Siftings
May
15
Sea sons
It took a while to sink in. For any number of reasons. There were games underway. These were all new diamonds. We were (more than likely) losing. They were the other team. I have a day job. I’m not the swiftest tool in the shed. Add your own favorite, if you like. Just saying. It took a...
May
11
Priors
Just tinkering with the Jeep in the driveway, a neighbor stops by. The prior Jeep, the prior driveway, one of the prior neighbors. All these priors, must be the prior town; Davenport. A few days in Iowa was fantastic, as Iowa always is. One day in Davenport was … well, Davenport, as it...
May
08
Wherever Is Your Heart ...
“Where are you from?” The hotel manager waiting for the elevator small talk question spurs the same response from Colin and me. Davenport. Thus satisfied, Mr. Inquisitive moves on to engage the next targets while Colin and me have the discussion walking down the hallway to 414. He’s from...
May
05
Bearable Lightness
It’s not yet light. Which is not to say it’s dark. 5:00 a.m. getting on the 101 in Salinas. Up to San Jose for the first of two fast tubular things that’ll end with a shudder, bump and a few seconds of (I’ve had worse) deceleration in Des Moines. I’m on my way to the best job I’ve ever had;...
Apr
29
Know Exceptions
“That’s a balk!” Top of the seventh, tie score, bases loaded and no outs. The very definition of “a bit of a jam” in high school baseball. Blue Number One got us into the jam and now Blue Number Two has a brain snap and decides a pitcher can’t take the ball out of his mitt while standing on the...
Apr
22
Craig’s Friday Countdown Non-Earth Planets
Earth Day reminds me that Earth remains my first choice in planets, but this bonus edition countdown ranks the other ones ... just in case.
10. Mercury – SPF 1,000,000 tough to find.
9. Neptune – Two years on the shore of Lake Superior was cold enough.
8. Jupiter – Red spot creeps...
Apr
14
Death and Taxes
The best idea I ever had was someone else’s. I got it from the back page of the American Planning Association’s monthly magazine. A stolen idea. From the last page of an APA mag. That makes me a thief, a planning nerd and one of just seventeen people who ever made it to the back page without...
Mar
25
Consumption
How many Ferraris has this wall consumed? In two days at Sonoma Raceway, I know of two. The durable goods of Maranello, at play in the land of the fancy winos, are a symphony howling around the track. Until the crunch of carbon fiber meeting concrete interrupts the crescendo. The late sixty...
Mar
25
Craig’s Friday Countdown 2016 Lala Names
The 2016 Lalapalooza line-up gets announced, which spurs the annual ranking of band names at the fest. This year, I’ve researched what the bands called themselves before settling on their current name.
18. A Guy Who Says Hello --> The Greeting Committee
17. 12/31/74 --> The...
Mar
20
Pair of Aces
Right door, wrong rig. I’m an idiot could be one explanation. Another could be that Engine 6211 and 6212 look exactly alike, and 6212 is on the Fire Station apron while 6211 is still in the station when the alarm goes off. Training on the enclosed space entry equipment comes to an abrupt end as...
