Author Archives: fustianist

It is a gorgeous, 60-degree day here in Ithaca.  Although our yard is still a bit muddy, the crocuses are up, the hyacinths shoots are peeking out of the ground, and the birds are positively raucous.  Thank you, Ithaca! Erin

In a Newsweek article on the rise of cosmetic use and other forms of beauty “maintenance” among young girls and women: “New statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that cosmetic- surgery procedures performed on those 18 … Continue reading →

Sydney and I are off to Syracuse for the day (yes, we’re taking our baby bags with us), where he will sit in on an Early Modern course and I’ll settle in with my books at the library cafe, which … Continue reading →

Today I had yet another of the experiences that have peppered the past few months.  I was looking at baby items (this time, baby books) and felt myself being driven to cynicism.  Rather than chime in with “Oh, how perfect,” … Continue reading →

I’m terrible at booking hotels.  Ask Sydney.  I hem and haw for hours, looking at website after website, looking for the perfect fit.  And, being something of a hotel cheapskate, I also frequently consider booking rooms at places that, according … Continue reading →

David Rothkopf in The Washington Post: “We get the leaders we demand and thus deserve. (As the United States and England were making Roosevelt and Churchill, Germany and Italy were making Hitler and Mussolini.)”

This sort of thing helps explain a variety of my preferences, e.g., why I prefer living in a rural area to living in a city, why I prefer good old-fashioned paper books to Kindles, and so forth. It strikes me … Continue reading →

As we’ve gotten closer to our due date I’ve noticed a marked difference in behavior between those who know when we’re due and those who can just see that we’re expecting.  Since I’m not terribly big, most people just seem … Continue reading →

At 37 weeks along, our babe is now officially considered “full term.”  As in, full lung capacity for those blood-curdling screams I expect it will let loose once it appears on the scene. Erin

Sydney tosses the instruction manual away and goes out to try to install the car seat.  Erin, having also read the instruction manual, stays inside and cackles to herself. Erin