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Bring on the Drear

13 Jun 2014 by KRAG

Scarlet CrocosmiaMy eyes brightened when I saw the forecast: showers beginning Friday, continuing through Saturday and Sunday, with sunshine returning Monday morning.

I love drippy weekends. Even though they cut into my convertible drive-time, even though they make my rosebuds ball up and rot, even though they make my friends unhappy because their plans for beach-days or BBQs or mountain drives or afternoon walks get washed out, despite this I still love drippy, rainy, dreary weekends.

Rainy weekends mean I don’t have to mow the lawn.

Rainy weekends mean I don’t feel guilty about not washing the car.

Rainy weekends mean I can let my glass of red wine breathe for a bit while I sit on the deck overlooking the greenery, smelling the fresh, moist air, listening to the birds at the feeder and the drip, drip, drip of the water falling from the trees.

Rainy weekends mean bundled up mornings with warm coffee and a perhaps shot of brandy.

Rainy weekends mean spending time with those closest to me.

Rainy weekends mean quiet.

And I like that all to pieces.

k

Cypress Rain

Posted in Culture, Seattle | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments »

Drop and Give Me Twenty

10 Jun 2014 by KRAG

When I learn a thing, I like to know the why of it.

It’s not enough to know that something is the way it is; I want to know why it is the way it is. This did not serve me well my study of mathematics since, when I got down to basic axioms and postulates, the answer to why was often: just because.

It’s one of the reasons mathematics and I have had such a rocky relationship.

It’s also why I have a love/hate relationship with recipes.

Recipes tell me what to do, but not why I should do it. Don’t get me wrong; recipes are great as a way to capture a particular dish, but in the end, they teach me little more than a procedure. I can follow each step to perfection and create the best whatever-it-is, but if I mess something up, or if it’s a cool day, or if the humidity is high, and the dish turns out wrong/different/bad, in the end, I do not know why.

I’ve read a lot of books on cooking, and though they’ve tried, none of them have successfully taught me the elusive why of the culinary arts.

Until now. Continue Reading »

Posted in Books, Food | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Warning: Warnings

05 Jun 2014 by KRAG

Captive SlavesI’m going to kick the poo-pile here, so stand back.

I’m not even going to start with a caveat or a disclaimer.

“Trigger warnings” are ridiculous.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Books, Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Change Is…

02 Jun 2014 by KRAG

The 53 StepsChange is not “good.” We just say that to put on a brave face. The fact is that change is neither inherently good or bad. Change, like the universe, is neutral.

Change just is.

There have been a lot of changes around my house in the last 24 months. In that time, my wife and I have lost three of our four parents. Big change. Also during this period my wife discovered Facebook and, as a result, our social circles have widened and multiplied. Change, also pretty big from my POV. And, for the past several months we’ve had a houseguest, a young person whose life blew up while visiting us, and whom we’re helping get reestablished. Epic change.

In other words, my home life, my level of social interaction, and my private world have all undergone dramatic and fundamental transformations. And it’s made me a bit stroppy.

Yes. Stroppy. Look it up. Continue Reading »

Posted in Culture, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Reveal

29 May 2014 by KRAG

hands reveal
ash-streaked eyes
smudged and sullen
like an old cloth
worn thin
wiping up
sooty tears

bluE eye by StopPanicIsJustMe

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Considering the Plug

28 May 2014 by KRAG

RAWWWR by NickiStock on deviantART

My brother is an old-school kinda guy.

  • He licks bones for a living. (Well, okay, he licks rocks to see if they’re bones; he’s an archaeologist.)
  • His living room is shelved floor-to-ceiling with vinyl LPs.
  • He hates Facebook and eschews all social media.
  • He has a clam-shell flip phone that he’s used for a decade or more.
  • He’d rather walk, head up, looking where he’s going than plod along, head down, letting his smartphone’s GPS tell him where he is.

My brother has a lot going for him.

And I think he’s on to something. Continue Reading »

Posted in Culture, Hi Tech, Low Tech | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

A Fragmented Mind

23 May 2014 by KRAG

TFL ProblemYesterday, I started and then deleted no fewer than six posts. My mind was fragmented by circumstances and events, leaving me unable to concentrate on anything.

I started posts on the usefulness of writing conventions, on the reasons for using a pseudonym, on office “open” floorplans, on my reputation as an arrogant bastard, etc., etc. I tried repeatedly, but could not cohere my thoughts to a single subject long enough to form a reasonable discourse.

What was going on? Continue Reading »

Posted in Culture, Food | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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