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…
No, this isn't a Doctor Who post! I've performed seven weddings so far. My rate for starting successful marriages is: Three couples are still together, two marriages ended because one of the partners passed on, and two divorces. That's roughly the national average. Note that, in order to maintain my average, Deborah Lipp is forbidden to die.…
I found three more people who like Mage Knight! Now I have more of a chance to play one of my favorite games.
This is the graphically improved Tomb Raider from 2013, adapted for next-gen consoles like the PS4 (on which I played the game). The only games I can compare this to are the Uncharted series. I know that Lara Croft was killing off enemies when Nathan Drake was still in diapers, but that's the order in which I…
About 5.5 years ago, my friend Michael (who's a funeral director) was giving a talk at a festival about the pagan response to death. He asked me if I had any ideas of what he could talk about. I responded with the outline below. Michael's talk was only an hour or so, and he couldn't touch on…
It's not enough to have a Will, Living Trust, and an Advanced Health Care Directive. You also need to have a Power of Attorney. Whoever said "Dying is easy, comedy is hard" clearly was not a lawyer.