Category Archives: work
Henri, Meet Uncle Bob
As I write, we’re on the fringes of Tropical Storm Henri. The wind is blowing, there’s been some rain, but so far, so good. The electricity flickered a couple of times before 7 but I went ahead and made the … Continue reading
Life in the Time of COVID-19
Yesterday I attended what will probably be my last meeting for a while. It was the meeting of the Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) advisory board; I was there to make a presentation on behalf of the Coalition to Restore Vineyard … Continue reading
De-cluttering Before Breakfast
Not long after getting up on New Year’s Day I knocked some papers off my workside table. This was nothing new. What happened next was: I straightened up — “excavated” is probably the better word — the table’s top. This … Continue reading
N is for Newspapers #AtoZChallenge
I started reading a daily newspaper — the news section, not just the funnies — relatively early in life, when I was around 10. As a preteen and then teenage Arabist I clipped stories about the Middle East, taped or … Continue reading
E is for Editing #AtoZChallenge
Editing is not a particularly well-paid trade, although it requires considerable aptitude, expertise, and education to do it well. Some freelance editors of my acquaintance regularly rail against the complaints, expectations, and demands of clients and prospective clients, saying things … Continue reading
June License Plate Report
Not quite as good as the previous June, when I added five states to the map, or the June before that, when I added six, but four new states ain’t bad, and they’re all good ones: Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, and … Continue reading
April 15 + 1
This year I not only blew right by April 15, I barely noticed it approaching. What a wonder. Since I started freelancing full-time, in 1999, I have dreaded the approach of Tax Day. For an account of my annual angst, … Continue reading
Sunderings
In recent months I’ve edited or read several books that deal with peoples and nations dispersed, usually by war, sometimes by political upheaval, often by a combination of both. The matter of community has fascinated me for a long time … Continue reading
Chambermaid Follies
My computer files and folders are pretty well organized. My paper files are a mess. Once the folders get into the file drawers, they’re out of sight, out of mind, but plenty of stuff never gets there. Folders and unsorted … Continue reading
A Saner Way to Shop
A Vineyard Haven retailer’s announcement that her store would open at 5 a.m. on “Black Friday” elicited some groans and eye-rolling on Facebook and elsewhere. Martha’s Vineyard is more like the world across the water than some people like to … Continue reading
From the Seasonally Occupied Territories . . . 