinda recipe. Added bonus, made the house smell like a fall sunset for a few hours.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-65595646837647610192012-01-17T21:55:00.000-08:002012-01-17T21:55:02.184-08:00

Picked up this crazy Hot Wheels race set for Fuss at the local Target- eight lanes of action, talking finish line, six cars included- for $23, marked down from $89.  At this price it's a steal- if you have a kid who'd really love a giant Hot Wheels raceway, get thee to Target and rejoice! It's *almost* worth my while to head back there, buy them all and re-sell on Amazon...but the shipping

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-36185281157029950622012-01-17T11:58:00.000-08:002012-01-17T11:58:23.832-08:00

so these folks made a list of their purported 50 Coolest Books Ever. These things are subjective, but from a book retailer perspective they mostly nailed it- pretty much everything on the list is on our buy instantly, because it will sell instantly list. The kinds of books you make exceptions for- paying cash even though it's not in very good shape, bumping the offer up if they hem and haw

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-8306835340108579042012-01-16T17:03:00.000-08:002012-01-16T17:03:11.415-08:00

I happened upon a perfect visual this afternoon while checking books: Same book, same edition, two listings, prices as you can see. I may have this printed onto a laminated card, for flashing at anyone who disputes my valuation of their books with the despicable rejoinder "but the INTERNET says...." It's a useful tool, but like any tool its usefulness is largely dependent on the skill of

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-14182254978395573682012-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:002012-01-15T17:53:57.930-08:00

Thursday, January 12th  2012- mark it down. We needed some things & headed to our favorite store, Sunshine Health Foods in Morro Bay.  Filled up a basket with delightful produce, raided the bulk bins & took our lunch at the inspirational Shine Cafe in the rear. Through sheer force of will I ordered the special, a Saitan Gyro, instead of my usual tempeh taco.  It paid off- spicy, delicious, on

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-25038810725420463932012-01-15T15:20:00.000-08:002012-01-16T17:03:31.162-08:00

Louis C.K. is in the middle of one of those zeitgeist defining runs great stand ups sometimes hit in their comedic primes-think early 70's George Carlin, mid 70's Richard Pryor, mid 90's Chris Rock. His humor is observational & like the other comics mentioned his best bits are fueled by high pressure, precisely channeled rage.  He's fearless, ferocious & truthful, all required qualities for great

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-40145471024778914622012-01-15T14:44:00.000-08:002012-01-15T14:44:38.852-08:00

Building momentum off my victory over focaccia pizza dough last week, I created a rustic French loaf to go with Friday night's crock pot full of Chicken Cacciatore.  Novice baker that I am, the loaf wasn't ready on schedule- I missed the SECOND two hour rise in the recipe.  At the urging of the Wife, a notorious ignorer of recipes, I cut it down to 45 minutes and baked it up in time to soak up

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-61671115061664965672012-01-13T12:52:00.000-08:002012-01-13T12:52:41.125-08:00

The way I generally handle tech upgrades, hard or software, is by using whatever I've got until the point where it comes across something I want that it can't handle or run. Then I look around for an upgrade. So last night I tried to dl a torrent and my old faithful, Azureus, which I've been using since the dawn of time in Internet terms, choked on the link.   Poked around a bit and settled on

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-24993140422487090822012-01-10T17:51:00.000-08:002012-01-10T17:53:02.150-08:00

The boss rolled through this afternoon and I showed him yesterday's Jane Eyre/Twilight mashup cover. He gazed at it blankly for several moments, then snatched it from my grasp and yelped "What publisher is responsible for this atrocity?!?" Glad to know I'm not alone.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-33526590634562244822012-01-10T10:37:00.000-08:002012-01-10T10:37:40.206-08:00

Longtime readers will be familiar with my rotating amusement/disgust/amazement/disbelief relationship with responses to that staple of post-sale banter, "would you like a bag?"   A simple yes or no answer is rarer than unicorns, with baroque permutations and digressions being the norm. I had a couple of prime specimens yesterday I wasn't able to jot down, so here they are. First, an older

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-26082810986651896912012-01-09T20:20:00.000-08:002012-01-09T22:43:20.558-08:00

an awe inspiring stop motion extravaganza, delightful on every level: That looks like my kinda shop. Also, as one who spends many hours each day straightening, shelving & reorganizing books, DEAR LORD THAT TOOK A METRIC UFCKTON OF WORK.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-47209125825262014662012-01-09T17:45:00.000-08:002012-01-09T17:45:00.778-08:00

OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT...THING! Filed under "Gun Boner Vest": I guess I've always been sort of sweater vest curious, but this alarming collection cured me!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-60935458628702779902012-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:002012-01-09T16:17:11.484-08:00

Gal came in with a box of books just now and I found this monstrosity in the mix. For those disinclined to click, it's a copy of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights re-imagined as a Twilight clone, right down to the title font.  It looks like something a bored nerd would photoshop for his blog (ahem), but as a copy of the physical book is sitting on our counter at this very moment, I can vouch for

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-49884134756137730602012-01-07T17:19:00.000-08:002012-01-07T17:19:00.303-08:00

Mark Bittman, NYT columnist, blogger and author of my all time favorite general kitchen guide How to Cook Everything, dedicated some of his energy to combating the perception that fast food is "cheaper" than cooking stuff at home with his $5 Challenge. My recent cooking bender has led me to a few realizations- firstly, that you can easily make terrific tasting, superior food on a 'fast food'

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-23818911644640760792012-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:002012-01-07T14:51:22.530-08:00

just came across this "description" of a book for sale on Amazon: This is a used book. Potential defects may exist (folds, creases, highlighting, writing/markings, staining, stickers and/or sticker residue, ETC.) ____ Books, A Bookstore for Everyone. Ships Within 24 Hours - 100% Satisfaction Guaranty!!!  Really?  That's your sales pitch? Jesus wept.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-63712123387652654342012-01-07T11:40:00.000-08:002012-01-07T11:40:01.489-08:00

Just listened to a news blurb about one year anniversary of the Giffords shooting, which the news drone chose to describe as a "shooting in a parking lot outside a grocery store" in which several people were killed, many wounded and oh, sort of as a PS at the end of the story, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head. I seemed to recall a different mise-en-scène involving a premeditated

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-32975764911591683722012-01-03T11:15:00.000-08:002012-01-03T11:16:36.858-08:00

Dressing for work this morning I found myself  mulling potential New Year's Resolutions. While cinching my belt down to the last hole it dawned on me I'd dropped a full pant size over the holidays, an uncanny result given the minefield of culinary delights to be navigated. Confronted with this prodigy the parade of contending resolutions imploded sequentially, like hung over vampires confusing

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-38564355652803087972012-01-02T14:41:00.000-08:002012-01-02T14:41:03.508-08:00

Hurrah for twit lit, #lessambitiousbooks is trending and generating a higher quality of material than the earlier reign of #lessambitiousrecords. To wit- Fear and Loathing in Reno Cholera in the Time of Cholera The Accountant of Monte Cristo As I Lay Napping Reasonable Expectations Facebook Profile of the Artist as a Young Man Lady Chatterley's Facebook Friend The Lion, The Witch and the

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-23557689402662861182012-01-02T11:15:00.000-08:002012-01-02T11:15:51.515-08:00

It's been a while since a trending topic amused me, but I'm greatly enjoying #lessambitiousrocksongs A sampling: Money for Something TrivialYou've Got to File a Petition for the Proper Zoning Permits to Party Jenny's Got a Restraining Order Might Get Fooled Again Peaceful Sit-In in the UK There's At Least One Mountain High Enough Mood Disorder TrainI Want to Play Rock Band All Night, and Then

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-73984705510311306372011-12-31T12:41:00.000-08:002011-12-31T17:31:09.155-08:00

(click to enlarge) Like Little Nemo, I'm temperamentally disposed to greeting baby New Year in the halcyon fields of Slumberland, an inclination reinforced by parenting a toddler. Fuss essays the dual roles of Father Time and Baby New Year as depicted above by Mr. McKay, weary burden & gravity defying spirit of beauty all at once.  His delight being much easier to appreciate after a

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-79057188081868560932011-12-30T22:33:00.000-08:002011-12-30T22:33:59.380-08:00

He's been sick, which make him more irascible than usual. Today I cleverly baited my PLEASE can we get the hell out of the house?!? trap with a trip to Target, possibly his favorite place on earth, and even so it was a near thing.  He opened with his patented wailing fit on the theme of NO!, revised several minutes later in a super casual way.  He sidled up quietly, looking off into the middle

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-17155012236182738312011-12-29T10:11:00.000-08:002011-12-29T10:11:39.406-08:00

Fuss screened it along with the fam last week, and loved Marty Feldman to death. For some reason he calls him "the Bird Man". The other morning he was asking me for "the Bird Man movie" and I had no idea what he was on about. "Who's the Bird Man?" "He gots the eyes that POP OUT, but don't fall out of his head!" "What?" I asked, slow on the uptake. "BLUCHER!" Fuss shouted at me. "OH!" And did

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-84140885391482255802011-12-29T09:20:00.000-08:002011-12-29T09:22:41.703-08:00

Fuss found a Hershey's Kiss on the coffee table this morning and was perplexed. "Dada, LOOK!" he said, waving it at me.  "It's a GIANT CHOCOLATE CHIP!  But, it gots PAPER on it.  I don't know how a chocolate chip gets PAPER on it!" And a couple of minutes later, as I was making coffee; "Uh...dada?  Would you open the chocolate chip for me?  So I could eat it?"

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-4369977460758989212011-12-27T17:45:00.000-08:002011-12-27T17:45:00.420-08:00

Dear readers, consider the dog's breakfast made of our once stately procession of bowl games by 'the markets', ponder the philosophical insistence in some benighted quarters that they are the only possible answer to society's problems, and despair. The Rose Bowl at least still insists on a fig leaf to preserve a wayward shred of institutional dignity, billing itself as Rose Bowl Game

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-986193075878034542011-12-27T16:07:00.000-08:002011-12-27T16:07:05.437-08:00

Attn anyone out there who, like me, was mesmerized by the sublime true crime documentary The Staircase: Michael Peterson Freed Pending New Trial. Apparently the guy responsible for the damning "blood splatter" interpretations turned out to be a pro-prosecution charlatan who was canned for faking evidence- After an independent review of the state crime lab last year found that blood evidence

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-5833794245609665402011-12-27T13:18:00.000-08:002011-12-27T15:14:16.618-08:00

So, last night a depraved thirst for Celebrity Rehab led us into the arms of the free one week Hulu Plus trial. During the whole Netflix freakout this was one of the popular war cries among the disenchanted- HULU!  REDBOX! BLOCKBUSTER! They all sounded self-evidently insufficient to me- Hulu has ads & a sucky movie selection, Redbox is an automated, crappier version of the 'shitty corner video

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-63690743704413871612011-12-26T12:48:00.000-08:002011-12-26T12:48:06.175-08:00

The kids had a blast, which is most of the point. The Fiend's fave gift was a tie between the trumpet Santa brought and Meek's postcard with a genuine piece of the Berlin Wall.  Fuss was completely mesmerized by a puzzle sphere wherein you navigate a ball bearing through a complex web of plastic chutes & hazards.  Watching us try to solve it was akin to hidden camera footage of a raccoon colony

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-61811395580656995802011-12-25T09:35:00.000-08:002011-12-25T09:40:30.457-08:00

Us = Reindeer Christmas Cheer = Robot Santa ROCK IT, PEOPLE!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-63395948139769126722011-12-24T23:57:00.001-08:002011-12-24T23:57:37.552-08:00

Cheers!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-58532522890016239372011-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:002011-12-24T11:31:00.926-08:00

First in a Christmas Eve series. Fuss is sorta into it this year- he went along with the whole Santa Claus thing, he had a blast decorating gingerbread men for Fiend's school birthday party, he loved Snow Day at the golf course.  He's also excited to open the presents that have piled up on the dining room table from my most excellent readers- thank you one and all for another year of listening

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-57268029978194961262011-12-20T16:30:00.000-08:002011-12-20T16:30:01.442-08:00

A scroungy guy who regularly buys off our 25¢ cart comes in, lurks around for a while then asks to see a gay erotica book from the case.  Normally I restrict case access to serious buyers- the whole idea of the case is to keep stuff from getting pawed.  But as he'd bought books from us (cheap ones, but even so) I pulled it out and set it by register where I could keep an eye on things. He

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-56843271406942655812011-12-18T17:30:00.000-08:002011-12-18T17:30:02.490-08:00

There's this one toy, a propeller that hooks up to a balloon & flies around like a helicopter.  Great idea, alas the designer never bothered attaching a balloon to his device- either that, or he was a sadist.  Connecting a full balloon to the propeller nozzle thingie was tedious and aggravating, the unpleasantness magnified by Fuss' loud, incessant demands that you HURRY UP, DADA. You won't be

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-63688760219201323192011-12-18T08:39:00.000-08:002011-12-18T14:10:31.375-08:00

Poet, dissident, president of the Czech Republic. An amazing life, an amazing man. "I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than ten military divisions." - -- Vaclav Havel He talked the talk then walked the walk.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-10443998014002856522011-12-17T19:55:00.000-08:002011-12-17T19:55:00.671-08:00

Apparently the owner of Shakespeare & Co. passed away a bit ago. We made a point to visit during our (much belated) honeymoon years ago, and I had the honor of being mocked by the owner for trying to buy a €1 postcard with a €20 note.  Rather than make change he gave me the card for free. I sent it to my co-workers at the store- today it's taped up on the wall behind the counter.  I'm glad his 

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-84629470835326137012011-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:002011-12-17T18:53:00.310-08:00

I've been on a 'not quite' diet lately, and while we don't own a scale the breeze through the holes in my cinched tight belt whistle a merry tune.  I haven't altered my rate of consumption one jot, haven't sworn off anything, haven't bought any low calorie cookbooks.  The only change has been making a commitment to whole grains & vegetables.  So, brown rice instead of white, salads with (nearly)

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-50974525074759259472011-12-17T14:09:00.000-08:002011-12-17T14:09:52.932-08:00

I've been able to carve a bit of reading time from the sheer cliff of Fuss Care lately- here are the results. A Dance with Dragons - George RR Martin Long awaited latest volume of his ever-expanding fantasy series.  Well done for what it is- if you like the series you'll enjoy yourself.  It continues the author's unfortunate course of continually adding new characters and storylines which are

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-19046634271046302002011-12-15T14:33:00.000-08:002011-12-15T14:33:40.116-08:00

discovered hiding in the title sequence of an awful 90's cartoon! Tenacious D needs to cover this masterpiece. Fuss has developed a crush on this series, which he calls "Tom and Jerry"- a cartoon he's never, to my knowledge, seen. One more mystery added to the pile.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-18377910033500224142011-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:002011-12-13T21:33:15.494-08:00

Here's what I heard echoing out of the bathroom during this evening's ablutions- wife: Hey!  Don't stick the alligator's tail up your butt! fuss, totally mystified: BUT WHY MAMA!?! Ah, parenthood.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-60561707986897504032011-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:002011-12-13T18:00:55.846-08:00

...where I hit you up for PRESENTS, that is! SO EASY! Step One: CLICK HERE Step Two: Pick out something fun Step Three:  Bask in the shimmering golden glow of glorious well being, knowing that Fuss will spend Christmas Morning drunk on gifts! And this time I'm getting shameless: BUY HIM PRESENTS!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-20716326592014509452011-12-13T13:19:00.000-08:002011-12-13T13:19:34.796-08:00

So this middle aged gal strode in like a televangelist drunk on the spotlight, addressed the counter like a lectern before a sea of enraptured faces rather than an old piece of plywood separating her from a skeptical clerk, and thrusts a book across it at me with a triumphant flourish. "Yes?" I inquire mildly. "Well, I have this book!" "Mmmhmm?" "I'm SELLING it. To YOU!"  Like this is

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-57405812559974736192011-12-13T07:46:00.000-08:002011-12-13T12:54:59.016-08:00

On the flip side of the Hobbit post from yesterday, our neighbor across the street had what he thought was a rare Dickens book.  He buys storage units and sells the junk, when he comes across weird books I help him out with appraising. I headed over last night with Fuss in tow. "C'mon, let's go look at books across the street," I proposed, and he went to his bookcase and picked out a couple

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-785685866259636242011-12-12T17:20:00.001-08:002011-12-12T17:20:36.676-08:00

....to support your friendly neighborhood blogger by buying toys for his son's Xmas Xtravaganza, that is! Look, SEE how easy I make it: Step One: CLICK HERE! Step Two: Pick Something Fun Step Three:  CHRISTMAS JOY FOR FUSS! All y'all know you get at least a ten spot worth of entertainment out of me over the course of the year, so pony up!  =P

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-8427103055851868642011-12-12T13:54:00.000-08:002011-12-12T17:16:38.761-08:00

Here's my Utopian fantasy of how a recent conversation would play out: Gothish Hipster Girl: Uh, like, I have a first edition of The Hobbit....  Me, interrupting the inevitable demand to know its value: No you don't.  and.....SCENE! That would save me so much time. =P

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-5481764398742810082011-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:002011-12-12T17:22:01.596-08:00

So in my efforts to make the blog donation/wish list a little button off to the side, I 'upgraded' my crumbling, obsolete, handcrafted style sheet to one of the snazzy new templates. Well, 'new' in the sense they've only been nagging me about switching for a couple years.  Made the switch, the Amazon widget still doesn't work, and while there is much to recommend the new look technically (this

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-88635663977212593882011-12-11T18:13:00.000-08:002011-12-11T18:17:32.833-08:00

older guy: Hey, do you have a section for explorers? me: Just for explorers? No, we'd shelve them into whatever section they belonged- we have Arctic exploration, Western Americana, History upstairs... guy, making face like I just propositioned his grandaughter as she walked down the aisle at her wedding: Oh my GOD! *turns and storms out* me, cheerily: Have a nice night!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-49718243106840849292011-12-11T16:39:00.000-08:002011-12-11T16:39:00.075-08:00

Swoon...

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-80815736345810856912011-12-10T23:29:00.000-08:002011-12-10T23:30:35.076-08:00

My kind of cover, recognizable without being slavish...and Karen O is a great stand in for Plant. The Fincher montage is neat, but School of Rock still owns the deed for this one-

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-5141187120942829712011-12-10T18:08:00.000-08:002011-12-10T23:35:14.186-08:00

Mostly known these days for their terrific Superman cartoons, Fleisher Studios are well represented on Netflix streaming. As with Kubrick, this post is little more than a list of links to everything available because it's all fantastic. The Complete Superman Collection Still my favorite take on the Man of Steel. The animation is gorgeously appropriate to the subject, naturalistic without

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-88796864630768645692011-12-10T15:56:00.000-08:002011-12-10T15:56:58.113-08:00

The other night I made a freehand potato/leek soup that didn't turn out the way I wanted- not enough potato, I think. It needed more body, anyway. So it was sitting in the fridge, and I wasn't excited about eating it, and then I remembered I had a little tupperware thingie of chili verde leftovers, not really enough to make a meal of. In the interest of free spirited improvisation, and to

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-54836453164114375652011-12-10T15:34:00.000-08:002011-12-10T23:32:02.636-08:00

A well dressed older lady, strung with jewlery like a Christmas tree, just tried to buy a stack of books which she'd obviously re-priced. This is a vanishingly rare occurrence- I've had more people try to pass counterfeit bills (3) than try to falsify prices (2, counting this gal). We have two people that price books, myself and the owner. Both of us are intimately acquainted with the other's

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-45037935819524248542011-12-07T19:31:00.000-08:002011-12-07T19:31:37.353-08:00

a big ol' plush Elmo from the wish list showed up on the porch this morning- thanks Woody! Little will Fuss know that this year, Santa's rocking the goatfoot.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-81117048301790360132011-12-06T14:35:00.000-08:002011-12-06T14:40:06.871-08:00

Leave Malia alone! Being a teenage girl is hard. Being a teenage girl who's taller than all of the boys (and all of the girls, and most of the teachers) is even harder. This I know from experience. I'm 6'2", and have been this tall since the 7th grade. But being a super-tall teenage girl who happens to live in the White House? I can't even imagine how tough that is. Mom grew up a generation

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-14472136975597646792011-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:002011-12-05T19:34:00.162-08:00

Yet another reason Japan is the world's most awesome country. VROOM VROOM!

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-6432720272044643992011-12-05T17:46:00.000-08:002011-12-05T17:46:09.087-08:00

I'm not savvy enough to figure out how to keep this on the top of the page, so I'm gonna do it the hard/annoying way and just repost every so often.  Viva technology! to quote myself: If you enjoy the blog, pick out something from this Amazon Wish List, or get us a Gift Card. 100% of proceeds will go toward supplying Santa's elves with resources necessary to bury Fuss in an avalanche of gifts

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-27570862342172861912011-12-05T11:14:00.000-08:002011-12-05T11:14:16.050-08:00

I mail a lot of stuff all over the map, so I've kept a wary eye on the recent Post Office drama. I hear a lot of whining about how "nobody" uses the post office and its functions should be taken over by private companies.  One particularly idiotic pundit suggested Wal*Mart as our new 'de facto' post office since it's "everywhere". I care about the post office for one reason, the same reason you

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-78232462649023119292011-12-05T08:49:00.000-08:002011-12-05T08:49:14.381-08:00

Well, the first one he told me about anyhow. "Uh...dada?  Had a DREAM." "Really?  What was it?" "A GHOST was chasing us!" "It was?  Was it a spooky ghost?" "Yeah!  And it was kept CHASING us!" "Yikes!  What kind of ghost was it?" "Hey dada?" "Yes?" "Was dreaming about Spirited Away!" "Oh my!" He loves him some ghosts, and loves him some Miyazake....

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-32666072765942293062011-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:002011-12-03T15:40:43.185-08:00

If you enjoy the blog, pick out something from this Amazon Wish List, or get us a Gift Card. 100% of proceeds will go toward supplying Santa's elves with resources necessary to bury Fuss in an avalanche of gifts on Christmas day.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-67414534430248772142011-12-03T14:23:00.001-08:002011-12-10T23:36:52.539-08:00

The latest film from one of my favorite human beings just showed up on streaming. I'm a little pissed, because it's the only 3d movie I've ever cared about seeing in 3d...so of course the lone local showing was 2d.   But, Werner's documentaries are never less than fascinating so I'll swallow my disappointment and recommend it anyway.   The only other doc of his on streaming is Encounters at the

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-52566371288563261552011-12-02T16:27:00.000-08:002011-12-02T16:27:30.529-08:00

Cleaning up the bedroom with the Wife passed out on the couch, Fuss climbing all over everything nonstop and jabbering relentlessly in my ear like some kind of crack addicted myna bird. Wedged in the middle of his mighty Tower of Babble, this heart wrencher. "HEY DADA, SEE THIS PICTURE?!" It's an oldie from when he was nine or ten months. "Yeah, I see it." "THAT'S WHEN I WAS A BABY!" "It

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-87731375401733293152011-11-29T17:25:00.000-08:002011-11-29T17:37:16.204-08:00

He thinks the big publisher's obsession with DRM is playing into Amazon's hands and fears for the authorial future.  I think he's mostly right here.  DRM is fool's gold.  Digital distribution of any sort inevitably results in  giving stuff away to people who don't want to pay for it, all DRM accomplishes is to piss off legitimate users who pay for stuff as opposed to those who pirate.  One of the

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-71244359045654789992011-11-29T16:36:00.000-08:002011-11-29T16:42:17.427-08:00

Been a while since I did one of these! The recent bumbling and fumbling of their moron CEO aside, Netflix has been killing it on the content front.  There's always been way more good/interesting stuff than I have time for but they've kicked it into overdrive the last while, maybe trying to distract folk from the whole Quickster clown rodeo.  If so, thank you Quickster debacle for all the amazing

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-5955899896707356462011-11-28T21:19:00.000-08:002011-11-28T21:19:13.985-08:00

The wife relayed his reaction to seeing his first rainbow last week. They're driving along and there's a giant rainbow between two hills. The Wife points it out, "Look Fuss!  It's your first rainbow!" Fuss, after an initial burst of excitement, becomes subdued and notes- "Uh.....Mama?  It's only HALF a rainbow!" She attempted to explain that's just what rainbows look like, but he was prepared-

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-30894186181236394832011-11-28T15:04:00.000-08:002011-11-28T15:04:44.476-08:00

gal, looking through boxes of sale calendars:  Will you be getting any more calendars in? me: We got a shipment today. gal: Well, why don't you put them OUT! me:  They are out. gal, sputtering:  Well...well....it doesn't look like they are! me: Huh! How about that.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-71092929574930836702011-11-28T12:53:00.000-08:002011-11-28T12:54:19.694-08:00

I've always had a soft spot for his unapologetically over-the-top sensibility. This one is my favorite: RIP

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-10150541390884562312011-11-26T17:21:00.000-08:002011-11-26T17:21:00.340-08:00

EXACTLY what it says. This one is striking a Fuss pose, although he is somewhat more fortunate looking:

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-44374401053763842292011-11-26T14:44:00.000-08:002011-11-26T14:44:48.462-08:00

mom and daughter come up to register. mom: do you have any greeting cards? me:  No, sorry. daughter, looking aghast:  are you kidding me? me: Nope! We stick to books.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-18057491094839665272011-11-26T12:37:00.000-08:002011-11-26T12:37:04.680-08:00

No deep insights, just noting the passing of another tremendous fighter from the greatest Heavyweight era. Lyle was a tough assignment for anyone, and if he fell short of the elite what of it? He gave legit Hall of Famers all they could handle and then some. Witness: For my money the greatest of all Heavyweight brawls. RIP.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-59843813283258050142011-11-25T09:19:00.000-08:002011-11-25T14:27:06.526-08:00

Occupy Black Friday! I don't know if the stench of retail desperation is ranker this year or if I'm just paying closer attention to the hysterical gyrations of our corporate overlords, intent on lashing the peons into a frenzy of consumption. Something's changed though. The whole Target kerfuffle coalesed my free floating disgust with 'Black Friday' as a social event. If anybody needs me

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-62882589152213062462011-11-23T07:50:00.000-08:002011-11-23T08:16:39.464-08:00

A new Nick Park show turned up on Roku, Timmy Time. Fuss predictably loves it, but this morning he wandered into the kitchen after an episode and inquired "Hey, Dada....how does ANIMALS get into a SCHOOL?" And the other day, during a screening of his current favorite movie A Town Called Panic (which is terrific, I recommend it for all ages): he pulled up short and asked "Dada, how do they

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-89015441019991419232011-11-22T10:58:00.000-08:002011-11-22T10:58:54.602-08:00

The Internet, our foremost purveyor of gallows humor. And a screen grab in case something 'happens' to the listing: Click to large-ify.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-90613718491383342682011-11-20T17:20:00.000-08:002011-11-20T17:20:24.544-08:00

me: Would you like a bag? guy: No! No, I'll just carry them. A bag only causes problems. And an earlier exchange: me: would you like a bag? gal: No thanks, I'll just put it in my purse and....save the world. Or something.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-30208883423166400352011-11-20T16:53:00.000-08:002011-11-20T16:53:18.383-08:00

While I'm messing around with stuff, here's Marya's photo blog. Hat tip to Facebook for bringing it to my attention....fundamental evil aside, it has things to recommend it.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-20732820661306811162011-11-20T16:37:00.000-08:002011-11-20T16:37:30.689-08:00

Alt girl with super thick Charles Nelson Reilly eyeglasses shuffles up to counter. Her: With, uh with everyone switching to KINDLES *giggle*, one of my pet peeves is losing the, uh, embossing on books? So I was, uh, wondering if I could take, uh rubbings of some of your books? On, like, vellum? I'd be real careful! Me: Yeah, uh, no. But if you want to buy some books, you can do whatever you

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-21208011158576443902011-11-20T15:15:00.000-08:002011-11-20T16:40:11.673-08:00

A personal health blog by one of my oldest online friends (we met on a BBS in the early 90's) and a fundamentally good person.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-33403729208085173182011-11-19T12:57:00.000-08:002011-11-19T12:57:59.535-08:00

Without a doubt the simplest recipe I've ever shared, and yet...RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. For the crock pot, from the indispensable Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook (it's Meeks cookbook, a gift from....her mother). ingredients chicken jarred or fresh salsa, 1 1/2 cups cumin chili powder lime juice dump chicken in crock, dump salsa over chicken, cook HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6. add

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-17164094363516165972011-11-18T20:06:00.000-08:002011-11-18T20:06:53.848-08:00

pulled from the streaming menu: A teenage miscreant wanders aimlessly amid a bleak, futuristic urban landscape, drinking drugged milk and listening to Beethoven with his fellow "droogs." I dare anyone to come up with a less appealing (yet still factually accurate) summary.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-78738442815733083802011-11-18T11:47:00.000-08:002011-11-18T11:47:38.575-08:00

A few good bits this morning. First, I'm looking for my cup of coffee. "Hmmm, now where did I put my coffee? Oh! There it is!" "Dada, I love you! You're so GREAT at finding coffee!" Next, I'm in the bedroom reading. He comes rampaging in, sees me, climbs up on the bed and flops down next to me on his back, laying his hands on his chest and patting them gently. "Now," he says, giving me a

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13494035.post-19651430117008594232011-11-17T16:40:00.000-08:002011-11-17T16:40:57.896-08:00

best quote from this evening's walk: "Dogs kiss robots." Sublimely gorgeous out there tonight. We paused in the grove to throw handfuls of oak leaves at each other.

baxiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212016193695451737noreply@blogger.com0