My friend G. pointed me toward this post at Merlin Mann‘s 43 Folders, on the makings of a good blog. I don’t know if I qualify as “trying” so much lately, but earlier this summer I did work hard on meeting the “good blogs are in paragraphs” criteria. And I’m definitely obsessed (and probably weird), … Continued
The moon last night was so stupid big and bright that as it was rising I squinted at this weird glow through the trees and panicked, thinking the field across the way was on fire. Seriously. It’s sweater weather up here already, at least after dark. But it’s also a new kind of gorgeous. At … Continued
French fries on wheels. I have been talking about this–my fantasy new career–for a year now, and it’s finally happening. In New York. Come on Chicago, step it up! Or, give me a small business loan. [Toronto is hip to this as well, only in Canadian they’re called chip trucks.]
That’s what I called Washington Island last year, in a blog post about a weekend trip up here. I think I was trying for a sort of tongue-in-cheek, self-conscious hyperbole (Wisconsin? Paradise?), but obviously my writing skills weren’t up to snuff, because the phrase turned up, attributed to me with utmost sincerity, on the Death’s … Continued
So . . . I started hearing about the big Slow Food Nation shindig last year, when Carlo Petrini was in Chicago promoting his book, and I was keeping tabs on it and sorta, kinda thinking about going. But while big blowout events like this–which optimists are predicting to be the Woodstock of the Age … Continued
My friend B. came to visit so activities the last few days have been mostly limited to lying on the beach and playing embarrassing tennis. Tuesday, though, we did some sightseeing, and all was going swimmingly–blue skies, gentle breezes, nature walks–until I came around the northeast corner of the Stavkirke, one of the island’s main … Continued
I’m headed back to the island tomorrow, and a concurrent return to regularly scheduled programming. But here’s a brief recap of what’s been an exhilarating, exhausting, and pretty much thoroughly awesome detour. In the last ten days I have visited the world’s most disorganized McDonald’s, sung Marine Girls songs through a Poconos traffic jam, and … Continued
I was interviewed for this article about the (apparent) boom in home pickling and canning last month; it just came out today. I would like to state for the record that I by no means consider myself a master of the pickling arts, wild, tame, or otherwise (that would be Vera). But I do love … Continued
I’m going to be on the road for the next few days–stay tuned for reports from Culture Shock 2008.