When we were in Italy (end of January, mind you), both Abby and I sent postcards to folks in the States – I even sent one to my office. Well, we bought our stamps (francobolli) at different Tabacci (convenience stands), and apparently mine weren’t as good as hers. Abby’s family and friends received postcards about […]
Author Archives: dsz123
March 1, 2004 – 8:40 am
The weather here was beautiful this weekend, and I took full advantage of it. Friday I went skiing at Cannon Mountain. We had a sunny day, and even though it hasn’t snowed in Franconia Notch since December, the conditions were pretty good. Cannon is located in a state park and run by a contractor rather […]
February 25, 2004 – 11:53 am
Consider sending a letter to the EPA and your representatives asking them to enforce restrictions on the emissions of toxins (especially mercury) from power plants and to discard the weaker proposal put forth by the administration.
February 23, 2004 – 8:18 am
I finished another woodworking project this weekend – a maple box for a friend. I really like how it came out, especially considering I got the wood cheap at the Home Depot. Thanks to Abby for helping me take the nice pictures.
February 19, 2004 – 6:26 am
I stayed home last night and scanned in pictures, so you get to see our trip to Italy. Check out the photos here. We really enjoyed our time in Rome and Sorrento!
February 18, 2004 – 1:12 pm
The Union of Concerned Scientists (by way of a committe of sixty or so scientists including twenty Nobel laureates) has publicly stated that the Bush Administration has systematically distorted facts and ignored important evidence in making policy decisions – check out the NY Times article here. Yahoo has the AP coverage of this issue here, […]
February 14, 2004 – 9:52 am
On our flight over to Italy, they showed a Discovery Channel show on tourism in Dubai, and specifically, a new, ultra-luxury hotel there called the Burj al Arab. In the past few weeks, I’ve seen a number of articles on Dubai and the Burj, including this one today in the NY Times. Call it a […]
February 10, 2004 – 2:02 pm
Woodcraft (a national chain of woodworking stores with a local branch) has a nice article up about using hand tools (as opposed to power tools) for woodworking. Check it out here. Between my class at the North Bennet Street School and the wimpy circuit breaker in my garage, I’m definitely hooked on the hand tools.
February 10, 2004 – 1:07 pm
The Center for American Progress has a good, point-by-point analysis of Bush’s recent interview on Meet the Press, backed up by plenty of facts. Check it out here. Cheers to the nice folks over at Regulators.org pointing out the report.
February 9, 2004 – 4:56 pm
The first round of reprints are back, and I’m glad to report that Cameras, Inc. in Davis did a much better job than Photo Star. The rest will come in by the end of the week – not the instant gratification we were hoping for, but at least they’ll be nice prints.
February 6, 2004 – 10:20 am
Well, you’ll have to wait a few more days for photos – the first place I went botched the job pretty soundly. The not-so-fine folks at Photo Star were rude and completely uninterested in giving any sort of customer service (Sound familiar? Maybe they’re in with the Hotel Savoia folks) when they returned our horrible […]
February 4, 2004 – 12:22 pm
So here’s the short list for Italy. First, the not-really-so-bad downers: Delayed flights. European plumbing. Transit strikes (but only for a day). The restaurant in Rome Osteria dell’Antiquario (Frommer’s liked it, we hated it). The Hotel Savoia in Sorrento. They neglected to tell us about the construction they were doing when we booked, so we […]
February 3, 2004 – 11:50 am
I’m back! After a long flight from Frankfurt (one heck of a place, and not so much in a good way), we got back to Boston today. Italy was great – I’ll put up some pictures and stories soon. In the meantime, back to real life!
January 31, 2004 – 3:35 am
Italy’s been great! We spent a few days in Rome, headed down to Sorrento for a few more (and ate like royalty!), and are now back in Rome ’til Tuesday. We’ll see more of the Vatican, enjoy the now sunny weather, and almost certainly eat more pizza… the rosemary potato pizza is divine. If you […]
January 25, 2004 – 8:20 am
We’ve arrived in Rome, and save some trouble adjusting to the time-shift, we’re having a great time. I think it would be difficult not to enjoy any country where cured pork is available at every meal.
January 21, 2004 – 7:12 am
Well, I didn’t end up playing the State of the Union drinking game, but I did watch a few minutes of the speech (any more than that, and I woulda thrown something heavy at the TV). [ If you happen never to have seen one of these addresses to the nation, you should know that […]
January 20, 2004 – 8:37 am
I’ve been a little sick this week and hoping that it’d go away before I left for Italy. Just in case, I’ve stocked up on Sudafed for the plane rides. The New York Times has a good page on all the (Democratic) candidates in the 2004 election, as does Project Vote Smart. In retrospect, it […]
January 19, 2004 – 5:58 am
After hearing about them from Rif last week or the week before, I finally saw a bean delivery truck this morning with the great slogan on the side: “Without beans, chili would just be a bowl full of meat.” How true. Abby and I are off to Italy on Thursday!! I can’t wait.
January 13, 2004 – 8:04 am
Between the article this week in the New Yorker about S.U.V. safety and this article about Subaru evading fuel economy regulations, I’m mostly not so thrilled with car manufacturers right now. Some good news is that Motor Trend magazine named the Toyota Prius the 2004 car of the year. Hope it helps hybrid sales.
January 12, 2004 – 7:20 am
Well, I managed to survive the cold, and even made it out of the house once or twice this weekend. On Friday, Abby and I had one of the best sushi dinners I’ve ever had at Fugakyu in Brookline. It sounds like the service can be hit-or-miss there, but we had nothing short of perfection. […]
January 9, 2004 – 7:37 am
It’s cold outside. Like snot-freezing cold. I took a shower this morning before work, and thought I could get away without a hat for the short trip to the car. In the less than thirty seconds it took to walk to the car, my hair froze. Pretty much solid. According to Boston.com, it’s 1° F […]
January 5, 2004 – 7:17 am
Last week, we went to see The Maker’s Hand – an exhibit on studio furniture at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Wow! There are some absolutely gorgeous pieces there (as well as some not-so-gorgeous ones). If you’re in town before the end of the exhibit (February 8), check it out! Wanna see the […]
December 25, 2003 – 2:12 pm
Some friends ended up needing a menorah for Hannukah so I made them one. Check it out here. Happy winter holiday of choice.
December 19, 2003 – 7:55 am
In January, Abby and I are headed to Rome! We’ll be there for a while, with plenty of time to check out the architecture and eat lots of good food, but recommendations for other activities are definitely appreciated. Also, we’re looking to spend a day (or two or three) outside Rome – please drop me […]
December 17, 2003 – 8:42 am
Check out all sorts of fun housewares, jewelry, etc. here. I’m definitely tempted by the wall clock, but that shouldn’t shock anyone who knows me – I have a thing for clocks, apparently.
December 11, 2003 – 7:46 am
It’s a sad thing that tonight is my last class at the North Bennet Street School. I’d really recommend the class (“Fundamentals of Fine Woodworking”) to anyone with a serious interest in woodworking (and they have classes on many other craft subjects). It will be nice, though, to have some time to actually do woodworking. […]
December 9, 2003 – 6:39 am
A few weeks ago, Abby and I were visiting New York and came across a great gallery in SoHo showing some amazing tables and lamps. Neither of us could remember the name of the gallery or designer, but a quick post at the Core77 discussion board turned up the name: Ingo Maurer. Be sure to […]
December 4, 2003 – 1:37 pm
Check out my aunt’s redesigned online jewelry store at BarbaraZucker.com if you like nice jewelry.
December 4, 2003 – 10:24 am
I was walking to lunch today when I saw a Hummer with a Florida Conserve Wildlife license plate. Conserve them for what? For processing into fossil fuel? For eating? C’mon – you’re driving a Hummer!
December 2, 2003 – 8:25 am
I left for work around 7:15 this morning, and by 8:15 hadn’t made it more than a mile and a half from my house. By 11, I was home again after several unsuccessful attempts at getting on the highway. You’d figure traffic like that must’ve been triggered by some cataclysmic event, but it was only […]
November 30, 2003 – 12:34 pm
This is funny, moderately informative, and overall very well done (no pun intended). Check it out.
November 19, 2003 – 12:35 pm
I’ve been working on making a mallet to use with chisels, etc. in the shop the past couple days, and have noted a few things: I had some leftover hard maple stock from putting together the mobile base I got for the tablesaw. Hard maple is hard! A well-tuned handplane leaves one of the nicest […]
November 17, 2003 – 12:59 pm
I finally had a chance to put together a page on the construction details of the coffee table. Check it out here. The Return of Craft Day was a good thing indeed – ten or fifteen people showed up Sunday afternoon to draw, sew, make buttons or otherwise craft. My craft was making a cross-cut […]
November 11, 2003 – 9:31 am
NYC was a good time. We saw a nice design exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt and enjoyed a relaxing Sunday wandering the galleries of SoHo. I got the table saw up and running last night with some lifting help from my brother. I put some grease on the various moving parts inside the table and reattached […]
November 7, 2003 – 11:21 am
I haven’t had much time to spend with the table saw, but I found a half hour last night to clean up the mechanism that raises and tilts the blade. I also discovered the location of set screws that let you adjust the positive stops at 0 and 45°, but they were so coated in […]
November 6, 2003 – 8:25 am
It’d already been a big week in the shop for me as I finished the coffee table and found a toolchest, but to add to the excitement, I bought a table saw last night! Don’t worry mom, I’m probably more scared of it than you are. I’d been look in the Want Advertiser for the […]
November 4, 2003 – 7:07 am
Last week, I was lucky enough to find this gem out on the street for trash day: It took quite a lot of cleaning up, but I got most of the grease out from the drawers and managed to bend out-of-shape parts back into line. It’s quite serviceable, really, especially since I bought some foam […]
October 29, 2003 – 7:12 am
Electronic Gaming Monthly has a great article going right now wherein they introduce a number of old arcade classics (and not-so-classics) to today’s youth and record the results. Pretty funny stuff. I’ve been staining/finishing the coffee table out in the garage the past couple days. One or two more coats of polyurethane and it’ll be […]
October 24, 2003 – 7:41 am
Last Saturday night, we went to see Kris Delmhorst’s CD release concert at the Somerville Theatre. She put on a great show, along with guest Peter Mulvey. If you get a chance to see either one of them, do it! My coffee table is finally set up to be stained (it’s just waiting for me […]
October 17, 2003 – 6:58 am
I had such a monster of a headache last night that I didn’t even watch the Sox game when I got home from woodworking class. It was straight to bed with me. In class last night, though, we saw some of the furniture work that full-time furniture/cabinetry students were making. Wow! Even their first projects […]
October 14, 2003 – 10:29 am
Woodworking class is going well, and we’ve finally moved on from the “sharpening everything in sight” portion of the class to the part where we actually get to interact with wood. Don’t get me wrong – sharpening everything in sight is clearly a necessary thing, but maybe we could’ve broken it up into “sharpening long […]
October 7, 2003 – 7:57 am
I updated the piano bench project page with some notes on recent progress. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product, hopefully soon!
October 6, 2003 – 10:53 am
I posted pics and info about the cutting gauge I made this weekend in the projects section. Check it out here.
October 1, 2003 – 7:51 am
The first woodworking class last night was fun, though there was plenty of administravia to attend to, so we didn’t do nearly as much chisel sharpening as I would’ve liked. I got all but one of the tools I need for the class – the outstanding tool is a marking/cutting gage, and I’m thinking of […]
September 30, 2003 – 11:57 am
Tonight is my first woodworking classes. I can’t wait… is it 6 PM yet?
September 25, 2003 – 10:48 am
A few years ago, I went to the Ig Nobel prizes (brought to you by the Annals of Improbable Research) and saw clips from the riotously funny Project Grizzly. After only four years, I’ve broken down and purchased the video from Amazon. It should be here soon, and I’ll have to find a way to […]
September 23, 2003 – 8:49 am
Check out my new toy: I got the drafting table cheap a while ago off a listing on Craigslist and just last night got the drafting machine from a seller on eBay. The machine is pretty old (maybe it’s from the 70’s?), but everything seems to work just fine – the scales keep their relation […]
September 22, 2003 – 12:03 pm
I had a great time watching Pirates of the Carribean on Friday night. Johnny Depp was brilliantly and suprisingly flamboyant, especially for a Disney film. It was, of course, an appropriate film to see on “talk like a pirate” day. It promises to be a full week with Matt’s birthday dinner on Thursday and his […]
September 19, 2003 – 7:18 am
Last night, for the first time in quite a few months, I paid a visit to the Lexington Scrabble Club. There’re always nice folks at the club, and I played two good games. Bingos from last night included BUCKLeS and DAIsIES (which could’ve been DAIrIES, DIArIES, DAIlIES, or DAISIEd). Though it didn’t cost me (I […]
September 15, 2003 – 7:40 am
We went hiking Saturday on the Tully Trail in Central Mass. and had a great time. The trails were well marked and well maintained, and the area was gorgeous. It passes through several parks/properties, but it’s all managed by the Trustees of Reservations. They manage a number of other properties all over Massachusetts so check […]
September 12, 2003 – 1:25 pm
Finally, an Ask Slashdot I can weigh in on with some authority. You can see my comment (Score: 5, Informative!) here.
September 11, 2003 – 8:59 am
After nearly a year, my brother updated his site to let folks know about some sweet t-shirts he has for sale at CafePress. There’s the robo-murito (robotic monkey burrito), frog, and satellite, all from artwork he’s done. Stock up now; when he’s a famous artist, they’ll be worth thousands apiece…
September 11, 2003 – 7:21 am
For the first time in a long time, I’m having a bad hair day. For years now, all I have to do is shake my head when I get out of the shower and my hair is done. Sure, when I don’t shower in the morning, my hair’s all a mess, but when I actually […]
September 10, 2003 – 8:00 am
For the second time this week, I got to work more than fifteen minutes late ’cause of traffic. Monday, I got to the highway and found it a seven mile parking lot. I managed to avoid sitting in it for hours, but going the back way took a while. And then today, a truck full […]
September 9, 2003 – 8:10 am
This past weekend, my brother and I went on a nice bike trip from Plymouth to Provincetown along the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway. It’s not so much a bike path as it is a route – there are signs guiding you from road to road (and eventually, for about 20 miles, on the Cape Cod Rail […]
September 3, 2003 – 7:09 am
I took one more picture of the kludged cable from my iMac hack – this time with the good digital camera. Check it out: So a good portion of the city of Boston moves in or out of their apartment on September 1st (any guesses on what percent of the city turns over?), leaving behind […]
August 29, 2003 – 7:22 am
As previously mentioned, my iMac (graphite DV SE) has been having issues – specifically, the hard drive has been making bad noises of the “imminent mechanical failure” variety. Rather than replacing the whole computer, I decided I’d buy a new hard drive (cheap!), copy the data from old to new, and go on my merry […]
August 27, 2003 – 8:25 am
I decided against playing frisbee this fall, and instead opted to sign up for a pretty intensive woodworking class (I’m taking “Fundamentals of Fine Woodworking”). I’m excited!
August 26, 2003 – 6:42 am
My bedside table is nearly finished – the only bit left is to make a nice face for the drawer. I’ll post pictures soon… I’ve had to hold off on buying a new computer for a bit, so I’m using an old (and pretty junky) laptop to surf at home as my iMac’s still not […]
August 18, 2003 – 7:01 am
My poor iMac is on the fritz. The hard drive is slowly dying, and I spent a good couple of hours yesterday slowly transferring my data off it. It’s served me well for a number of years, but I think it may be time for a new computer. Apple shouldn’t be hurt, but I may […]
August 13, 2003 – 6:54 am
The schedule for the end-of-the-season BUDA tournament is up. The frisbee gods have looked kindly on Love Child and given us a first-round bye! No complaints from me… we’ll keep our fingers crossed that the folks who control the weather act similarly. I’ve been listening to The Postal Service all morning and enjoying the heck […]
August 6, 2003 – 12:06 pm
Yesterday afternoon, I had the strongest desire to hear Bjork sing the Sponge Bob Square Pants Theme Song. Does that make me weird?
August 4, 2003 – 8:06 am
After the frisbee games this weekend, we went swimming at a great swimming hole in Bristol, VT. With cliffs from which to jump and cool, clear water, we were happy little campers after playing four games of disc in 80 degree (and humid) weather. I’m planning on getting some more swimming in this weekend on […]
August 1, 2003 – 7:07 am
I’m off to northern Vermont this weekend to play at Ho Lay Cow 2003 with Wicked. They’re a solid, club-level team from Boston, so I’m expecting to get my butt kicked solidly (and at the club-level) this weekend. Should be fun, though… We’re looking for third roommate for our place in Davis Square. If you’re […]
July 29, 2003 – 7:37 am
The Texas legislation is on the move again. Wouldn’t you think Delay got the message the first time around?
July 28, 2003 – 7:12 am
I finally made it to the new Krispy Kreme store in Medford this morning on the way to get my oil changed. Boy are those things tasty, and, as they’re free coming off the line (at least the first one or two are free), Dunkin’ Donuts can’t even compete in the price department. So why […]
July 24, 2003 – 11:20 am
I added a note to the car page about the Autostop feature. Sounds like a software bug for Honda to take care of in the next version… The car’s still great, minor issues aside. Mileage has been fantastic this summer, in spite of some air conditioning use (56 mpg with A/C is pretty impressive). No […]
July 23, 2003 – 1:28 pm
From his review of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in The New Yorker, I share with you two of Anthony Lane’s varied thoughts on the movie: ” Terminator 3 … was designed to make the invasion of Iraq seem, on a dollar-per-minute basis, like pretty good value.” “I would not choose to be the […]
July 22, 2003 – 11:30 am
Montreal was quite a good time this weekend, and successful, to boot. We came in 5th out of 32 teams and lost only one game the whole weekend (to the winners of the tournament). Not bad at all… Work will hopefully continue this week and weekend on the bedside table I’m building. Pictures soon. My […]
July 15, 2003 – 11:26 am
I’m off to Montreal for a frisbee tournament this weekend. Our team’s theme is wrestling, so I need to dress up like a WWE character. Any suggestions? Unsurprisingly, I don’t have the first clue about the world of professional wrestling.
July 12, 2003 – 10:54 pm
The Olympic Peninsula pictures that make me so happy finally got scanned. Check ’em out here.
July 10, 2003 – 6:43 am
Apparently, the IQ of the average American TV viewer has dropped precipitously in the last two years since I stopped watching. Whereas the worst shows (in my view) a couple years ago were Survivor or When Animals Attack IV – Penguins, we now have Who Wants to Marry my Dad? and Who Wants to be […]
July 9, 2003 – 8:56 pm
I posted the first two rounds of Seattle pictures. You can see the non-ultimate related pictures here and the pictures from Potlatch here. These are only the ones I took with the digital camera – the great pictures from the Olympic Peninsula are still to come.
July 9, 2003 – 1:45 pm
When asked about possible incorrect intelligence information used in the decision to go to war to remove Saddam Hussein from power, President Bust replied, “And there’s no doubt in my mind that the United States, along with allies and friends, did the right thing in removing him from power. And there’s no doubt in my […]
July 9, 2003 – 12:24 pm
We had a health benefits meeting today at work, and I hadn’t eaten my lunch yet, so I ate my junky McDonald’s food during the meeting. The irony was not lost on me. Potlatch & other Seattle pictures coming soon, I promise.
July 8, 2003 – 6:27 am
I’m back from the Northwest, and so far, I’m unimpressed. Whereas it was 70, sunny, and clear all day in Seattle yesterday, it was already 80 degrees, humid and hazy in Boston when I landed at 7 this morning. Ick. I got some great pictures back already (had ’em developed in Seattle ’cause I couldn’t […]
June 30, 2003 – 11:11 pm
Backpacking and camping on the Olympic Peninsula was just spectacular this weekend. We had great weather for the most part (and good gear to keep out the short spells of bad weather), and had a good time. Look for pictures soon. In the meantime, I’m hangin’ out in Seattle for the next couple days. Anything […]
June 26, 2003 – 10:23 am
As reported in the Guardian (and just about every other online news source), the Supreme Court ruled the Texas anti-sodomy laws unconstitutional. It’s nice to get good news these days, with so much of the news being depressing and all. Off to Seattle (and Olympic National Park) tomorrow for a good week and half of […]
June 24, 2003 – 8:51 am
Cheers to Anna for putting me on to Chowhound. According to Matt Groening, it’s “the anti-Zagat’s.” Combine these reviews (the anti-Zagat) with those in Zagat’s and you get pure food energy! Or at least a decent idea of where’s good to eat near you.
June 23, 2003 – 8:40 am
Somehow, ultimate frisbee got a bad rap on Fark.com. Is it a stereotype that disc players have trouble finding dates? I’d never heard that one before, nor had many of the folks on Fark (except the guy who submitted the story), and it was nice to see a bunch of people (including quite a few […]
June 23, 2003 – 6:29 am
Danielle & I hosted a very successful dinner party last night for Rif & Anna’s birthdays (a success other than the part where I got spattered with hot oil, anyway). We made this recipe, along with couscous and a great candied parsnip dish. Danielle made another beautiful cake (her last creation with Anna is here), […]
June 17, 2003 – 8:55 am
My dark, dirty past is coming out this week. Well, I guess it depends on your definitions of “dark” and “dirty,” but the event under question here is my less-than-starring role in the movie Major League II. My friend Ben was a bit of an actor in high school, so much so that he actually […]
June 16, 2003 – 10:59 am
I picked up a few books and a CD at lunchtime today. I’m looking forward to using The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction and have heard good things about Everything is Illuminated. And, to top it off, the new Radiohead album is sweet. I used my credit card to pay for my […]
June 12, 2003 – 9:23 am
I saw Spellbound last night – it’s a great documentary that follows eight kids through their regional spelling bees to the 1997 national competition. It’s quite funny and entertaining, as well as being a nice “slice of life” film documenting quite a few different ways of living in this country. Only a few times does […]
June 10, 2003 – 11:04 am
What was I doing Monday night around midnight? Moving a piano, of course. My parents moved in to their new place Monday, but they didn’t have a home for their piano. My brother decided he had room, so the plan was to unload their truck first and have the movers unload the piano at my […]
June 9, 2003 – 1:51 pm
I took my car on it’s first roadtrip this weekend – drove down to New York and back up via northwest Connecticut. It performed wonderfully. See:
June 6, 2003 – 7:51 am
My parents are moving up to Boston next week into a great condo in Cambridge. Yesterday I saw the condo in Somerville that an old co-worker and his wife recently moved into, and three more friends are in the process of buying places in the area. I feel left out! I got a gig recently […]
June 4, 2003 – 11:54 am
The latest trend in online dating/whatever services seems to be Friendster. According to their page, they’ve got several hundred thousand members and they’re growing. Curiously, their page doesn’t seem to answer the question: how do they make money? Almost certainly it’s not through the sale of t-shirts and mugs. Thankfully, someone is keeping an eye […]
June 3, 2003 – 7:04 am
Wanna drool over some nicely designed items? Go right ahead. Inexplicably, the opening of Spellbound was delayed by a week in Boston, foiling our plans for a Wednesday viewing. Sadly, our exposure to the world of competitive spelling will have to wait.
May 29, 2003 – 8:35 am
I added a few links, to some artist friends’ pages. I made some sacrifices to the weather gods in the hopes that my summer league game tonight and the spring league tournament this weekend will still happen. What’s with this weather?
May 27, 2003 – 8:01 am
Rif & I started work on the piano bench this weekend, only to realize we’d bought only two-thirds of the wood we’ll need. Why is arithmetic so easy to mess up? We were gonna go camping at Mt. Greylock this weekend, but weather got in the way. Probably better that we weren’t up there in […]
May 19, 2003 – 11:32 am
One thing I do miss about living in DC is reading the Washington Post’s Style Invitation column. Thankfully, it’s online, and they recently posted this.
May 19, 2003 – 7:11 am
I can’t even begin to say how much I enjoyed Donnie Darko. It was well written, had a superb cast, and the attention to detail was marvelous. I’m not saying it’s a movie with a particularly deep message, but it did really speak to me. I was creeped out by the creepy parts. I identified […]