The Monkey’s Fist and the Sicilian Defence

One of my earliest memories of my father was of him showing me a rope trick. It wasn’t much of a trick, but I was only about four, so it was pretty impressive. He laid out a length of rope on the floor and sent a traveling sine wave down the line.

When I [...]

Microwaves, Leif Garrett, and Nokia Phones

Years ago, I went with my friend Kim Thayil down to the Showbox to catch a performance by Leif Garrett. I think Kim mostly wanted to join up with Krist Novoselic, who I think was going to be there. Kim and I ended up being late, and it seemed to me that the show also [...]

Frostbite

It’s cold outside. So cold in fact, that it reminds me of the time I got frostbite.

I grew up in Missoula, which doesn’t get as cold as some of the other cities in Montana, like Butte. My father was from Butte, and he would regale me with stories of how cold it would get. [...]