"Omoo" and "Typee" were not that bad. Those were the last Melville that I read although that was 10-15 years ago at least.

"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," by Carson McCullers. I didn't read the first 100 pages in English class and got in big trouble for it.

In college I had an instructor whose specialty was the occult and Shakespeare. Her argument was that Hamlet was NOT indecisive but was just making sure that what the ghost of his father told him was true as ghosts are notorious for being less than honest. Or something like that.

I typically do not like IPAs because of the bitterness. My preference is for pilsners and Belgians.
Yet, I keep trying them because I know there are ones out there that I will like.
Lagunitas is not too hoppy. One I had over the summer was really good - All Day IPA from Founders Brewing Co., in Michigan. It's a…

I have been watching season 6 of "The Walking Dead" and reading Erik Larson's most recent book, "Dead Wake," about the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.

A dog unplugged the Internets?

I learned that the lower you sit at Dodger Stadium, the better the fans are. So I now get tickets for the loge section and am pretty much left alone although I do keep my head down, my mouth shut and try not to cheer to loudly in the event the Cubs do well. Sitting in the upper deck and out in the pavillions is just…

I'll have to remember that one…

I've gone to see the Cubs in many out of town stadiums - San Diego, San Francisco, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Denver, even an exhibition game in Anaheim.
The only stadium I ever felt in fear for my life was Dodger Stadium.
I know I shouldn't generalize but fuck the Dodgers and their bully fans. Nasty, nasty people come out…

As a 30-plus year Cubs fan, it's articles like this one that, well, really get my goat.
While there are correct observations in it - I will never disagree there have been long, long stretches of marketing Wrigley Field over the team playing - there are also the old, tired clichés, starting with the whole "fan…

My first visit to Yosemite was in early October 2012. I was staying in Mariposa and driving the 35-40 miles into the Valley three days in a row. One of the discs I had with me that I played during that drive was "Tempest" by Nobel laureate Bob Dylan, which had just come out few weeks before. I will always be reminded…

"You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time"

"Fenway’s not a “teardown,” it’s the best park in the country."

I'm a Gen Xer and I always preferred Burger King to McDonald's. And when I did go to McD's I got the royale with… I mean the quarter pounder with cheese.
But I have seriously cut back on my fast food intake. Haven't been to McDonald's (or Carl's Jr.) in going on 3 1/2 years. Still go to Wendy's from time to time, and,…

That's herbal jazz cigarettes.
And I've been trying to make that a thing (since hearing Sir Paul McCartney say it in "The Beatles Anthology.")

As a still working journalist - yeah, yeah, I'm a dinosaur, what of it? - I have that rumpled look down pretty well. Get my dress shirts and dress pants dry cleaned every 4-5 months or so. My one suit is way too big for me. I do wear jeans to the office on Fridays and those are probably the nicest pair of pants I have.

Maude: "You can just imagine where it goes from here."
The Dude: "He fixes the cable?"

Robbie Fulks fan, are you?

"Also, no one is ever drafted to become a police officer. All police
forces are volunteer organizations. So risk is part of they sign up for."

Saw the new documentary on The Beatles, paired with the Shea Stadium concert. I enjoyed both although found the organization of "Eight Days a Week" to be scattershot. And there were area I wish were explored more, such as the opening acts on the tours. It gets mentioned how the Fabs would visit with the opening acts…