Monthly Archives: February 2014

Imagine my Surprise

I’m not a crusader. I’m an observer. When I get involved in an issue, I usually try for reason, persuasion and incremental change. Often I just stay on the sidelines and watch with ill-disguised amusement. That’s where I started during … Continue reading

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Clearing Anne’s Room

Saturday, February 22 I got out of my car and 11:00 am. At 12:32 I put the last bag in the trunk and closed it. Just about ninety minutes to clear Anne’s things out of her room at the board … Continue reading

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The Art of Anxiety

Tuesday. February 18 I stop at the red light, look to the left, and seeing that it’s clear, I make a right turn onto Hwy 116. I waited until after the commute traffic period to leave, so there are very … Continue reading

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The Spenser Books

Recently Spouse and I donated almost all of our Robert B Parker books to Mockingbird. This collection included nearly all the Spenser books, hardcover and paperback; all of the Jesse Stone novels; most of the Sunny Randall books and a … Continue reading

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Egalitarian After All; Syfy’s Helix

(WARNING: May contain spoilers.) I was delighted when Jeri Ryan joined the cast of Syfy’s new horror show, Helix, but I hated the interpretation of Constance Sutton, the teeth-pruning, book-hurling, face-slapping, killer-snogging COO of EvilCorp LLC. This is a terrible … Continue reading

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Reanimated; The SFWA Bulletin Kerfluffle Lurches Back to Life

I wrote about this in June of 2013, I think. I thought it was dead. The Science Fiction Writer Assocation (SFWA) issues an association journal called The SFWA Bulletin. It’s a house-organ, basically, aimed at providing useful information on the … Continue reading

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An Oscar-Nominated Director

When you stay on the grounds at the Alegria Inn, you get breakfast in the charming dining area that looks across the garden to the beach.  Usually in B&Bs, people chat a bit at breakfast, even if they don’t know … Continue reading

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The Alegria Inn

What’s to like about the Alegria Inn, in the village of Mendocino? Here are a few things: The hosts. The Alegria’s owners, Eric and Elaine Wing Hillesland, are archetypal B&B owners; friendly,  helpful, accommodating, flexible and realistic, both interested and interesting. … Continue reading

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Underworld: Awakening

On Wednesday I had a really productive writing day, which meant that I was too wound up to go to sleep early. I decided to watch Underworld: Awakening on FX. The Undeworld movies are Kate Beckinsale vehicles, based on an … Continue reading

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W is for Wasted, by Sue Grafton

In the 23rd Kinsey Millhone mystery by Sue Grafton, Kinsey’s elderly landlord Henry gets a cat named Ed. That is about the most interesting thing that happens in the book. Ed is one of the better characters. W is for … Continue reading

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