SVMG Book Club: Intervention, control, and “Who By Fire”

SVMG Book Club: Intervention, control, and “Who By Fire”

I don’t really think of myself as an interventionist. I might not always agree with what you do, and I might question you about it. I might express that disagreement to you, and chances are that I may talk about it with mutual friends as well. But unless it’s something truly dangerous to your well-being, I’m probably not going to get in your way of doing it. Despite my misgivings, I will generally give you […]

The hour I first believed: thoughts on a Tuesday morning

Technically, that’s not true, but it’s what crossed my mind as I entered the room to watch the Inauguration of President Obama, and I thought it would make a good title. I’ve believed for quite a few months now, probably since last spring or early summer. I believe something amazing happened last November, and I believe it’s going to take an amazing amount of work, patience – and yes, grace – for genuine change to […]

Weekend Assignment #251: Fantasy Sabbatical

This is my very first time as “guest professor” for the “Weekend Assignment” at Outpost Mâvarin, but it may not be my last…that’s up to Karen, though, and depends on how many of my other topic suggestions she decides to use. Weekend Assignment #251: You have a six-month paid sabbatical, and you can spend it anywhere you like EXCEPT on a beach drinking margaritas. Where do you go, and what do you do while you’re […]

It’s bookKEEPING, not bookSTEALING

A conversation among some of my book-blogging buddies on Twitter clued me in to Shelf Awareness, a daily e-mail newsletter about the book business. This item in the January 8 e-mail caught my attention: On Tuesday, local police arrested a woman who between 2006 and 2008 was a bookkeeper at Page and Palette bookstore, Fairhope, Ala., and charged her with embezzling about $50,000 from the store, the Press-Register reported. The former bookkeeper, Theresa Canavan Lyda, […]

Weekend Assignment #250: Hot or Cold?

Karen is asking about the weather for this Weekend Assignment: Weekend Assignment #250: We’re getting into the coldest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, so I expect things are getting a mite chilly on some places. If you had to pick one or the other, would you rather be too cold in the winter, or too hot in the summer? Extra Credit: How has the weather been so far this season, compared to past […]

Coming soon to a DVR near me – the winter TV season!

To me, September feels more like “New Year’s” time than January does, because for most of my life it’s been linked to the beginnings of two very important annual events – the school year and the fall TV season. Back-to-school will still impact my life for at least nine more years, but recently, the arrival of new TV episodes in the fall has met with less fanfare. There are a few reasons for that – […]

Weekend Assignment #249: Looking back at 2009

Yes, you read the post title correctly. In this Assignment, Karen is asking us to get a bit creative and project one year into the future: Weekend Assignment #249: Today is January 2, 2010. Tell us about the most interesting things that happened in 2009, in the world and also in your life in particular. Extra Credit: How did you do on your 2009 resolutions, if any? Change may have come to America in 2008, […]

Weekend Assignment #248: What’dja Get?

Karen’s assignment for this weekend was appropriately posted on the day after Christmas: Weekend Assignment #248: What was the most interesting or unexpected gift you received this holiday season? Extra Credit: What was the most interesting gift you gave this holiday season? I really didn’t have any “expected” gifts this year. I didn’t even make a list, since I couldn’t think of much to ask for, and none of it was especially big-ticket stuff: some […]

Weekend Assignment #247: Home for the holidays?

Weekend Assignment #247:“There’s no place like Home for the Holidays” – or so the song claims. Are you heading “home” to family and friends? Are other family members heading “home” to visit you? Are you heading someplace that definitely isn’t home, or perhaps just staying home, with no visitors on your doorstep? In short, what are your holiday-related travel arrangements this year, and is that they way you prefer to spend it? Extra Credit: Tell […]

Weekend Assignment #246: Surprise!

For this weekend’s Assignment, Karen said: It’s been a mindboggling year in many ways, and not all of it has been good news. Let’s focus on the personal and the positive, shall we?Weekend Assignment #246: A strange and sometimes difficult year is drawing to a close. Tell us about something that happened this year that was a pleasant surprise for you personally.Extra Credit: Are you looking forward to the new year? This year will be […]

Weekend Assignment #245: Holiday traditions

Weekend Assignment #245: Holiday traditions

Weekend Assignment #245: Some holiday traditions continue from generation to generation, some fall by the wayside, and some new ones arise as we strike out on our own, form new families and adapt to changes in culture and technology. How traditional are your holiday traditions, compared to decades past? Extra Credit: What is your most unusual holiday tradition? This year, a 24-year-old tradition is ending; I will not be spending Christmas with my son. Chris […]

Weekly Geeks #27: Blogging for Dewey

Weekly Geeks #27: Blogging for Dewey

Earlier this week, Becky suggested: I was thinking that it might be nice for those bloggers who are Weekly Geeks to pay tribute to Dewey in the next week or so. To take the time to post to their blogs a “Weekly Geek” post about Dewey–maybe share their favorite posts from her site, maybe share a memory or two about participating in weekly geeks, the bookworms carnival, the 24 Hour Readathon, or one of Dewey’s […]