Dan Knauss outlines his political beliefs in the New Pantagruel’s forum, and I find myself agreeing with much of what he says: In the past, I probably would have voted for FDR as a conservatizing Social Democrat concession from a Socialist standpoint of displaced German-Americans who had a big distrust of state powers and fairly […]

Posted on June 7th, 2006 by admin
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Daniel Nichols, at Caelum et Terra, has a wonderful review of Bill Kauffman’s Look Homeward, America.

Posted on June 6th, 2006 by admin
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We’ve just returned from our first trip to the New River Gorge with two children. Two lessons were learned. First, we lack the energy and/or patience to climb with a three year old and a six month old. While we managed to do a reasonable number of routes on Saturday (given our rather un-alpine start), […]

Posted on June 4th, 2006 by admin
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Charles Morris has an op-ed piece in the NY Times that speaks more directly to the sort of discontent and displacement that Peggy Noonan touched on. Rod Dreher has already weighed in.

Posted on June 2nd, 2006 by admin
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Peggy Noonan’s column suggesting that now is the time for a viable third political party is making the rounds. While I agree with Noonan, and Stegall and Dreher, I wonder if we can do it right this time. Even if a third party candidate could take the White House in 2008, I’m not sure that […]

Posted on June 2nd, 2006 by admin
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From Bill Kauffman’s Look Homeward, America: As (Eugene) Debs, (Carolyn) Chute & (Mother) Jones understood, the ennobling work we do is seldom renumerated in greenbacks. Bearing and raising a child, cultivating a garden, just being there for a sibling or friend to lean on: this “work” is compensated in a currency far more valuable than […]

Posted on May 20th, 2006 by admin
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Today will mark the seventh consecutive commute that has included rain at some point or another. I have ceased to care. Part of this new-found carefree attitude is my discovery of White Lightning chain lube. I had, for as long as I could remember, used the standard Cross Country lube, a viscous synthetic blend that […]

Posted on May 19th, 2006 by admin
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I received my copy of Bill Kauffman’s book, Look Homeward, America this weekend, and managed to get halfway through it between parties for Sebastien and a trip to the ER at Children’s Hospital (ruptured eardrum, yah!). Kauffman’s rollicking style is a pleasure to read. Kauffman sets out to examine reactionary radicals and front porch anarchists […]

Posted on May 15th, 2006 by admin
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This is what I saw for nearly two hours yesterday afternoon: The boy never stopped for a minute. The pace at which he picked up the whole bike riding thing was pretty amazing.

Posted on May 13th, 2006 by admin
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4:45PM: It’s been raining most of the day. I really don’t look forward to riding in the rain. It never stops me, but I’m filled with a feeling of impending doom, especially today, given that I’ve forgotten to put the mudguards on the bike (I realized this halfway across the 62nd Street Bridge this morning). […]

Posted on May 11th, 2006 by admin
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