You’re Not Going to Use That Again. The question you need to ask is not “can I imagine a world where this might come in handy someday?” It’s “how likely am I to use it in the future.” Just because something could happen doesn’t mean it’s likely. If you do need it, how easy would […]
A Black Friday Deal: Half Off Blinkist Through Monday
I subscribed to Blinkist about a year ago and have learned a ton from their short summaries. Through Monday, you can get half off at the link below and, as an added bonus, contribute a bit via affiliate earnings to my “buy things for my kids and students” fund. Examples include the masks I distributed […]
I Eat Things: Kitchen & Love Quick Meals
I have found the perfect lunch: Kitchen & Love Quinoa Quick Meals. I have the basil pesto, jalapeno and roasted pepper, and mango and roasted peppers varieties on hand, and they check the following boxes for me: Cheaper Than Takeout. You can get six for $22. That seems steep, but it’s cheaper than the lunch […]
I Eat Things: Hammy Chickpea Soup With Kale
There are few things that hit the spot quite like potato or bean soup made with ham, sausage, or another salty meat. Recently, my wife made hammy chickpea soup–I assume it was from this Bon Apetit recipe–and it was remarkably similar to a ham-and-potato soup that is perfectly nourishing and perfectly comforting at the end […]
I (Re-)Read Things: Beowulf to Buchanan
I’m cleaning out various “I write things” notes and stubs from my “drafts” folder and “WriteMe” list. These might not be recent reads. J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary. I read this to my younger son last Fall. I’m not a Tolkien scholar or a Beowulf scholar, but this was a very interesting read […]
I Read Things: Public Choice, Racism, and Political Capitalism
Anton D. Lowenberg and William H. Kaempfer, The Origins and Demise of South African Apartheid: A Public Choice Analysis. This is an important study that I’m embarrassed to say I wasn’t familiar with it until recently. Randall G. Holcombe, Political Capitalism: How Economic and Political Power is Made and Maintained. Political capitalism, Holcombe argues, is […]
I Read Things, Or At Least Listen to Them on Long Road Trips
Thomas Sowell, Charter Schools and Their Enemies. I reviewed this for Regulation and Forbes.com. It’s not Sowell’s best work (here’s my guide to Sowell), but even Sowell’s worst work is better than a lot of people’s best work. That’s to say you should still familiarize yourself with it. Charters are an off-the-shelf education reform that […]
I Watch Things: The Lego Movie 2, Anthony Hopkins as King Lear, Woody Woodpecker, AAF Livestreams
The Lego Movie 2. I actually never saw the original in its entirety even though we own it. Maya Rudolph as the mother is a pleasant surprise. I’m a bit exasperated by the continued depiction of fathers as buffoons. The plot is interesting, and I don’t think I can write much about it without spoiling […]
I Play Things: Monopoly (Two New-to-Me Versions) and Mastermind
Monopoly Junior. David, my youngest, has wrecked me at this version of the game three games in a row. Every time, he has reminded me that “Monopoly isn’t everything.” It’s dramatically simplified, with a smaller board–two property groups and a chance space on each side, no railroads, no utilities, no houses or hotels–and it makes […]
I Eat (Too Many) Things: From Shoney’s to Chez Fonfon
Shoney’s. It was a childhood institution when I was growing up. On drives to and from visits to family in Nashville and Alabama (from our home in Ohio), Shoney’s—usually the one in Elizabethtown, Kentucky—was the place where we stopped to eat. I thought Shoney’s had disappeared, but one has opened recently just off I-65’s exit […]