Adventures in shopping

Any trip to a shopping mall will be full of delights, even if you are not shopping. The delights, for me, are usually in the form of absurdities. For example, where else can you rent a hippo? In a later Continue reading Adventures in shopping

Visit to NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) has a large campus on Fort Meade, Maryland, protected by fences, barbed wire, police dogs, guards, and maybe a dragon or two. It is not visitor friendly. But right outside of the campus is the Continue reading Visit to NSA

Sia as clothing model

Nordstrom’s, ever at the forefront of high-end marketing, appears to have enlisted Sia as a clothing model. To make this even more surreal, the store music system started playing “Chandelier” while this photo was shot. Update Nordstrom’s continues to make Continue reading Sia as clothing model

And it runs on batteries II

A previous tribute to a red BMW i3 noted that it runs on batteries. Very cool, and very rare. But in a single morning, this silver BMW i3 and a silver Honda Civic plug-in hybrid were spotted at the same charging station Continue reading And it runs on batteries II

Narrative arc of plumbing

Much has been written about how writers plumb the very depths of their souls in an attempt to construct a narrative. But far less attention has been devoted to the narrative arc of plumbing. You might say, “But plumbing is Continue reading Narrative arc of plumbing

Instead of weed removal, weed delivery?

The District of Columbia voted to legalize possession of marijuana in November 2014. Because of misguided criminal laws, bad science favoring marijuana use, bad science opposing marijuana use, and a great many other factors, this was — and still is Continue reading Instead of weed removal, weed delivery?

Two photos, 26 seconds

These two photos, taken from my window at work, were taken 26 seconds apart: Just before the storm hit, the Emergency Alert on my iPhone went off (most smartphones today are set to receive local weather, Amber, and other emergency Continue reading Two photos, 26 seconds

Eight glasses

On a recent dinner date, a party of two found themselves confronted with a nice, white tabletop and eight sparkling glasses. Alas, the poor waiter was disappointed to find that the two diners don’t drink, substantially lowering the possible size of Continue reading Eight glasses

Sign ambiguity

Raising a child overseas has some odd challenges. One of them is getting them to the stage where they can independently visit a restroom. The first problem: which restroom? This is compounded somewhat if you need to not only teach the Continue reading Sign ambiguity