2021-01-09
A B-747 Experience
The Queen of the Skies was truly a wonderful ship. On the times I was in business class on Pan Am trans-Pacific routes, the upper deck was a non-smoking business class area and it felt like we were in our own private plane. Those were also the days when the entrance to the flight deck was simply a black curtain! 80s, All, Tech, Travel
Custom TextBox : …thanks for not calling them ‘adverts’ like our mates across the pond…
2020-10-12
Changing Gears
“Hey Pando,” Eddie called to me loudly from across our table, around which were seated various denizens comprising our local native wits, who were trying to enjoy Toni’s powerful overcooked and over-perked copper-colored liquid that she playfully lists as “coffee” on the menu of The Scruffy Dog Cafe. “Um, yes, uh, yeah, Eddie, whazzup?” I replied between sips. “You know All, Humor, Scruffy Dog Cafe
Custom TextBox : Since reading “State of Denial” a couple of years ago, I’ve been a fan of Robin Mahle’s Lacy Merrick and Kate Reid novels…
2020-02-09
The Kill Season
Primarily because they combine elements of great story-telling with excellent three-dimensional characters, particularly her strong female leads. "The Kill Season" was an excellent Kate Reid story with a great plotline, fast action, and continued top-notch players. One thing that is interesting for me is the running subplot of tension between Kate Reid and her mentor, Noah Quinn, which adds a All, Book Review
Custom TextBox : We bring you the latest in New Journalism
2020-02-09
Writers Get Paid by the Word
Today I was reading news articles on my iPad. I noticed that over the past week, every now and then there’s an article where the author appears to be paid by the word, based on the totally superfluous garbage used to set the scene, as if they were writing a play. Here’s what I am talking about: We sat together All, Anecdotes, Stories
Custom TextBox : Serious tit-for-tat Cold War harassing tactics
2020-01-28
Spy vs. Spy – Berlin 1966
Yeah, while Vietnam was a pretty hot zone and pretty screwed up from the beginning, Berlin was a cold war zone, with daily incidents at the wall. We had free access to the East and our visible intelligence officers cruised around in green military vehicles. One time a car was coming through the checkpoint back to the West when the gate 60s, All, Anecdotes, Germany, Places
Custom TextBox : Neighbor Gagan signals approval!
2020-01-06
Neighbors and Pizza
Custom TextBox : The story – 5 stars; The mechanics – 1 star
2020-01-05
6th Extinction by Bob Blink
As I did with my recent review with Timelines, which I believe was Bob Blink's first Kindle book, I will divide this review of his latest novel into two parts, The story - 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent plot, the characters, the settings, and the non-stop action and suspense of what's coming next. Bob has a special knack of all good story-tellers in that you All, Book Review
Custom TextBox : If you like chilling and dramatic horror stories, this is for you!
2019-10-12
Betrayed by Shelly Knox
This was an exciting but very descriptive book about a serial killer who targets women who are on the verge of giving birth. He kills then removes the living baby, which he then sells to a broker. There is another angle to the story that is even grittier but ties in over the course of the novel. Here is an All, Book Review
2019-09-16
Chosen – Cassandra Project Book 1 by O. M. Faure
This was a well-written and very interesting sociological sort-of sci-fi thriller that takes place in a dystopian Kingdom of England and Wales toward the end of the 21st century. The author weaves a good story that is almost like taking a mirror to 2019 Trumpism and white nationalism here in the US. The narrative point of view alternates between a All, Book Review
Custom TextBox : Do not ever forget to log off a shared terminal; not doing could have terminal consquences
2019-03-03
Forgetting to Log Out of Shared Workstation
I recently had a discussion with a friend about working in an office in the 1980s. I recalled an experience in 1983 when our word processors were shared IBM terminals. I was writing a fairly detailed summary of how our field support offices would be brought up to speed with docs and training before the release of the next 80s, All, Anecdotes, Moments, Rolm
Custom TextBox : Tod as a military tour guide in Berlin (1966)
2018-11-01
Tour Guide in Berlin
In the 1990s I worked for an outfit that had developed a reasonably inexpensive way to to transmit voice and data over fiber optic cables. One of the investors was Deutsche Telekom and we had an office in Bonn. Part of my job was to help verify that installation and programming techniques were as simple as possible, so I 80s, Anecdotes, Germany
Custom TextBox : Sometimes simply relocating elsewhere has amusing consequences
2018-09-09
Learning a New Dialect
Shortly after moving from the San Francisco Peninsula to Bloomington, Indiana, I needed to set up refills for some prescriptions. I made an appointment with a local doctor's office and was checking in with his assistant. She was facing down, looking over my forms, asking me questions and filling in my info. It was difficult to understand her because of 00s, All, Anecdotes, Life, Moments
Custom TextBox : Never follow a set routine
2018-09-05
Picking Up Mail
Our neighborhood is served by a community mailbox where all of our mailboxes are contained in one large box on a pedestal where the mail carrier delivers our mail. Since most snail mail is junk mail, I normally walk up there twice a week: Wednesdays and Saturdays. Most of our neighbors know my routine. Neighbor George F. likes to kid 10s, All, Anecdotes, Moments
Custom TextBox : You can never pull a fast one on a 1st Sergeant – they will eventually catch on
2018-08-21
Saturday Morning Army Inspection 1960s Berlin
I was in the Army in the mid-60s, stationed in Berlin as a telephone repairman / switchboard operator. Our outfit was a Signal company, which included any job pertaining to communications - telephone, radio, microwave, crypto, whatever. Our sergeants and officers were not the the strict gung-ho types you see in war movies or accounts of life in the Infantry. 60s, Decades, Germany, Humor, Moments
Custom TextBox : Fiona created an amusing verse after an afternoon of play ended by a drizzle
2018-08-13
Drizzly Day
Verse by Fiona One afternoon in 1993 or 94, I took our daughter Fiona to Foothills Park above Palo Alto. It's great for enjoying a picnic, hiking the trails, or playing catch. On this occasion, we were wrapping up our visit just as a light rain began to fall. A car pulled up next to us with several youngsters, who 90s, All, Anecdotes, Fiona
Custom TextBox :
Beware infant daughters from bosses bearing gifts !!!!!
2018-07-26
Dave’s Insanity
Back in the mid-1980s I had a boss who knew that I liked to spice up soups with Tabasco sauce. One day he gave me a new bottle of Dave's Insanity. Shortly thereafter, I was making a lentil soup and decided to set a couple of cups aside, ~ then added to that two-cup portion a drop - just ONE 80s, All
2018-07-25
Fourth of July 2018
Daunna and I joined two other couples for burgers, dogs, watermelon, corn on the cob. As we were eating I was astounded to notice that the other five were "harmonica" corn eaters (side to side), while I was a "rotator" (roll the cob and eat around the circumference in columns). Of course I was roundly hit with all sorts of 10s, All, Anecdotes, People
2018-07-25
Ugly Encounter at a “T” Intersection in Australia
One afternoon as I varied my route from work at IBM, taking a different road to my motel, I came upon a T intersection, with my road ending at the cross street. On approach, one lane became two: One for turning left, the other, right. In front of me was a car straddling both lanes, making it impossible for me 80s, All, Anecdotes, Australia
