The ESB Project at 100,000

I don't count the number of essays in the Project, much less the number of words, but I realized this morning that the Project probably stands at 100,000ish words. It's nearing the finish.

P.G. Wodehouse Referenced Booze . . . A Lot

Ah, yes. Three of my sons, post-wedding Mass last Saturday. It was, after all the struggles and cost, a glorious day. That's Alex, the groom, to the far left, then Michael and Jack to the far right. The other three guys are school chums. Yes, "chums."

About the One-Thing Files

“The One-Thing File” is a practice I learned from Econtalk. It's the practice of writing just one thing (okay, maybe more than one) that I learn from a book, essay, documentary, podcast, whatever. For younger TDE readers, think of it as Reddit's “Today I Learned” feature.

Free Seeds . . . at Your Public Library?

From Civil Eats.

How a Talisman Works

All forms of magic have this in common: they try to manipulate the spiritual to direct the material.

Seven Great Quotes About Money

Emperor Vespasian famously said, “Money has no smell” when questioned about his decision to tax urinals. The folks here might disagree.

The musical note that can trigger cold sweats and sightings of the dead

From The Spectator

On Small Talk

Small talk. I dislike it. It can be argued that it is part of the lubrication that keeps social wheels moving smoothly, but I'm not talking about cordialities ("Hi," "How are the kids doing?" etc.). I'm talking about extended conversations that are

Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter Turns One Hundred

From Plough

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