Author Archives: Joel

Had some graphics issues, plus I was distracted by shiny things. But I hope to have a draft ready for editing in the next few days.

So it looks like we’ve got three new full-time gulchers here at the Secret Lair. I’d name them, if I could tell them apart. And if I weren’t going to, you know, betray their confidence, murder them at the end … Continue reading →

Poor Ghost. It’s one thing when his weekender friends abandon him, that happens every Sunday and he’s used to it. But when they reject him, he doesn’t know what to do with that. A little background here: Ghost was once … Continue reading →

…and I feel much, much better about every single aspect of my life.

The room had gotten brighter, so it had to be somewhere near seven in the AM. I was still in bed, finger-fencing with Zoe when the dogs went spontaneously to Defcon One. I swear they were shaking the walls. I … Continue reading →

Over the past few weeks, some local contractors have been gradually burying M’s Dome under the Auld Sod. M – AKA Ian – was very interested to see the progress for obvious reasons. So when he came by yesterday we … Continue reading →

A few days ago I got an invitation to come to Thanksgiving dinner with some neighbors. I don’t holiday much myself, but that’s not really a rule. “Don’t turn down free food,” now, that’s a rule. “Nothing fancy,” said my … Continue reading →

So last night I was watching a movie on the ‘pooter that I’ve seen six times before. And I was a little bored, just sort of mentally coasting and waiting for the good part. And I drew my pistol, opened … Continue reading →

About a year and a half ago I posted something complaining about strike-anywhere wooden matches. I tend to go through a lot of wooden matches, and the issues I feared with those particular matches didn’t come to pass. The matches … Continue reading →

Then I babysat some chickens. Now I’ve seen stupid. So I’m trying to put the ladies to bed for the evening, right? Because it’s four o’clock, and even though it’s uncommonly mild for late November it’s going to get cold … Continue reading →

That’s perfectly rational, and I don’t mind at all as long as she stays still and lets me sleep. Which she often does. When she doesn’t, things can turn weird. Several times I’ve awoken to somebody under my chin, enthusiastically … Continue reading →

Dubious thanks to Tam, who mentioned a development – I don’t know that I should call it “progress” – in the great burning issue of our time… The 11-member [San Francisco] Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on … Continue reading →

And it occasionally teaches you things you can use later. When I was a kid, my circumstances were … not affluent. As I joked this afternoon while someone was complimenting me on my ability to fix horse-cart tires on the … Continue reading →

Guess who could be coming back to a police department near you! The Hero of Canton! No, not that one. This one! Because pulling people over and threatening to murder them is perfectly okay when you’re an only one. H/T … Continue reading →

…some days more than others. Today, I’m just frickin’ ecstatic about it.

Some months ago Ian went off into the wilds of … Tennessee, I think, and shot all the bits and pieces of a video with none other than Oleg Volk*. I saw an early version of the video, and can’t … Continue reading →

I wasn’t even a fan. I always thought he was pretentious, even before he got big as a house and started selling cheap-ass wine at exactly the right time. But then he croaked, and I was sad, and didn’t even … Continue reading →

That the boys and I officially moved into the Secret Lair.

Several years ago, my friend M clinched the deal as to whether I could move to the desert by handing me a job on a platter. “There’s this guy,” he said, “and he’s got a small-engine repair shop and really … Continue reading →

There’s only one thing I can say about this.