I’ve been wanting to for quite some time – ever since I found out it was illegal (or at least the distribution of it was, which is no longer true), that some of the most notable writers of the Victorian and Romantic periods were fans, and that the culture that surrounded it was worth experiencing, even if it were based around a myth. I am talking about Absinthe. After its demonization in Europe in the late 19th Century, as well as one case of faulty inductive reasoning by …

So after the Easter homily is complete, I am left with two questions, one based on simple logic, and one based on deeper study of military customs of antiquity.
The first question: why would Pilate “wash his hands” of the affair and then turn around and apply his personal seal to the tomb? “Yeah, honey, I know you told me to have nothing to do with this, and that’s what I thought at first – but then I decided to pin the reputation of my …

The lead story today (at least at the moment) on CNN is about the recent violence that has left scores of people dead in Tibet (link to article). This is not really news to anyone familiar with the history of Communist China since the “Cultural Revolution” – since 1959, China has asserted violent control over the Tibetan region. Historically, the bulk of Tibetan land has indeed been under Chinese authority for some time. PRC policy, however, has been anything but benevolent. The Dalai Lama (spiritual leader …

I just found this e-card company. Most are cute, some are sentimental, but this site seems to capture my snarky side pretty well. Here’s a particularly personal example:

Had no idea my RSS feed was broken. To those to whom this matters, my apologies.
If you don’t understand the above line, think about flowers and have a nice day.

So the pastor at the Presbyterian church where I sing in Carmen’s choir asked me to do readings on Easter morning. And he knows I’m a nontheist. And being who I am, I said yes.
I wasn’t a good believer, and now I’m not even a good non-believer.
Check out this kid – he has the courage to define himself, and he’s thirteen.

I can’t believe I’ve not written about this on my site yet. If you have not seen it, you are missing one of the funniest things ever to grace a browser on the Intertubes. See it, fall in love with it, then watch the rest of the Mr. Deity episodes on crackle.com.

So I’m on a business trip right now. This is the view from the front door of the hotel.
You know, I do it for the users. They’re why I do what I have to.

Gary Gygax died today (CNN link). There was probably no greater influence on my learning than he. The first edition of the Dungeon Master’s Guide was geared to college-age kids and older; I was sixteen the first time I played. I and my friends couldn’t get enough. I still miss the thirty-hour marathons and mountains of pizza crust; playing for hours without even rolling a die; being a DM and watching one of your players hit twentieth level. Being a player and killing your first …