Author Archives: Joel

It looks as though M’s Dome might actually become M’s Earth-Bermed House before very long. We estimate it will require approximately 2.7 brazillion square yards of dirt to fill and cover the dome and the powerhouse, and after waiting over … Continue reading →

Watch this video and your choice will be clear! Watch early! Watch often! We’re saved! Heh, heh. You’re too young to vote, Zoe. Yes, even in Chicago. But for us adults, the video makes our choice plain! Stand up, America! … Continue reading →

Zoe has learned how to flush the toilet. Pray for us sinners.

I’ve got an occasionally recurring cash gig over at Geiger Counter Guy’s place, and it’s the sort of thing that illustrates how I’m able to keep my pantry running. Years ago, somebody at GC Guy’s family-run company worked out the … Continue reading →

Flemington, New Jersey – a bucolic little borough which last saw excitement sometime in 1935. With a grand total of 4,500 in population, there was a murder there in – um – okay, nobody’s been murdered there in at least … Continue reading →

I see from Tam that John Wesley, Rawles has a new book out. I’m very excited, having so enjoyed the first one. And I was going to leave the snark right there, but early comments at her place tell me … Continue reading →

Heh – that sucked you in here, didn’t it? Sent to me by Claire, who’s taking a week’s vaca from blogging: Attendant’s gun accidentally discharged at Philadelphia airport Those dumb old flight attendants, always shooting their guns off in crowded … Continue reading →

Oh, God. When the “To Serve Man” aliens show up to harvest our protein, we’re toast. Fellow Greetings! Courtesy of Alphecca, we present the “upsetting and scary” tale of an innocent fisherman who draws up an object of horror from … Continue reading →

or, The border between “scrounge” and “steal.” (Once again this got kind of long. It’s just a meditation on why I shouldn’t steal an absent neighbor’s stuff, no matter how much I need it.) Ever since starting the planning process … Continue reading →

Haven’t cleaned the chimney since March, and pretty soon I’ll want to fire up the wood stove. So today I tried the mod my neighbor J and I installed back in March. Prior to that, it took two strong men … Continue reading →

And I say that from the bottom of my heart. Officers have to go through a stringent hiring process that includes a psychological examination. The same is true for federal agents. After these tests along with backgrounds and numerous other … Continue reading →

That’s the only fact of which I’m sure. She’s got a bloody little wound at the base of her tail, consistent with the entry of a tooth. I have attempted to interview the likely suspects, both of whom respectfully (Okay, … Continue reading →

Hie thee to Gutenberg, gentlebeings, and download a copy of Lone Star Planet, by the REAL master, H. Beam Piper. A lengthy scene below the fold.

Getting ready for winter here. In addition to the money for getting my saw chains sharpened and/or replaced, yesterday’s marathon wood-splitting gig scored me an improved chopping block. It’s not perfect, but should do for a while. It’s the rootstock … Continue reading →

God, what a lost opportunity. I am in mourning. Just because you’re not surprised doesn’t mean you can’t mourn. For years David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh beat the Fast & Furious drum, lonely voices in the wilderness. Nobody in the … Continue reading →

…that I’m capable of splitting a cord and a quarter of wood in one go. Yeah, got my cardio today swinging a seven-pound splitting maul. Four hours, forty dollars which I promptly turned into chainsaw spares. My back hurts. But … Continue reading →

…sprinkled with corn meal, slapped on a grill and barbequed to a golden brown. I actually tried to order something by telephone, and not only did I get right through to an operator but the parts I wanted to order … Continue reading →

…someone says something to you, all the words are in English, he’s obviously imparting information that makes perfect sense to him and (presumably) to the bulk of his audience. But the sentences don’t seem to actually mean anything. When I … Continue reading →

In regard to that other thing, that resulted in an AK that sort of fell into two pieces… It occurred to me later in the evening that “If I didn’t know for a fact it isn’t your fault I would … Continue reading →