Back in the paleotechnic dawn of the 21st century, my mother’s request was understandable. “Just call me once a week to let me know you’re alive,” she said, as I wandered off across… Continue reading
What is humanitarianism? Charity? Aid? How do you do it? Fundamentally, how do you help the “under-privileged” masses of the world? I would definitely not use words nearly as grand as “humanitarian” to… Continue reading
I don’t understand how the Republican Party gets more than 1% of the vote. I dearly want to, but I don’t. I understand why people would want lower taxes, small government, and a… Continue reading
Brussels has three train stations, all connected in a nice straight line (unlike some of those other, sillier cities where to get from North to South you have to go East for an… Continue reading
Happy Mother’s Day! So, Mother’s Day was started in the US by women’s peace groups to reunite families torn apart by the Civil War. Mothers whose sons had fought and died, on both… Continue reading
In Dutch class today we were learning the words for facial features, the teacher supplementing the book with things people actually say, noting that they may not be particularly polite. Big ears, little… Continue reading
So I went back to work at the researcher place, and it is going well, though I can clearly see the cloud hanging over the project, since they didn’t schedule enough time to… Continue reading
Yesterday was a good day. It is Easter vacation for the schools around here, which means no morning traffic, which means K has an extra 20-30 minutes in the morning, which yesterday combined… Continue reading
I caught a cold and am unemployed, so today I’m puttering around the house. Both our pots are simmering sleepily on the stove (the wok has the night off), the kitchen is scrubbed,… Continue reading
Some mornings the staggering Beauty of the World leaks into the familiar environs of our apartment and provides a startling beginning to the day, complete with ill-advised attempts to photograph it. (I have… Continue reading
I was hired at a “medical research” company for a particular project to last 6-8 weeks. Last week was #10, and we finished the main part, with an additional 2 weeks to do… Continue reading
