June 30, 2007

FOUND ON THE STREET -- by Steve Nadis

I've often complained about sudoku backup--the puzzles I clip from multiple daily papers that are steadily piling up on me. But I have an even more severe backup problem--that of all the old bills I've tucked away in shoeboxes. Today, while taking an evening stroll, my wife came home with a paper shredder that had the words "free" written on it. I gave up with the last shredder I purchased because it was pretty pathetic. This one has got a little more juice and after 45 minutes of shredding, I'd gotten through almost all of my old bills and bank statements. Tomorrow night I'm going to deal with some other financial records and maybe, for the first time in years, have my head above water--at least so far as my confidential paper backup problem is concerned.
Posted by Snake at 00:35:32 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

June 28, 2007

THE DOWNSIDE OF COMPETITIVE EATING -- by Steve Nadis

We all thought that competitive eating, like other athletic endeavors, was good for you. But now a new book, called "Horsemen of the Esophagus," has come along and burst our bubble. Competitive eating has its downside, according to the author, with jaw arthritis looming as one of the major problems. Ruptured stomachs are another risk but let's not dwell on the negatives in this otherwise fantastic sport. Can I interest anyone in 100 hot dogs? Or 50 hard-boiled eggs perchance?

Posted by Snake at 09:10:22 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 25, 2007

A MILESTONE IS REACHED! (Celebrity Guest Letter, #362)-- presented and edited by Steve Nadis

This note just arrived from a friend in Paris:

Dear Steve -- It may not be much, but here is the news: after 25 years, I've finally finished General from the Jungle. According to the notation in the front flap, I started it in Patmos in 9/82, quite likely under your influence, there is some how indecipherable note to you from me about it. Somehow I didn't get into it, however, but lugged it home. The book made it to Paris at some point, and I started reading it again in 4/98. No go. Being a man who can't leave tasks hanging, I took up the book again yesterday -- and, damn it, read it. Actually, a very good book -- although the first few chapters proved unaccountably hard to get through, but once the progress of the glorious rebels became clear, I had someone to root for. Any more reading suggestions?

Yours truly,

D

Posted by Snake at 09:20:23 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

June 24, 2007

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY -- by Steve Nadis

Yesterday, my wife and a friend pulled over in a parking lot to go to a Dunkin' Donuts for the girls onboard. But they'd missed the cutoff and were in the parking lot just beyond. They could not easily drive to the Dunkin' Donuts because there was a median strip, which meant getting there was a huge hassle. So they walked the 100 feet instead but the Dunkin' Donuts was strictly drivethru and they refused to serve pedestrians. To get a donut, they had to get back in the car, drive nearly a mile and then sit in a line-up of cars. If you were ever wondering what's wrong with this country, I finally have an answer: That's what's wrong.
Posted by Snake at 13:26:41 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 23, 2007

New Hampshire Country Journal ("Trout Fishing in America, Take 2)--by Steve Nadis

It used to be that people went fishing--or at least sport fishing--to get away from it all. But on Friday I saw a man fly fishing in the Ellis River near Mount Washington while gabbing on his cell phone. I guess the bard had it right when he crooned: "The times they are a changin'..."
Posted by Snake at 22:03:37 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

New Hampshire Country Journal (Dry T-Shirt Contest) -- by Steve Nadis

Just returned from a family-style road trip to the North Conway region of New Hampshire. The best T-shirt I saw (worn by a man) said: "Who are these kids? And why do they keep calling me dad?" The worst T-shirt I saw (on a seemingly innocent kid) read: "Future Republican."
Posted by Snake at 00:38:48 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 19, 2007

STUPID SPORTS MOVIES THAT I LOVE -- by Steve Nadis

If you've seen one sports movie, you've seen 'em all. While that's not entirely true, the genre is formulaic in the extreme. If you change the sport and the city, a football movie like INVINCIBLE is almost identical to GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS. That said, I still liked GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS even though every aspect of it was entirely predictable. Call me a sucker for stupid sports movies, especially the stupid ones that are also kind of smart.
Posted by Snake at 23:59:09 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 18, 2007

A STRANGE REUNION -- by Steve Nadis

In the 1970s, when I was just out of college, a bunch of friends (for the most part) and I rented the top floor of a house from a Harvard Law professor and his family. They say you can't go home again but last night we did, having a 30-year-reunion at the professor's Harvard Square dwelling during which we had a chance to tour our old digs and reminisce on old times. Not all of the gang attended. One of our roommates was not invited as he was arrested on child pornography charges a decade or so ago. We always thought he was a little odd but back when we were in our early-20s, we did not fully appreciate the extent of his weirdness. That bit of nastiness aside, it was a very enjoyable and surprising evening. How many landlords do something like that? It was so much fun, in fact, that I suggested to our hosts that they make it a Father's Day tradition. We all laughed at the idea but this was an event, despite its pleasantness, that will not be repeated.
Posted by Snake at 09:48:03 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

June 17, 2007

MILK, SPACESHIPS, AND DVDs -- by Steve Nadis

It's a beautiful night in Cambridge, with temperatures in the mid-60s, and the sidewalks were crowded even at midnight. I ran into a friend outside the Plough&Stars on my way back from the video store. I usually see him at this time when I'd heading back from 7-11, carrying a gallon or two of milk. Tonite I had just a single DVD and felt unencumbered, almost weightless. My friend is a wildly creative artist who'd just received license from an extremely wealthy entrepreneur to let his already fertile mind run rampant. Our conversation, as they often do, quickly got around to flying DNA and spaceships powered by solar cells. After a few minutes, I was on my way thinking that's life in Cambridge. If we'd moved to the suburbs, as my wife has sometimes lobbied for, I wouldn't have interludes like that. We'd probably have a bigger house but our intellectual horizons would surely be narrower.

Posted by Snake at 00:15:37 | Permanent Link | Comments (3) |

June 14, 2007

HANDBALL IN THE MOVIES, PART 627 -- by Steve Nadis

I caught this handball reference in the badly named movie, “I Wake Up Screaming,” which despite the title was not even remotely a horror picture. In one scene, Victor Mature prepared a friend for what it’s like to be interrogated by the cops: “It’s like playing handball, only you’re the ball.”
Posted by Snake at 00:06:27 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |
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