Learning Strategies

Murder off the Page

By ljd42 on August 6, 2026

Are you a New Yorker? Are you a librarian? Perhaps someone you know is both a New Yorker and/or a librarian? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then Murder off the Page is for you. Or… Read More ›

Recent Posts

Good stuff cheap! The story of Jerry Ellis and Building #19

By ljd42 on August 4, 2026

Surely, if you are of a certain age (and if you lived in Massachusetts at the right time) you remember Building 19 and Gerald Elovitz. Actually, you probably don’t remember the latter name, because he was always known under his… Read More ›
With Prejudice

By ljd42 on July 31, 2026

You may or may not know that Robin Peguero is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 27th District. You may or may not know that he is also a novelist… and the author of With Prejudice…… Read More ›
Happy birthday (or maybe not), Messrs. Strunk and White!

By ljd42 on July 30, 2026

When I was a teen — i.e. before I knew better — I thought highly of Strunk and White’s classic Elements of Style. It came highly recommended by the establishment, and even though I was suitably anti-establishment back in the… Read More ›
Why don’t Native Americans want to be called Native Americans?

By ljd42 on July 28, 2026

Or should I have asked “Why don’t American Indians want to be called Native Americans?” Or perhaps some other formulation. Here’s the thing. As a general principle, you should call people what they want to be called. Right? But problems… Read More ›
Hydrangeas

By ljd42 on July 27, 2026

The hydrangeas are busy beautifying our back yard. (These are hydrangeas, not hyacinths, right? Flowers are not my strong point, even if they do have Greek names.)
Dine and Die on the Danube Express

By ljd42 on July 23, 2026

Someone recommended this book to me — I wish I could remember who. But maybe it’s just as well that I can’t. Written by one Peter King, not Agatha Christie, it was clearly inspired by Christie’s famous detective novel. But… Read More ›
Only the best…

By ljd42 on July 22, 2026
Fireworks

By ljd42 on July 3, 2026

Abby, Barnaby, and Cassie remind all of our neighbors (and your neighbors) that as we approach July 4th it’s not just cats that are traumatized by fireworks:
Christina II

By ljd42 on July 1, 2026

I usually don’t do AI images, but I’ll make an exception this time.
Unabridged

By ljd42 on June 28, 2026

You do remember Stefan Fatsis, right? Maybe from NPR, maybe from Word Freak/Scrabble. Now he has published a must-read called Unabridged. Yes, as you suspect, it’s about dictionaries. In particular, it’s about Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English… Read More ›
Speaking of Les Miz…

By ljd42 on June 27, 2026

Speaking of Les Miz, I mentioned in that post that “This [the Boston cast] was a cast of no-name pros whose heart just wasn’t in it. They seemed to be going through the motions, alas.” Perhaps you’d like some contrasting… Read More ›
The Tartan Army: the day Scottish FIFA fans drank Boston dry

By ljd42 on June 26, 2026

How long has it been since I’ve been to a Kim Wallach concert? Literally decades, as it turns out, but the YouTube algorithm decided it was time for me to listen to her newest song: “The day Scottish FIFA fans… Read More ›
Too much light!

By ljd42 on June 25, 2026

Apparently the light is too bright for Cassie’s delicate eyes, so special measures are required:
Les Miz in Boston

By ljd42 on June 22, 2026

Unfortunately I was just so disappointed! Les Miz is one of my three favorite musicals, and I had never seen a professional live performance of it. (I’d seen the movie, and I’d seen an excellent high-school performance.) So I had… Read More ›
“Belly rubs needed over here.”

By ljd42 on June 18, 2026

“More belly rubs needed over here,” says Cassie.
Roses

By ljd42 on June 17, 2026

They officially belong to the neighbors… but they like visiting us on our side of the fence.
Claude vs. ChatGPT

By ljd42 on May 28, 2026

I asked ChatGPT and Claude to create a 3D image of me, both using the same prompt: Create a 3D image of me using your knowledge of my jobs and interests, based on this photo. The photo was this: Here’s… Read More ›
Judeo-Arabic

By ljd42 on May 24, 2026

That title sounds a bit like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But it isn’t. It’s a real language, spoken by some 240,000 Jews throughout the Arab world. For a quick intro, see the Wikipedia article, but I first want to make… Read More ›
How was last night at Tavolo different from all other nights?

By ljd42 on May 7, 2026

Because it was the first Wednesday of the month and therefore provided the option of choosing Tavolo’s Pasta Tour! I almost went with that option, as I had never done it before and it looked tempting. But I decided (or… Read More ›