Mt Home State Forest, So. Sierra Nevada I’ve always liked the looks of young-growth giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum). See the tree to the right of the specimen-sized giant sequoia tree in the foreground? It looks like perfect Christmas tree. Toss on the lights and ornaments. May your Christmas be nearly perfect. Don’t forget to bakeContinue reading “Merry Christmas”
Author Archives: Norm Benson
Our Bookshelves, Ourselves
My dad built this bookcase before I can remember. It’s in many of the photos where I’m less than a year old, making it more or less sixty. He fastened the pieces together with finish nails. The bookcase is now half as tall as it used to be. I inherited the bottom half and myContinue reading “Our Bookshelves, Ourselves”
WordPress 2.7
I checked my blog this morning. WTF? All my posts since my upgrade to version 2.7 of Word Press have evaporated!?! Call out the hounds. Get Colombo. To the Batmobile, Alfred.
Swedish Coffee Braid Bread
This Swedish Coffee Braid was a Christmas tradition in my family. Mom would make many batches, store them in the freezer — drying the hell out of the bread, necessitating coffee to simply return moisture to your mouth — and then pass loaves out to neighbors as presents. My mom learned this recipe from myContinue reading “Swedish Coffee Braid Bread”
Twilight Deconstructed
Okay, we’ve had our joke and poked fun at Stephenie Myer’s Twilight . Well, like the da Vinci Code, it works. Theories? Eve Porinchak over at The Disco Mermaids deconstructs Twilight. It’s all about tapping emotions, isn’t it?
Parodies Loosed
I found a link to a spoof of Twilight at Editorial Ass. It is hilarious. I forget how I came across this spoof of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with its mega-spoilers but it too is great (and teeming with text speak LOL). I have found a site for Shakespeare parodies, such as ScotsContinue reading “Parodies Loosed”
That novel you want to write
Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, lists Scott Sigler’s plan for writing that novel you have in you. Here’s his five-step plan. Step 1: Write every day Step 2: Write a bad book first Step 3: Finish the bad book, then put it away for six months Step 4: Start writing your “good” book Step 5: AfterContinue reading “That novel you want to write”
Holiday Message from Roy Blount Jr.: Buy Books From Your Local Bookstore, Now
Roy Blount Jr’s post on the Authors Guild site: December 11, 2008. I’ve been talking to booksellers lately who report that times are hard. And local booksellers aren’t known for vast reserves of capital, so a serious dip in sales can be devastating. Booksellers don’t lose enough money, however, to receive congressional attention. A governmentContinue reading “Holiday Message from Roy Blount Jr.: Buy Books From Your Local Bookstore, Now”
Officer, Arrest That Rodent!
“Green campaigners called police after discovering an illegal logging site in a nature reserve…” Maybe those beavers could use Kindles instead to build their natural dam.
I May Not Know Physics but I know What I Like
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS), Science Dance Contest (Taking science to the dance, and back again) a/k/a Dance Your PhD, “…the human body is an excellent medium for communicating science–perhaps not as data-rich as a peer-reviewed article, but far more exciting.” Markita Landry’s PhD thesis is titled “Single MoleculeContinue reading “I May Not Know Physics but I know What I Like”
Nullius in Verba 