226 years ago, eight mutineers aboard The Bounty tossed their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and 18 loyal crewmen into a lifeboat and set them adrift. As they made off with the ship, the mutineers, led by Fletcher Christian, dumped boxes of food into the water for the abandoned crew. No one is completely sure why […]
Fletcher Christian’s Heritage Read More »
It must be because I grew up hearing the stories about what Australian and New Zealand troops achieved (and died achieving) during the First and Second World Wars, that Anzac Day tends to register in my consciousness more than Rememberance Day ever does, even living here in North America. In Australia, Anzac Day is a
Today is Anzac Day Read More »
I finally got to see the last installment in The Hobbit trilogy. Man, oh man! I would like to say that I’m officially a fan of Thorin Oakenshield. You might remember I’ve been creeping up on Thorin for a couple of years now. But the ending of the movie completely threw me. It’s been thirty
Kudos to Thorin (At Last!) Read More »
Screw the chocolates. They just add calories where you don’t want them. It’s Valentine’s Day. Are you surprising your other half, this year? Or hoping to be surprised? Or ignoring the day altogether for one reason or another? If it’s been a while since you did something nice for someone (doesn’t have to be a
What Are You Doing for Your Dear One? Read More »
I am one of millions of commuters who take public transport to work and back each day. I should resent the huge chunk of time that takes out of my day, except for one thing: I write on my laptop on the way to work and on the way home. In the middle of winter,
There are backpacks…then there are Backpacks. Read More »
145 years ago today, in 1869, the first Women’s Suffrage law in the United Stated was granted in Wyoming Territory. It was the first step in full voting rights for women in America, which was written into the Constitution in 1920. Canada gave women the vote in 1919, and the United Kingdom trailed behind, declaring
Equality for Women: Not such a hot idea. Read More »
I’ve posited in the past that no one in the States would be reading blog posts on Thanksgiving morning, and I’ve been wrong (comments proved me so). So if you’re sneaking on-line after stuffing the turkey, do have a wonderful day with your family and friends. Don’t eat too much! Cheers, t.
Happy U.S. Thanksgiving Read More »
The five characters I would most like to have dinner with…and why. Actually, I’m going to cheat and add a bonus meal, because I just can’t drop the list down to five. These are five (or so) fiction characters with whom I would love to sit down to a long, leisurely dinner. There would be
Tea for Two, Times Five Read More »
Minimize your therbligs until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime–and thereby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens and rainbows. Robert A. Heinlein – The Notebooks of Lazarus Long This Heinlein quote has become a personal mission of mine. I first read Time Enough for Love (the book from which nearly all of
Minimize Your Therbligs Read More »