Books - SB Hopper

This interview is not over

I wouldn't say I'm particularly interested in vampires. I like vampire stories, but in the same way that I like any good story. And Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire was a good story, about Vampires. I vaguely remember the film and reading the

Read Watch Listen

The Irish were born for leaving...

...otherwise the world would have no pubs. It's a line in the trailer for Belfast [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIrOIrt30kE], and I might have misquoted it. The movie looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see it. Black and white, incredible actors, and fantastic

On the Road

Et Tu, Sacramento?

I'm behind schedule and tired. And still here. I must be due for a site renewal soon. If the site goes down, it just means I've missed an email. I was about to write that I've been driving through California's Inland Empire

Blog

Keep it up, Washington

When facing down a pandemic caused by a frightening virus, humility is key, especially when you're a blogger without any trace of scientific or medical background. But we're all allowed to discuss the pandemic, right? I think things are looking up in Washington. According to Bloomberg

Blog

The intersection of Thomas and Treasure Island

(Note: I started this post a day or a week ago.) I had grand plans for a grand post. But now it's late, the day has passed. Thinking vs. doing. Scale back one's objectives, but don't fall to the level of bullet points. Never

Read Watch Listen

A dog and a slog

I finished two books this week, which I'm marking as an accomplishment. I'm not the reader I once was. A Dog's Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron, and The Rebel, by Albert Camus. I understood all of one and very little of the other. A

Blog

I need glasses to find my glasses

On most days my desk looks like a bowl of cable spaghetti. The cables are all black. USB this, lightning bolt that. My reading glasses are black. Black chameleons. I set them down and they become one with the cables. Shopping list - white or Ferrari red glasses. I'

Late Night Musings

To Resonate

Weather apps are not to be trusted, not entirely. I skipped dinner. Late night my stomach was telling me, pleading with me - that slice from Little Maria's this afternoon just isn't going to cut it. I told myself that it would be best to avoid

Andrew J Bacevich

Spring Cleaning

Have you read Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”? I have, at least some of it. The idea appeals. If something in your home isn’t giving you joy, get rid of it. It’s easier said than done. I’

Books

On the Streets: Clinton on (the other) Capitol Hill

Hillary Clinton received an enthusiastic, warm welcome (and good weather) on 12 December 2017 at Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Company [http://www.elliottbaybook.com]. Clinton was in town to promote her book What Happened, a look back at the 2016 election. I walked over to Elliott Bay Book Company

Arts

Andrew McCarthy: Just Fly Away

On Thursday 6 April 2017, Andrew McCarthy – actor, author, director – visited Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Company [http://www.elliottbaybook.com] to read from and discuss his debut novel, ‘Just Fly Away’. The story is about Lucy, a fifteen-year-old girl who decides to explore some family secrets after learning that

Books

Finding Common Ground in America

On 2 March 2017, authors Joel Berg and Matt Taibbi, both experts on American politics, took the stage at Town Hall Seattle [https://townhallseattle.org] to discuss their most recent books. They then sat down for a joint Q&A session. The event, Finding Common Ground in America [https:

Authors

Short Takes: Countdown to Pearl Harbor

December 7th gets me everytime, much like the anniversaries of the JFK assassination, the lunar landing, and 9/11. It seems impossible to not reflect on how Pearl Harbor happened and what the country was experiencing. On the most recent anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I found myself thinking about how