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James Thurber
When you were a child, if your mom pretended to have a disability, went to a faith healer show, and jumped up yelling about being healed — and she she staged the whole thing as a practical joke — what do you think you might grow up to become? In the case of James Thurber, Continue reading
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December 8
December 8 makes us pine for what we’ve lost to history. Back in the good old days, this whole modern practice of surnames wasn’t nearly as established, so people were able to identify their leaders the ways they wanted. That’s why we know that in the year 877, when the new king of Aquitaine was Continue reading
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Decisions, decisions
This is a question that’s been on my mind:I have two sorts of treats, but my choice is which kind?There are some that are crunchy,and they’re really neat,but the others are chewy,and still good to eat. I have both kinds at homeand it’s kind of a gameto guess which I will get;’cause they’re just not Continue reading
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Avram Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky celebrates his 96th birthday today. You may know his name from his political activism, writing, and speaking, but he’s also a founder of a whole scientific field: cognitive science. He’s also a major figure in analytic philosophy and is known as “the father of modern linguistics.” He’s an institute professor emeritus at Continue reading
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You’re feeling sleepy…
When you’re just waking up, you’re often in a unique mental state. You’re still half asleep, and whatever nutty thing you were just dreaming about is starting to slip away, but for a little while it still makes a kind of sense. There’s also a mental state you might enter as you fall asleep; you’re Continue reading
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December 7
On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the US Constitution. It didn’t take effect for two more years, on March 4, 1789 — a date that, oddly enough, isn’t celebrated (or even much remembered ) in the US. It can, of course, be amended, and has been 27 times. The US Continue reading
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Department Of Gruff (DOG)
Every room inside my househas a comfy spot that’s mine.I use each one of them to loungeBut only one at a time. It’s a slightly vexing issue.Much like that thing with treats:I only have a single mouththat I can use to eat. Those birds are so much better’cause it only takes one woofand all of Continue reading
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Wake up, there’s beer
The first word in an English dictionary is often “aardvark”. But what about the last one? That depends on the dictionary. In many cases it’s “zymurgy,” which is fermentation, such as in making beer or wine. The American Homebrewers Association, which is “dedicated to empowering home brewers to make the best beer in the world,” Continue reading
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Karl Ove Knausgård
It takes time to become a writer. Until they manage to begin making money from their work, and often even afterward, writers often take jobs that seem almost random. They probably are random, at least partly. Teaching, selling records and tapes, working as an aide in a hospital, and even doing manual labor on an Continue reading
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December 6
“I think that I shall never see / A poem as lovely as a tree.” Many, if not most people remember that’s the first couplet of Trees, a poem by Joyce Kilmer. Not quite as many remember that in spite of the name, Joyce Kilmer was male. “Joyce” was actually his middle name. He wrote Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Check out my other blog, Techlimitics, where I’m grappling with the nature of simplicity.
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Contact
peterharbeson@me.com