After a week slaving away in Las Colinas, I drove down to Austin on Friday, not having been there before and having a free night at a Hyatt that is going to expire next Saturday anyway. My compact/intermediate rental at Avis was actually a Toyota 4Runner. I took it for a day or two, but it was total...

The two most interesting news stories tonight come from China. First, the Chinese export industry has collapsed, throwing at least 20 million more people out of work. 20 million. Even in China, that’s a lot of people. The second story: China demands that the USA “guarantee� that the value of a...

Hey Mr. President, Can You Spare a Nickel? Date: January 23, 2009 Topic: Economy By Robert L. Rosebrock Memo to President Obama: On behalf of America’s Military Veterans, this is to respectfully ask for a very small share of the $825 billion dollar stimulus package that you are proposing to jump-s...

Adapted from Josh's next book The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet. Today, you can enjoy the freedom of being in the driver’s seat while eliminating all of the expense of owning — or leasing — and maintaining a car by joining a car-share service. Zipcar...

One of the annoyances on this conversation about the LL shopping sites acquisition is Gwyn going around like the worst sychophant and explaining to everybody that the Lindens are behaving in an altruistic manner when they fuck residents over in this manner and harm the world. Huh? Picking up on the ...

Fish & Pips, Méribel It was only as I arrived at the rustic-plush Chalet du Guide in Méribel that I realised that in my 30-odd ski trips, I'd never done the shared chalet thing. The group chalet takeover yes, but to the catered, per-room model, sharing mountain digs with perfect strang...

Election Eve Monday night, I stop on my way back to the Stratosphere at the “boiler room� to receive my Voter Protection supply packet and assignment. Glory be, at the appropriate alphabetical line, the lawyer I deal with has a rare sense of humor and friendly demeanor, along with a glaze of exh...

Monday, 10/6 through Wednesday, 10/8 Pack. Pack. And pack some more. We only thought we'd packed everything we had, given how much we had put into storage, but our offices and kitchen told us differently. The Salvation Army took the entertainment center, but not the sofa since the cushions were beco...

A belated greetings from the shark bite capital of the world, New Smyrna Beach Florida.  Located just south of Daytona Beach on the Atlantic coast, my son and I had a great week of R&R.  I would've been blogging while there but the condo's wi-fi was out and I was without internet for a...

Explanations and notes in Part 0. Tony Stark, girl!Bruce Wayne, and Alfred. Her eyes narrowed.  Color bled up under her make-up. Yeah, got a hit there. Pissing someone off usually got him what he wanted--an honest reaction. Didn't work with Obadiah, a voice in the back of his head answered...