Armchair Anthropology
Just before midnight, Monday, May 30, 2005 • 7 responses
In an attempt to catch up on some much-needed sleep and pay some attention to much-needed domestic affairs, I left my work computer at work this weekend. I did some photo printing and almost made it all the way through a post about how, for the first time in a long time, I understand the whole concept of “weekend”. Such concepts are incomprehensible to academics, many of whom have a weekend that extends through the warmest three months of the earth’s rotation around the sun; a perk I sadly couldn’t negotiate while being recruited at my current employer. …
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Late evening, Thursday, April 07, 2005 • 20 responses
At a gathering of friends a few years ago, it was mentioned that the ritual for electing a new pope involves tapping the dead pope’s forehead with a silver mallet. A few days later there’s the bit about the white smoke and/or the black smoke from St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The recently-passed pope has apparently arranged for the destruction of a Fisherman’s Ring, perhaps in the fires of Mount Doom.
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Ridiculously early, Monday, January 03, 2005 • 2 responses
Well, we’re back. I’m a bit overwhelmed by a lot of things—not the least of which is the number of emails and messages asking about our well-being. We are fine and safe, and thanks much for the concern. …
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Early evening, Tuesday, November 09, 2004 • 9 responses
I’ve just returned from five very intense weeks of work in Darmstadt, Germany, and nine days of very intense eating in Andalucia, Spain. I’ve been to Spain three times prior to this trip, but never have I spent any significant time on the Spanish coast. What an absolutely fantastic place to spend a few days after a lengthy stay in Germany. …
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Ridiculously early, Sunday, October 17, 2004 • 5 responses
As mentioned in my previous entry, Germans are renown for their industrial engineering, which often produces everyday technology which is simultaneously more advanced, safer, and easier to use. I used to think this was because Germans tend to appreciate a seamless integration of technology with life.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. …
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The wee hours, Monday, October 11, 2004 • 3 responses
A good friend of mine did his Ph.D. research on something I’d never be able to describe with any precision, but it had something to do with car frames and keeping them together. In any case, for quite some time, he was The Authority regarding all-things-car. …
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Early afternoon, Thursday, August 05, 2004 • 5 responses
Tell people you’re going to drive through central Canada and you’ll get the same response you get when you tell people you’re going to drive through the midwestern United States: ”“Why?”
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Late morning, Monday, July 26, 2004 • 4 responses
It occurred to me that this trip will bring me further north on the planet than I’ve ever been. Prior to this, the furthest north I’ve traveled was the northern tip of the Gasp̩ peninsula in Qu̩bec
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Just before midnight, Tuesday, February 24, 2004 • 182 responses
I received no fewer than four less-than-savory emails from indignant southern Californians responding to my last post, which of course was the perfect inspiration for this post.
When I was a kid, one of my favorite toys was a wooden puzzle of the United States. Each piece, painted in a single bright color, corresponded to one of our 50 states. …
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