• Preserves

    Darwin and Me

    You probably know about the Darwin Awards — honors bestowed upon those who advance the human species by doing something so dumb that they accidentally remove themselves from it. Like the guy…

  • Words

    No, I’m Not Ready for My Close-Up

    Today I bought and returned my first webcam. I bought it because, with all of Stewart’s travels, we decided it would be nice to be able to Skype each other. The service…

  • Words

    The Way of the Dad, Part II

    There are good things and bad things about having two fathers. Thankfully, for me, almost all of the bad things happened in the distant past, when I hadn’t yet grown up enough…

  • Words

    The Way of the Dad, Part I

    The other day, my dad sent me an email correcting one of my posts, Snake Oil, in which I mentioned that I inherited his goofy bow legs and something odd about his…

  • Words

    Near Misses

    First, I am shocked and dismayed that I didn’t learn until just now that yesterday was National Pigeon Day. Having lived with a pigeon for thirteen years (more about that later) and…

  • Words

    Snake Oil

    I know where my tax rebate is going. I had planned to save it or invest it, but I just stimulated the economy by spending every penny on a complete system of…

  • Words

    Nesting

    It’s not unusual for me to show up at work and find bird things on my desk — photographs, books, newspaper clippings, feathers, nests. My office is avian chaos, but I don’t…

  • Words

    What’s Not to Love?

    Here in Fairfax, it’s a hot night that smells like honeysuckle. There are people in this town who look like they haven’t changed a bit since 1972, when I was six years…

  • Words

    Who’s Your Granny?

    I drove from Berkeley to Big Sur this week, determined not to go faster than 60 mph. I had just paid for my first $4 gallon of gas and it freaked me…

  • Words

    Helvetica, You Were Robbed

    I just watched a full-length documentary film about a font. And I loved it. So much that, right now, I’m supposed to be filling out a ballot for tonight’s Oscar party, but…

  • Words

    Who Says Your Vote Doesn’t Count?

    It’s been a good time on My Yahoo!. Almost every morning, there’s news of Barack Obama’s increasing momentum in the presidential primaries. It’s exciting to support a candidate that might actually have…

  • Garden

    A Day of Good Things

    First of all, it was a clear blue and astonishing 70 degrees in Berkeley today. This happens for a few days every February, and my entire being responds with relief and complete…