Favorite Holiday TV Episodes
Every year around this time, everyone begins talking about Christmas movies that we’ve all seen, some dozens of times. But when NetFlix began highlighting not only Christmas movies but also TV episodes, I began putting together my own list of some of my favorite holiday episodes. (Many of them you can see via NetFlix online […]
On the First Day of Hanukkah…
In our house, we light the traditional Hanukkah candles, as we did last night, lighting the first candle and singing the blessings of the first night of Hanukkah. And we give gifts for the kids each night; not expensive presents like they’re likely to get from their grandparents on Christmas, but small, fun gifts to […]
Software Development: a Love-Hate Relationship
I wasn’t intending to post anything today. As I promised yesterday, I wrote this morning until 9 AM, but not a post on this blog. (Instead, I made progress on a longer piece for my Ardor Point site.) And then I caught up on a comment thread between Darryl (whom I don’t think I know) […]
Baptism of Chaos and the Writer’s Soul
I’ve been going through a baptism of chaos. Been working on a summer software-development project–summer turning into autumn–a project with too many harrowing twists and a too-soon, hard deadline. I’ve been putting into this project as many hours as I can fit, plus some that I can’t. Because I need to earn enough money to […]
What a Disappointment: Crony Capitalism and the Religious Right
As you may recall, I’m a friend neither of crony capitalism nor of the religious right. I hate crony capitalism, because it corrupts honest people just trying to run honest businesses and do an honest day’s work. That’s one of the reasons, I think, why everyone loves the “free market” but despises “capitalism.” And when […]
Once you’ve walked in my shoes…
A friend of mine remarked today (in a private online forum), “Once you’ve walked in the shoes I walk in, live the life I live, and feel the pain I feel, then you can judge me.” This is a common sentiment, which has inspired some powerful stories, and which inspired some involved thoughts of my […]
I Can Do All Things… (on Philippians 4:13)
Apparently this week’s most favorite misunderstood bible quote, I’ve run into it multiple times recently, from multiple sources: I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 NIV) What an empowering thought. Isn’t it great that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to, through God’s strength? Bzzt. Wrong! What Paul […]
Three Kinds of Love
This is so très kewl! I was watching on NetFlix a Discovery Channel documentary, The Science of Sex Appeal… research for my next novel. Anyhow, at one point during the program, anthropologist Helen Fisher said: I think that we’ve evolved three distinctly different brain systems for love. One is the sex drive, the craving for […]
My Birthday Books
When I opened my birthday present, aside from the gift itself, out fell two twenties and a ten. And the first thing I thought was, Now I can buy more groceries. As you know, sometimes the life of a writer sucks. But I do have a summer software contract lined up, which should fund this […]