January 2011
21 posts
An addictive music-writing-tech weekend... →
Back in November, a Mainer named Steve commented on first thoughts on The Promise, and we began e-mailing. Steve introduced me to Cover Lay Down, and I enjoyed it. Lots of mp3s and warm commentaries…
What's a school paper without them? →
Had a nice lunch with my parents yesterday and picked up some mail. Among the pieces was the latest issue of the Gonzaga alum magazine, The Good News. The pages were filled with memories of former…
Proof it was there today →
I saw it!
When you have a cold sometimes →
You can feel every muscle in your back, descriptively. You can feel the waves of movement ripple from shoulder to shoulder, a cross-section underneath your skin like bundles of ropes tugged along a…
Stirring up (scooping up?) ice cream controversy →
People at Drumstick’s PR firm saw my blog post about the product this week, and they e-mailed to ask if they could link to it from Facebook. I of course said yes. When they linked yesterday, what I…
Beard is gone! →
I got bored the other night and shaved it off. Partly responsible? Third season of Mad Men. The final episodes contained much excitement, and then they were over. I’d been thinking of shaving for no…
I'm glad this paragraph reminds me of work →
Some folks hate all meetings. If you know me, you know I hate useless meetings but love useful ones. A valuable meeting serves the needs of everyone in attendance and moves quickly to goals and next…
How did they get away with this? Did they lock... →
We know Dave Eggers hates the Internet. So, it’s with some surprise that we receive the January e-mail update from his McSweeney’s and learn the site’s new app include e-books. Yes, okay—most of us…
Where my voice was between my phone and yours →
Rediscovered near-friend Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” in my bookmarks this morning. I liked the happy discomfort of it. The story’s behind a paywall here, but free, here’s my…
Obituaries for a great obituary writer →
Mourning the other day the continued existence of the L.A. wedding section, I went to look at its org opposite, my beloved LAT obituaries section, but couldn’t find any crafting I especially liked….
Audio of the Tweedy show in DC surfaces →
Wilco is now streaming full audio from the show Carlos and I saw.
'The mystery of the spirit of humanism' →
One of my favorite stories of the new year is The New Yorker’s look at the Vatican Library, using technology and openness to reach toward the library’s centuries-ago initial mission. My favorite…
Unexpected fun, unexpected damage in a magazine →
Contributor pages in magazines, by their nature, are not exciting. They are lists and nothing more. Except in the Oxford American. In the hope of getting you to subscribe, as I enjoy the accompanying…
Food trucks (and carts) I have known — 2011... →
The Fry Captain running out of fries aside, it’s been a successful year. In the rankings I keep in my heart, the mac-and-cheese truck, the pie truck, the crepe cart, and the poutine truck tie for #1….
Aliens make typos (and other digital-writing... →
I’ve been catching up on Wired issues, and the magazine’s writing is more often than not a brisk joy. The issues have had some great lines in particular around the intersection of digital, life and…
Burgerman goes Hollywood →
Last spring, I told you about Burgerman, friend Beth’s brother, who ran the Boston Marathon in a burger costume to raise money for an after-school group. Since then, friend Beth has become colleague…
Doing something about all that junk in the trunk →
People say black is slimming. I would like to agree with that statement as a vote of support for Ford Mustang designers. If you know me well, you know I have four opinions about Mustangs. One, that…
Stop letting me loose in party stores →
Lindsay and her new phone paid the price. Don’t let it happen to you.
A confession about 2010 →
Friends, you know me in many ways. Perhaps, among those ways over the years, you know me as co-founding leader of the No Mayer Club: (Official logo, 2002) It is in that capacity that I would like to…
It's the poetry again →
One of my favorites at this moment (source)… I found him wandering on the hill one hot blue afternoon. He looked as skinny as a nail, as pale-skinned as the moon; below the broad shade of his hat his…
If you hate people, take them out of your address... →
Remember the angry reader who hated me? And then added me as a LinkedIn connection? Now he’s invited me to be his Facebook friend. Sigh. The “Import E-mail Addresses” madness must stop. If you hate…