Facebook = Timesuck By Kathy Sweeney Well, I did it.  After years of flat-out refusing to get involved, I joined Facebook.  Why?  I blame my Kennedy cousins.  That's right.  Just like when we were kids, this crew gets me in trouble.  And this time it wasn'...

Stuff that is Flat Out Wrong By Kathy Sweeney First, bear with me.  Lent started this week and I am on my annual quest to quit swearing.  The first several days are a living nightmare.  But by this time of year (Lent), I really have to go cold turkey or risk dropping one of the big...

one of these days I'm going to carry on cycling right past the door and out into the hills of Kent. Especially on a day like today when my first task of the morning is to scrape the dog shit......

The American Booksellers Association recently updated their indie bookstore finder. Using the interactive map, readers can find all the indie bookstores within 100 miles of their hometown--complete with Google Map links, rating functions, and other webby tools. The map now also includes other kinds ...

Scott Esposito has an interesting post pointing to a few ideas concerning that ever-present question, "What will happen to bookstores?" He quotes Karl Pohrt of the struggling Shaman Drum bookstore: "What is the next version of a bookstore?" It is, as Scott says, an essential question. No matter how ...

Plan Your Funeral By Kathy Sweeney Try not to get morbid - hear me out.  We've all been to funerals, so we know there are all kinds.  Yesterday, I went to a special one.  It was wonderful - and not just because of grand life of the recently ascended. Her name is Dorothy Lewis-K...

Dancing With the (cough) Stars 2009 By Kathy Sweeney Okay, I have to confess -  I watch this show.  It's the closest thing to Reality TV I can handle, except maybe I'm halfway hooked on "Top Chef" (thanks, Susan) and I never miss a "Food Network Challenge". Of...

This. Is. TLC. Jeopardy! By Kathy Sweeney I hardly ever watch Jeopardy any more - unless someone clues me in that it's the Teen Tournament, which I love.  Makes me feel smart.  Online tryouts, by the way, are February 24th, if you know a teen.  And no, the fact that you ACT lik...

FOOTBALL BASICS for the Uninformed By Kathy Sweeney, born a Steeler Fan I was going to call this Football for Dummies, but I didn't want to insult people.  Still, it took a giant leap for me to even fathom that not everyone will be glued to the TV this weekend watching the NFL Playoffs. &#...

Catch Phrase Run-Down: Keep 'Em or Bleep 'Em? By Kathy Sweeney I know we were supposed to do our lists last week, but I can't help myself.  2008 was a fertile year for catch phrases (which, for those literate types, are not necessarily phrases).  Normally, the catchy stuff co...