Second verse, same as the first.
Philip points to this curmudgeonly essay on the topic of what’s wrong with America (latest speculation), which posits that suburbs and SSRIs are the problem. While I’d hate to argue with suburban ennui and angst, being perpetually lost in the supermarket and feeling that this is not my beautiful house, I must point out that … Continue reading “Philip Greenspun: Is America overmedicated?”
This morning’s extract from Anthony Storr’s essay about Churchill in Churchill’s Black Dog: …most of us can tolerate disappointment in one sphere of our existence without getting deeply depressed, providing the other spheres remain undamaged. Normal people may mourn, or experience disappointment, but because they have an inner source of self-esteem, they do not become … Continue reading “More from Storr on Churchill”
Last night I was talking with a friend about my progress since getting out of business school. I went from naïvely feeling on top of the world to feeling that I was lower than dog crap and worthless. Now I’ve climbed part way back. As my friend pointed out, I am now at least to … Continue reading “Looking at the last eight months”
…until I got the new site set up. But I’ll be in training today and won’t have a chance to finish the setup, so a quick update. I’m touched by the support I’ve gotten since posting Monday about the Black Dog. I wanted to assure all of you that this is nothing sudden or intensely … Continue reading “I wasn’t going to post…”
I know it’s been quiet here at the JH North for the last week or two. I assure you it’s been in good cause. As I alluded last night, I’ve been a bit busy with work. The bigger picture is that I’m working on this enormous project in between switching jobs. My first position at … Continue reading “Jumpstarting”
My last Finance II case writeup was completed today. This is a fairly big deal. I was dealing with a pretty big Black Dog last spring when I first tried to take Finance II, and facing incredibly complicated cases with lots of computation, no road map, and no teammates was about to send me right … Continue reading “Closure on a class”
Howdy, all. Morning 4 of my work week marathon, and I’m holding up pretty well. The fact that I’m functioning today because I went to sleep at 8:30 last night only makes me sound old, so I’m not going to mention it. The strangeness of my schedule this week is wreaking havoc on my senses. … Continue reading “Good God, It’s Early”
Hey, all. Tim says, since he named me as his contributing editor, that I need to introduce myself to the readers. This, I think, is rather silly: wouldn’t it be more entertaining to create your own impressions based on what I write (not to mention, easier for my slack self)? For instance, I could be: … Continue reading “A Message from the Contributing Editor”
An odd grab bag of stuff for an odd grab-bag of a day. But as the morning fog and rain burns off before the afternoon clouds roll in (feels a little like Seattle!), it’s a good day to strap the headphones on for a little Random 5. Radiohead, “4 Minute Warning”: A song from the … Continue reading “Friday Random 5: Dry the Rain”
This has been germinating for a while, and I had to drive to North Carolina and back to finish it. This was the mix of no rules, as you can tell by the length. Baby, I’m In the Mood for You – Bob Dylan (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964) A demo of … Continue reading “New mix: i’ve come all this way to hold your hand”
Curt Schilling retires (38 pitches) Goodnight, Mr. Schilling. (tags: redsox) Good Advice (The Tin Man) On Being a Therapist is a good list of advice, including “you will never be content for very long.” (tags: blackdog) The Makers of Things (Rands In Repose) A meditation on the Brooklyn Bridge and on the meaning of digging … Continue reading “Grab bag: Goodnight, Mr. Schilling”
Shaking off the weekend (and a very nice weekend it was!), we’ll get things started slowly today, with a little meme. Thanks to Estaminet for the tag. Looks like I’m hitting 89%, so contrary to past expectations I don’t truly eat everything. Instructions Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions. Bold … Continue reading “The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred”
I woke up and went downstairs to look out the window, expecting to see new snow from last night’s expected storm. The sidewalks were black and looked wet, and I thought, ice. I put my boots on, put on the dogs’ collars, and stepped outside. Two steps down the brick walkway and then… the dogs … Continue reading “Ice dream”
All indications to the contrary, I’m still alive. It has been a lovely, if thundery, few days here in the mountains to the north and west of Asheville. Food has been commensurate with past experiences—steak at my uncle’s on Tuesday night, big southern breakfast Wednesday (eggs, sausage, sawmill gravy, biscuits, grits, tomatoes, cantaloupe, fig preserves, … Continue reading “Alive, still”
Christopher O’Riley is on a roll. Recently he has parlayed his successful public radio gig into a public television gig; he also has two Radiohead transcription albums and one Elliott Smith transcription album under his belt. Now comes his latest transcription album, Second Grace: The Music of Nick Drake. And for better or worse it’s … Continue reading “Music Review: Christopher O’Riley, Second Grace: The Music of Nick Drake”