January 1, 2015 | The New Year is taken to be a new beginning. more
How did my garden grow?
January 7, 2015 | Conventional wisdom in the desert is that gardens should be planted in October. more
Massacre at Charlie Hebdo
January 10, 2015 | When terrorists forced their way into the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris to slaughter the editor and four notable cartoonists, it set off near universal condemnation and some thoughtful commentary on freedom of speech. It also set off waves of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant fervor in far too many places around the world. more
Craigslist is infected with scammers and cons
January 13, 2015 | He was looking for a new job and thought to check out the listings on craigslist. more
Trivialization of Charlie Hebdo
January 14, 2015 | After the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, people by the millions took to the streets of Paris to demonstrate and show their support for freedom of expression, with world leaders marching arm-in-arm. The event was positively awe-inspiring. more
Bye, bye, Netflix
January 20, 2015 | Until today, I had a subscription to Netflix. Note that "had" is past tense. more
State of Obama is … feisty
January 21, 2015 | Last night Obama gave the obligatory State of the Union address to Congress and the three people who tuned in and paid attention. more
Slow shipping
January 27, 2015 | I've suspected for some time that shipments from Amazon sometimes are deliberately slow. Now there's evidence. more
Superbowl 2015
February 3, 2015 | Beginning in 1999, a group of us decided to "go somewhere" for Super Bowl weekend. This year marked the 16th such getaway (if you're doing the math, we missed one year due to a commitment to go to Yellowknife to see the Northern Lights). more
Futility knows no bounds
February 7, 2015 | I came home from the long-weekend SuperBowl trip to find my patio table covered with stones, sand, grass, and other debris. (Update: Caught in the act) more
It is NOT me!
February 9, 2015 | It's no secret that there are many people who share the same name. more
Bon voyage / Bienvenue
February 13, 2015 | When Real's brother and sister visited last year, they discovered how nice it is to get away from snow and cold. Quelle surprise! They came back again this year. more
Fiona ist kaput
February 18, 2015 | Since Fiona first arrived in May 2014 I became dependent on her. She enabled my sloth and saved me from the ignominy of dirty floors and carpets. more
When INTUITion fails
February 20, 2015 | For the past year I have received periodic messages from Intuit about my QuickBooks subscription. This devotion to a customer is all well and good, except that I do not use, and never have used, Quickbooks! more
Oscar party 2015
February 23, 2015 | The usual suspects came over to watch the Oscar ceremony and the preceding Red Carpet fashion show. more
Woe is us
February 28, 2015 | The Republicans just can't help themselves. They tilt at windmills, and when the windmill wins, they end up worse off than they started. more
Hillary emailgate
March 10, 2015 | The New York Times broke the story last week that Hillary Clinton, for her entire time as Secretary of State, used a personal email account for all her email, including government business. more
Great expectations
March 27, 2015 | It all began last year when I got hooked on Downton Abbey, then in its 4th season on PBS. more
New Basic Black Box
April 1, 2015 | For some time now I have chafed under the high cost of cable television when I watch so little of it. more
Sometimes a cake is just a cake
April 2, 2015 | Just below all the sanctimonious talk about enacting laws to ensure that American's freedom of religion is not abridged lies an ugly reality: the far, far right wants to be able to discriminate against those they don't like and use as their defense, "God made me do it." more
March of the Peeps or, Easter 2015
April 6, 2015 | There were four surprises for this easter gathering. more
Opera in the Park 2015
April 12, 2015 | The Palm Springs Opera Guild presented Opera in the Park on Sunday. As usual it was a day for fine music, people-watching, eating, drinking, and basking in a superlative spring day in the park. more
Happy Birthday to me
May 1, 2015 | I've lately turned to archeology, digging out relics from moving boxes in the garage. Among the treasures were photographs, some dating back to my earliest years. I thought a little trip down memory lane might be a nice way to commemorate #72. more
Beware the Jebberwock, my son!
May 14, 2015 | Until this week, the field of declared and prospective candidates for the Republican presidential nomination consisted largely of the crazies, the mildly deranged, the utterly unqualified — and Jeb Bush. more
Memorial Day 2015
May 27, 2015 | The usual suspects assembled chez Paul to observe Memorial Day with the usual gluttonizing. more
The shadow knows
May 30, 2015 | This morning while I pondered over many an enigmatic clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle, I saw out of the corner of my eye a shadow passing in front of the window in my office. more
The Rock vs The Earthquake
June 5, 2015 | I shouldn't have gone. It's not the kind of movie I like. But I succumbed to peer pressure. more
Drought, now fire
June 18, 2015 | After a blissfully moderate spring, June temperatures have gone, practically overnight, from "below average" to "above average." And the wildfires have started, too. more
Upgrading to Windows 10
August 23, 2015 | Months ago that little white icon appeared in my system tray, the one that invited me to get Windows 10. more
Brother-in-law Carl celebrates 84th
September 15, 2015 | The email from dear niece Carol was short notice: more
Oho! The Nigerian prince has become a Spanish banker
October 3, 2015 | For several years a popular internet scam involved a "Nigerian prince" who was trying to get his money out of the country and who just needed a little help from gullible friends. more
Agawa Canyon train excursion
October 14, 2015 | The hard-core of the old gang had such a wonderful time in Albuquerque on our Super Bowl trip that someone decided we should do another trip this summer. Touring the locks at Sault Ste Marie and riding the scenic Agawa Canyon tour train seemed like good ideas. So, shortly after the 4th of July we headed north and east. more
Parade of Planes 2015
October 15, 2015 | Imagine what the out-of-town visitors are going to tell their friends when they get home: "Honestly, Marge, I was driving down the street in Palm Springs and had to stop for an airplane!" more
Hillary vs Special Committee on Benghazi
October 29, 2015 | Last week Hillary Clinton testified before the Special Committee on Benghazi, appearing, as she said, "Because I said I would." more
Cirque de l'absurde
October 31, 2015 | We've now been treated to three "debates" with the Repugnican presidential candidates. Being Halloween it might be more apt to say we've been tricked to those debates. more
Palm Springs Pride and Festival 2015
November 11, 2015 | With clear skies, no wind to speak of, and temperatures hovering around 80, Mother Nature shined down on the Palm Springs Pride Festival and Parade this past weekend. more
The Christmas cup wars
November 12, 2015 | The front page of the Washington Post website today carried two headlines to strike fear into the heart of any sensible person. more
The annual apple adventure 2015
November 20, 2015 | It has become an annual tradition to visit "apple country" — the Oak Glen area above Yucaipa. more
Or is it Memorex?
December 8, 2015 | Faithful readers of a certain age will recall the Memorex advertising campaign many years ago with the tagline, "Is it real, or is it Memorex?" more
It's a miracle
December 15, 2015 | My eye doctor decided it was time to remove the cataract from my right eye, being more advanced than the one in the left, and Monday morning I reported for surgery. more
Palm Springs Festival of Light parade 2015
December 21, 2015 | Palm Springs held its annual Festival of Lights parade on December 5. It was a beautiful night for a parade: mild temperatures, no wind, and convivial fellow watchers. more
Christmas 2015 chez Ken and Rafe
December 26, 2015 | Ken and Rafe decided to host this year's Christmas dinner. As usual, there was a lot of gratuitous toasting, laughing, and over-indulging. more
