apropos of anything

It really is. We’re only sidetracking for a teensy second.
I spent hours looking for pizza recipes because I wanted to serve pizzas at iftaar (which I did, a variation off Allie’s Mushroom Pizza), and now that it’s over, I find this page with all sorts of lovely pizza ideas. I’m writing about it here so [...]

We’re halfway through Ramadan now. I had hoped for something different. Something like last year (which at least means I met my goal for last year, that I should look back and think, if only I could do as much as I did last year).
When I read back through that post, I’m in awe of [...]

I’ve had a bit of a conundrum this week. You see, the Braves are in the wild card race for the playoffs (the division title is sadly too far out of reach), and this week they’re playing the Phillies who are ahead of them for both the wild card and the division title.
Normally, it’d be [...]

At the moment, my feet.
They’ve yet to recover from the 3-day experience. I desperately need some professional help here, but things have gotten so ugly that I’m a little ashamed to let the pedicurist see them.
In fact, it’s gotten so bad that I, who have been known to call people in Chicago in December and [...]

Michael Kinsley’s column in this week’s Time magazine: How dare you!
If nothing else, you have to admit it’s a good piece of writing.
(Regarding the Petraeus report, there’s an interesting analysis that points out the reason certain parts of Iraq, such as the Anbar province, are less explosive these days has less to do with the [...]

A raindrop in Atlanta means catastrophe on the roads. The interstates grind to a halt, and all the lovely maps on Georgia Navigator turn a blistering red, which means soon afterwards the surface streets are clogged with frenzied motorists who foolishly believe avoiding the major highways will actually get them home faster. Because of the [...]

Y’all. Ramadan Mubarak. This is going to be the BEST. RAMADAN. EVER.
How do I know?
Because of the cookies. The cookies, they are a sign.
Today after sunset I went to Walgreens — not my usual Walgreens as for some bizarre reason I picked the one that is closer to me but completely out of my way [...]

Phew.
I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book with as many never-ending sentences as Special Topics in Calamity Physics.
Granted, it’s a 500+ page book, so there are some simple sentences mixed around in there, but overall, Pessl definitively proves she doesn’t believe for a moment that brevity is the soul of wit.
The reviewers adore [...]

Ramadan is coming up. (Like, day after tomorrow. Early Ramadan mubarak, y’all!) And so, of course, I am planning an iftaar party because that’s what you do in Ramadan when you are not fasting or praying or reading Quran: you go to iftaar parties. I got the first Evite almost six weeks ago, at which [...]

Bottles that are clearly marked “soda”, Italian or otherwise, should not be shaken immediately before opening. It doesn’t matter HOW cloudy they might look towards the bottom.