Cracks in the Amazon facade?
We’ve had the same Amazon Echo for well over ten years, because I was part of the group to which it was available before widespread release. It’s always worked flawlessly, …
Remember
Coming full circle with the music of my youth
I listen to the music of my adolescence and young adulthood frequently. As that meant (and means) a whole lot of hair metal and new wave, I heard (and hear) …
Remembering my son’s first watch, and considering guilt correctly
Shortly after Aaron got his first wristwatch—so, maybe age 7—he brought it to me asking about the scratches in the acrylic crystal. I said, more or less: “if your fingernail …
Precious Hearts Tour, 2025
Some years ago I started taking a solo trip between Christmas and New Year’s to catch up with friends I’d be unlikely to see again without a specific effort, and …
Ace Frehley dead at 74
Founding Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley died last night. He was 74. This is much more personal to me than most celebrity deaths. Ace has been an important part of …
Cracker Barrel should probably double down, not retool
My esteem for Cracker Barrel is modest. I liked it a bit more when there were fewer good breakfast anytime options. It’s fairly easy to paste Cracker Barrel now in …
Leave a tender moment alone
In what must have been the spring of 1986, so just before we moved to the Huntsville area, the Oxford (AL) High School concert band played a Billy Joel medley …
Sigh. Hello, Apple.
My relationship with Apple is long, dating to just a couple of years after it was founded (and only about seven after I was founded). Said relationship has also known …
Henry the carpenter ant
When I was in grammar school, one of my classmates lived a little out of town on a lot of land. There was a creek, and trails, and a lot …
This Independence Day, considering when bad actors hijack good symbols
You could be forgiven for not knowing that the swastika has been a positive symbol of divinity and prosperity for far longer than it has represented the Third Reich (and …