December 2010
48 posts
... RIP Kodachrome Film http://ow.ly/3wurC Boo! I... →
… RIP Kodachrome Film http://ow.ly/3wurC Boo! I miss the decisive, unique, develop-it-right-or-blow-it qualities of film.
... Killing in L.A. drops to 1967 levels... →
… Killing in L.A. drops to 1967 levels http://ow.ly/3vHBu I’m not sure what to make of finally living in a city with a low murder rate!
... The most reliable (and unreliable) blogging... →
… The most reliable (and unreliable) blogging services on the Web http://ow.ly/3vI04 my new home Tumblr does pretty poorly :/
... Anything that could bring my beloved... →
… Anything that could bring my beloved Chesapeake back, I’m behind http://ow.ly/3vKkr I can hardly believe it’s worse than when I was a kid!
... Bad service idea, or worst service idea ever?... →
… Bad service idea, or worst service idea ever? http://ow.ly/3vlhS
2 tags
How to Capture the Spirit of the Holidays
If you know me really well, you probably know that I love Christmas. I love the songs, I love the decorations, I especially love the gifts — I wish I could have it all year ‘round! That’s why I feel inspired to offer this brief primer on how to capture the spirit of the holidays.
The first step is to decide on your priority: is it presents, or is it the Christmas roast? Of...
3 tags
Have a Very Flammable Christmas
You know those Christmas lights that you always hear about burning down houses? Yeah, we have those hanging up in our house.
They’re called Santa Lights, and my grandparents got them when my father was just a tyke. For years after that, the Santa Lights lit the family Christmas trees; now they sit wrapped around one of our windows. We turn them on when we’re cold and want to heat...
... Now this is art! http://ow.ly/3qBOr →
… Now this is art! http://ow.ly/3qBOr
3 tags
Official Juniorbird.com Products of the Year
I know that you’ve been waiting for some kind of guidance on what to get your friends for Christmas or Hanukkah this year. Here at Juniorbird.com, we’re always looking to improve the quality-of-life of our beloved readers. Part of this is letting you know about the finest items that our skilled operatives have bought and tested this year. For your holiday shopping convenience, please...
3 tags
Introducing the 2010 Juniorbird.com Official...
In our house, we have three pets. You may have met some of them in these pages. We have the dog, who is very good:
We have the cockatoo, who is well-meaning and has a sweet heart:
And then there’s the silver pet, who is a little bit more of my pet than my wife’s, perhaps:
Silver pet really likes to think it owns the place. It lounges all over the place, taking up all the...
2 tags
The Time My Wife Almost Called the Cops On My Gas
One of the things about being married is that one gets used to being disgusting as a single man and yet that’s somehow socially unacceptable once one grows up and enters matrimonial life. This creates a variety of challenges for us men, one of which is to figure out what to do with our farts.
This one night, I ate something that disagreed with me. We went to bed, and my wife went soundly...
... I love how there's a store called Melrose Rack... →
… I love how there’s a store called Melrose Rack at Washington & Crenshaw. Even better than the Ocean View Motel at Sta. Monica & Sawtelle
1 tag
Which Party Spends More?
Facebook is super-fun for political arguments. Well, maybe not if you’re not me. Me, I like to use social networking tools to have vigorous, vitriolic disagreements, apparently even in the comments section of posts made by friends from college whom I’ve barely seen since. Which occasionally leads to interesting questions. Earlier this week, a friend said the following: “Keeping...
... Another hour, haven't even gotten to voir... →
… Another hour, haven’t even gotten to voir dire. I’m all for jury duty, but this is absurd.
... Called for voir dire! →
… Called for voir dire!
... So far, not empaneled. Torn between civic duty... →
… So far, not empaneled. Torn between civic duty and busy schedule as to what outcome I should root for.
... Wandering around Little Tokyo looking for a... →
… Wandering around Little Tokyo looking for a bite to eat!
... Fun fact: more than 10,000 people do jury duty... →
… Fun fact: more than 10,000 people do jury duty every day in LA County
... At the downtown criminal court doing jury... →
… At the downtown criminal court doing jury duty! Woo for civic responsibility!
... hey @tumblr, my blog was never down for 17... →
… hey @tumblr, my blog was never down for 17 hours when I self-hosted it running off of Movable Type
... Bye-bye Josh McDaniels, I actually thought you... →
… Bye-bye Josh McDaniels, I actually thought you might succeed when you were hired http://ow.ly/3kVQm Now we’ve got some rebuilding to do!
... Borden to Corcoran?!?!? http://ow.ly/3jKiD →
… Borden to Corcoran?!?!? http://ow.ly/3jKiD
1 tag
Wade Eats So You Don't Have To: Steven Seagal's...
A casual boast on Facebook has led to a new feature here on juniorbird.com: Wade Eats So You Don’t Have To, a series in which I try wacky-ass shit and tell you what it’s like, so that you don’t feel like you need to try it yourself. Our first entry here comes about because I casually posted a Facebook status update about this classic item when drinking it. Two people actually...
... Another great progressive plan to confront the... →
… Another great progressive plan to confront the deficit http://ow.ly/3j0gC Can somebody point me to a similar conservative plan w/ specifics?
... NASA Finds Arsenic-Based Life Form in CA... →
… NASA Finds Arsenic-Based Life Form in CA http://ow.ly/3j9b0 “This microbe has solved the challenge of being alive in a different way.”
... Ooo, the Fed audit is out. I expect the... →
… Ooo, the Fed audit is out. I expect the conspiracy theorists to put up now! http://ow.ly/3iYVz Substantive quantitative analysis required!
... My upper lip is cold #movember →
… My upper lip is cold #movember
... "The terrorists never have to strike an actual... →
… “The terrorists never have to strike an actual target. It’s not even incumbent upon them to build a bomb that works.” http://ow.ly/3iYvf
... Hangover theory, sources of downturns, and how... →
… Hangover theory, sources of downturns, and how we bailed out the people who got us in this mess http://ow.ly/3ja3t
I’m not sure that the information leaked by WikiLeaks actually adds anything to the world. I’m not sure there’s a reason that it shouldn’t be secret other than the overall concept that nothing should ever be secret.
Nonetheless, I’m very, very uncomfortable that Joe Liberman can use his status as a member of our government to go around and get people to take down...
... Va. lawmaker claims TSA pat-downs part of... →
… Va. lawmaker claims TSA pat-downs part of ‘homosexual agenda’ http://ow.ly/3iskO ” the next TSA official that gives you an enhanced…
... Va. lawmaker claims TSA pat-downs part of... →
… Va. lawmaker claims TSA pat-downs part of ‘homosexual agenda’ http://ow.ly/3isoG
... The Insanity Virus http://ow.ly/3iu2H... →
… The Insanity Virus http://ow.ly/3iu2H Schizophrenia caused by a virus? Interesting!
... Thanks, everybody for your generous Movember... →
… Thanks, everybody for your generous Movember support! It’s time to go out in to the cold, cold world with a bare upper lip!
... Happy Chanukah everybody! A bag of gelt to... →
… Happy Chanukah everybody! A bag of gelt to anyone who can explain to me if I should spell it Chanukah or Hanukkah!
... #NaNoWriMo Won! 50,138 words, 1 novel, some... →
… #NaNoWriMo Won! 50,138 words, 1 novel, some semblance of a plot* — I’m done!
... Putin warns of arms buildup if New START isn't... →
… Putin warns of arms buildup if New START isn’t ratified http://ow.ly/3icuV
... (* quality writing not included) →
… (* quality writing not included)
... Loss of jobless benefits could be serious blow... →
… Loss of jobless benefits could be serious blow to U.S. economy http://ow.ly/3icFJ Just in time for holiday season!
... WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: How much trouble is... →
… WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange: How much trouble is he in? http://ow.ly/3iyu1
... Suicidal, Calculating, or Constrained?... →
… Suicidal, Calculating, or Constrained? Yeonpyeong Island and North Korea’s Motives http://ow.ly/3iysW
2 tags
NaNo... NaNa.. NaNot Gonna Write This No More!
For some reason, I thought it would be a clever idea to write a novel this November. I’d been thinking about it for years, actually, since a very good friend participated in 2000. I was jealous of her accomplishment; but somehow I managed to put it off every year. Busy and all that, you know.
At the same time, I’d begun to think of writing a novel. I guess I’d been lucky enough...