Ed. note: This is the Christmas memo going out in my Christmas cards this year. If you're not on my IRL friends list -- or even if you are -- please accept my Merriest Christmakwanzukkah holiday greetings, and enjoy my year in review.

I hope that 2019 found you well and leaves you in the same condition.

The big thing in pop culture these days is ( Read more... )

If it's Sunday, it's meet the church - in this case, St James United, where the minister received a lesson of his own: the newly-baptized baby girl prefers Mom to him. So much so, the baby stopped fussing as soon as he handed her over to Mom.

It was then diagonally across the street to The Guv'nor Inn & Pub for lunch. Keeping with the local ( Read more... )

ASHEVILLE NC - Today continued our slow return march north, stopping off first at the campus of Auburn University. I had been here in 2009 when WVU played the Tigers in a nighttime deluge - this, after watching an Alabama game earlier in the day in sunny weather - but this was Chad’s first visit. We nosed around the football stadium, then wandered ( Read more... )

CHICAGO -- Last day of the year, first order of business: breakfast.

I decided to go to Wildberry Café, in part because it was attached to the underground walkway system. Except, when I got to the Aon Center, I discovered that the indoor entrance to the restaurant was walled off for reconstruction. So, throwing caution to a bitterly cold wind, I ( Read more... )

CHICAGO -- After a good night's sleep, it was up and at 'em in a city expecting a high of 18.

The first stop was the Northwestern campus in Evanston via subway, only to find the bookstore closed for the winter break. So, after a little web research during the bus ride back into the city, I found a college-wear store at Water Tower Place, next to ( Read more... )

McALLEN TX (3/31) -- When in Round Rock, one must always take in donuts from the Round Rock Bakery. The locals know this for sure, as the drive-through line at 7:15 on a Saturday morning still looped off of the side street and on to Liberty Ave. Smart yainkay that I am, I simply parked in a church lot across the street and walked over ( Read more... )

SAN ANTONIO (3/25) -- I know what I normally say about leaving first thing in the morning on a trip, but it IS a weekend, and I have standards. I put the last load in the dryer around 10:30, and then went to bed expecting (and getting) a 4am wake-up ( Read more... )

After a fitful night's sleep -- a combination of fear (missing my 4:00 alarm), disgust (the game result), and disappointment (no classical music station to nod off to; instead, Seton Hall's student station was doing their post-game call-in show) -- I got up seven minutes early and finished packing ( Read more... )

NEWARK -- First stop this morning was Greenwich Village, where I stopped by Waverly Place. No wizards, alas, but there is a corner restaurant... that only takes cash. In lieu of my paper shortage, I just had a hot tea, then headed uptown to Penn Station and did the Starbucks thing ( Read more... )

ORLANDO, 12/29 -- Today was brought to you by the letter "B".

"B" is for Borders. I started off in Altamonte Springs this morning, rooting around for half-off 2011 page-a-day calendars. (I picked up "The Left-Hander's Calendar" and "Duh! The Dumbest Things Ever Said or Done.") But something I did on the spur-of-the-moment surprised even me -- I ( Read more... )