I seem to be slowly moving back to working on Isaac Bonewits' biography. I've let it lie fallow for about two years, mainly because I became frustrated at my attempts at some hard-to-reach interview subjects. Recently, Phaedra Bonewits has tried to identify the original members of the American Council of Witches. She was kind enough to forward…
From today's Writer's Almanac: On this day in 1327, the poet Petrarch saw Laura for the first time. [...] Petrarch was 22 years old, and she was a teenager, maybe 17. He fell instantly in love. He wrote: It was the day when the sun's heavy rays Grew pale in pity of his suffering Lord When I…
So I've got the new car. People around me seem to expect me to feel excited. I've blogged and posted on Facebook complaints about the purchase process. I was nervous about buying a new car, and now that I have it I'm nervous about owning it. Why don't I feel excited? At this point in my life,…
In a <a href="https://argothald.wordpress.com/103135/">previous post</a> about drones, I described my baby steps into the hobby. I started flying my "real" quadcopter, the <a href="http://www.dromida.com/drones/dide04xx-vista-fpv/index.php">Dromida Vista</a>, about a month ago. I did this where I work, <a href="http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/">Nevis Labs</a>, during my lunch hour. This made sense to me, since my goal was to take video of the Nevis…
This is a venting post. <lj-cut>It's definite: I need to get a new car. I hoped to get another 25,000 miles out of my 18-year-old Subaru, but that's not going to happen. I hate, hate, hate the car-buying process. I'm a lousy negotiator. The dealers are experienced and aggressive. The financial issues are complicated. If this were…
In 2007 I bought a Sharp R820BS microwave convection oven. It's been a handy tool for me. As a bachelor, I eat mostly prepared foods. In the morning I might microwave a Hot Pocket; in the evening I'd bake some fish cutlets or a meat pie. About three weeks ago I smelled burnt food, turned around, and…
Something occurred to me recently: it's my quadranscentennial. I've been involved with Wicca for 25 years. Of course, that's not a record by any measure. What do Craft Elders call someone who's been Wiccan for 25 years? Answer: "The new kid." I'm almost overwhelmed by the journey my life has taken: From my first reading of "The…
I’ve been involved in the outreach program of Nevis Labs, the physics lab where I work. The goal is to inform the general public of what we do and where we do it. Part of that effort are the #ScienceOnHudson talks. You can see excerpts from these talks on Nevis’ YouTube channel. If you look at the…
Last night I dreamed I went back to the Ren Faire as a reader. It was compelling. It brought back memories of friendships and spiritual services. As the dream ended, drifting in that hazy realm between slumber and light, I thought about contacting my old reader friends and going back to the Faire. Then I woke up.…
It looks like my car is reaching the end of its days. I took my car to a good mechanic (J&L in Nyack) to have them figure out why the “check engine” light was on. Actually, I already knew; I’ve got a gadget (Automatic) which tells me why the car’s computer has turned that light on. In…