To the Temple

By most calendars it's no longer Christmas.  My creche is still up; but that's only because I keep it up all year.  (Well, the important parts anyway—the sheep will be going back into hibernation this weekend.)

Patience Is a Tree

... whose root is bitter ...

Mere Charity

Most of the Inauguration I did not watch, but I wanted to hear the speech.  (These things can be important, as anyone who's just seen Lincoln or done an American literature survey course will tell you!)  I must confess, it was rhetorically quite good.  They (the speechwriters) struck an impressive balance between using conservative and libertarian language at the beginning and undermining that language, explicitly, a few minutes later.  I hope the good guys were taking notes.

Come the Drums

If you've ever wondered how it feels to have loads of Bakhtin, Mukarovsky, and Saussure to read (and if you have—in the memorable words of the Light Princess—"I pity you!"), listen no further.

A Man Never Gets What He Hoped For

... by doing wrong; and if he seems to do so ...

The Rain in Spain

Google has a snow plow up.  They must not be based in D.C.  In D.C. and the surrounding areas, it is raining.  It's enough to make a snow lover wish for sunny skies and southern climes ...

A Slip of the Foot

... you may soon recover ...

Happily Unsatisfied

One of the many pleasures of having congenial roommates is that there is no need to hunt for things to do come Friday night.  For that matter, there's no need to hunt for things to do come Monday night ... or Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Between the washing of dishes after a decently timely meal and the going to bed at an indecently late hour, all sort of fascinating topics arise: from hats to denim skirts to the columns of Agony Aunts; from Mali's wars to the legitimacy of "qui" in Scrabble, with the occasional dip into the more lighthearted questions, such as how soon the Day of Judgement will come. 

My Brother Sings

As those of you who know my brother know, it's hardly shameless nepotism to post this—he's really quite good!  And the Cheese Lords aren't anything to sneeze at themselves ...

Hope for the Best

... get ready for the worst ...

I Am a Coward, Doctor

Today I tried to buy contact paper.  I am not sure why contact paper should be hard to buy; it is the sort of thing that always seemed to be around the house when I was a little girl—but then again, my mother is one of those amazing people who always seems to have one of everything.

Seasonless

But it is especially appropriate right now.  Take it away, Diana.