R2D2 found

R2D2 has been missing for several years, though allegedly it will return — officially — in December 2015. Don’t despair, however: R2D2 is not idle. Well, sometimes it is idle, but it is still working hard to thwart the Empire. Continue reading R2D2 found

Pain clinic

There is but one question: why? Don’t you go to hospitals and clinics to be free from pain? You don’t go to a clinic to suffer from more pain. Wouldn’t a “Pain Relief Clinic” or a “Pain Cessation Clinic” or Continue reading Pain clinic

Memorial to gun violence

The stark simplicity of the memorial is stilling: these are shirts that will not be filled, and in many cases the shirts are for victims many times too young to wear an adult T-shirt.

St. John Baptist Church in Columbia recently installed a powerful memorial to victims of gun violence in the greater Washington, DC, area. On an embankment behind the church are simple frames, and on each frame is the name (if known), age, and date of Continue reading Memorial to gun violence

Lightspeed in a Prius

The sign above says the turnoff for Columbia is in one-quarter of a mile. You can see the turnoff in the distance, under the bridge across I-495. One quarter of a mile is 1,320 feet. I make the turnoff, in Continue reading Lightspeed in a Prius

Thunderous Preakness 2015

Even if you are not a big fan of horse racing, the 2015 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore was nothing less than thunderous. Imagine, if you will, a mild-mannered scholar, spending a gentle, spring afternoon reading a book. Suddenly, the NOAA Weather Radio Continue reading Thunderous Preakness 2015

University of Maryland Women’s Basketball and 2015 NCAA Tournament

The University of Maryland women’s basketball team are seeded #1 in their region, and began the 2015 NCAA tournament with a game against New Mexico State University at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland. It is unclear why Comcast decided to rename Continue reading University of Maryland Women’s Basketball and 2015 NCAA Tournament

Definition of a bad day at work

This looks like an unremarkable view of an apartment building in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland: Not obvious: it is snowing. The air temperature is 33 F, and the wind is blowing at 12 MPH. And if you look in the Continue reading Definition of a bad day at work

Sights on the way to Washington, DC

Traveling to the nation’s capital from distant Silver Spring, Maryland, was a journey through a single timezone and a distance measured in subway stops. Along the way there were many wonders, such as this Transformer attempting to sneak toward the capital Continue reading Sights on the way to Washington, DC