Author Archives: Joel

It’s Monsoon season, which is a pain in the ass. It’s also pretty necessary, because this is the time of year when we get the bulk of our moisture. There’s rain and snow in winter and spring, but now’s the … Continue reading →

Because anyone who can be described as a traveler must be racist. Hey, why not? Traveler, USC’s mascot, comes under scrutiny for having a name similar to Robert E. Lee’s horse When Richard Saukko galloped his chalk-white Arabian horse named … Continue reading →

Once in a blue moon a chicken will do something at least vaguely suggestive of learning ability. It’s virtually always food-related. I started breakfast and noticed that my remaining bread is about to go moldy, which settled the question of … Continue reading →

Might come in handy someday… Hey, Little Bear! I’ve got a new trick for you to learn… h/t to Carl.

Yeah, they accused me of pretending to be a Person of Color. 😉 Thank you, you’re wonderful. I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip the borscht and try the waitresses. — *You know you’re living some semblance of … Continue reading →

This is why I like canned meat… Second Monday in a row the local food market’s meat reefer’s been broken down. I had my mouth set for some roast chicken, but it’s Spam again this week. Fortunately Big Brother restocked … Continue reading →

See this? This was totally not in the budget. That’s what I get for being fastidious, for doing normal, ordinary maintenance. Yeah. A slob would not have needed to buy a new waterer. Calcium scale had really built up on … Continue reading →

…about the efficiency and thoroughness of some people’s thought processes. That’s all. ETA: Meanwhile, it has been revealed that 90% of America’s neo-nazis live in secret underground bunkers.

Big Brother has always liked waterbeds. He had one in 1970 when I was in high school and lived with him. He has one now. But alas… Unsurprisingly, [Big Brother’s wife’s] health has been quite questionable since our trip. Our … Continue reading →

Landlady’s schedule got bumped up a week and though I knew these packages were in transit I was so sure they wouldn’t be here this weekend I had already planned to spend money I really can’t afford on wire. But … Continue reading →

“…but what do they eat?” Amazon.com to the rescue! Or something. I can’t imagine what else you’re expected to do with honest-to-god ground-up crickets. I do not recall how this got in my tabs, but it was too good not … Continue reading →

History doesn’t always repeat itself but it does often rhyme. First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—Because … Continue reading →

All this flashlight talk has had me thinking about them – like, where did the word “flashlight” come from anyway? The English call them “electric torches,” which is at least more descriptive. It turns out there’s an answer, related directly … Continue reading →

I got to playing around with something last night, since at the moment the Lair sports working examples of the three main types of lightbulb. I used to use Compact Fluorescent bulbs exclusively, because while LED bulbs with standard sockets … Continue reading →

The best thing on the Internet today. fa and antifa are about as different as dems and repubs. Which is to say you can tell them apart basically only by the flags and certain fringe policy positions. I’ll say this, … Continue reading →

So wrote George Orwell, and reading his book when I was a kid I never really understood why he pounded away at language so. I was only in it for the story; he was trying to make an important point. … Continue reading →

Yeah, I got nuttin’ today but my stats page tells me I shouldn’t ignore the blog just because I have nothing constructive to say. So here’s a random image I stole from the Internet.

…and maybe then I can finish the Lair’s first coat. There’s the scaffold… …and there’s the reason I’m not up on the scaffold right now. I promised to replace the platform in return for the loan of the scaffold. It … Continue reading →