They say that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. All I could think of when listening to the news this morning was that whoever’s behind this has quite obviously never cracked open a textbook. Think about it. The IRA had no success in forcing England’s hand even after two solid decades of this sort of… Read more →
Fourth of July
Lesley and I enjoyed a great 4th of July yesterday. Our schedules rarely mesh these days — she works Monday through Friday and I’m on from Wednesday through Sunday — so it was a welcome treat to have a whole day together. We started with a picnic at Irvine Regional Park. There were quite a few people around, but I… Read more →
The Latest
Just added about 100 new photos to the gallery: L.A. Gold Cup aerobatic contest – photos courtesy of Katherine DeBaun. It was a great learning experience. For example, I learned never EVER to book a hotel room facing the highway. I also learned never to trust Gray’s judgement when it comes to bars. Oy. Northern California Aerobatic Challenge, better known… Read more →
Back Off!
The demented senior citizens who live next to me have a license plate frame on their car which, with six simple words, conveys everything that’s wrong with the world today. It says: “BACK OFF! Our granddaughter’s a lawyer.” With all due respect to attorneys I admire, I’ve spent the last ten years wanting to take that frame off their car… Read more →
Don’t Go Changin’
No, not that kind of change. I’m talking about coins. Loose change, the kind you find in your pocket. You know, the stuff that ends up under the sofa cushions? That mass of flat metal objects that clunks around in your pants as you walk down the street? The very same stuff that once short circuited a 9-volt battery in… Read more →
Smooch
Alcohol impairs judgement. Since when?? Lesley and I found this and several other humorous trash cans at the Dana Point Harbor today. (Did I just use the phrase “humorous trash cans”? That’s a first.) Read more →
Mazel Tov
There’s a rueful old saying which reminds us that while you can pick your friends, you can’t pick your family. Although that’s generally true, a wedding tends to puts the kibosh on that logic. In modern society, at least, you certainly can pick your spouse. And that’s exactly what my nephew Mike did yesterday. I’ve been to many Jewish weddings,… Read more →
Oh the Humanity
So I’m waiting to board my United Airlines flight to Seattle. A few days ago I was congratulating myself on resisting the temptation to fly up in my own airplane, opting instead to take advantage of frequent flyer miles to obtain a free ticket. Now that I’m here, however, the plan doesn’t seem quite so bright. Oh sure, the flight… Read more →
I Learned About Flying From That
So I recently got back from my third aerobatic contest, the Northern California Aerobatic Challenge at Paso Robles. I finished in second place, a nice surprise considering some serious obstacles were encountered along the way. After the Apple Valley contest (where I finished in sixth place), the plane developed a crack in the right fuel tank. Replacing this tank definitely… Read more →
Harmonia Baroque
Harmonia Baroque Players is a professional early music ensemble based here in Orange County. While I’ve been running their web site on a volunteer basis for a number of years, the look & feel has always made me cringe, especially because their quality of their music (listen) is not represented accurately by the pathetic FrontPage design. So I took matters… Read more →