Category Archives: The Good Life

Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes:

Fenster writes: Cooking a soft-boiled egg correctly is really quite simple. However, the process has deep taproots so bear with me for a bit with some background about my father and grandfather. The Backstory My grandfather arrived in the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and health, Personal reflections, The Good Life | Tagged recipes | 7 Comments

The View from My Train

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Took the Amtrak from Orange County to San Diego over the weekend. On the way back home, I snapped this snap of Solana Beach. No wonder everyone wants to live in California.

Posted in Photography, The Good Life, Travel | Tagged Amtrak, California, cliche for a reason, San Diego, Solana Beach | 5 Comments

Montaigne: Patron Saint of UR, Godfather of Blogging

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: As these two posts alluded to, I just finished reading Sarah Bakewell’s excellent biography of the French writer Michel de Montaigne.

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Education, Philosophy and Religion, The Good Life | Tagged Alain de Botton, Bordeaux, Descartes, France, Montaigne, Patron Saints of UR, skepticism, Stephen Toulmin, the essay | 3 Comments

The Last Bookstore

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: While in downtown L.A. this weekend, we checked out a hip new shop called, ominously and ironically, The Last Bookstore.

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Commercial art, Photography, The Good Life | Tagged book store, Los Angeles, poetry slam, pulps | 11 Comments

Car Show / Art Show?

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: A few weeks ago my wife and I attended a modest outdoor show of classic cars. It was a very happy experience for me. I was a car-crazy kid for a number of years … and here … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Commercial art, The Good Life | Tagged cars, commercial design, industrial design | 2 Comments

Ippudo NY

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: The Wife and I ate at this highly-praised Japanese restaurant the other evening and thought it more than lived up to the hype, delivering a lot of chic theater and scene-y fun, as well as the best ramen we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and health, The Good Life | 5 Comments

Linkathon

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Fair to say that docs about food topics are one of the most vital cultureforms around these days? Is Apple going to hell? I wrote about some of my own misgivings about Apple’s direction here. “Birth tourism” … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, Demographics, Linkathons, Movies, Music, Science, Sex, The Good Life | Tagged Apple, Audio Connoisseur, demographics, Thucydides | 1 Comment

Why “Follow Your Passion” is Bad Career Advice

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: In his 2005 Stanford commencement address, Steve Jobs said, “You’ve got to find what you love…. [T]he only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal reflections, The Good Life | Tagged Apple, bad advice, career, graduation speeches, Steve Jobs, work | 6 Comments

City Sights: Bikes in Long Beach

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Back here, Paleo Retiree contrasted the asshole bicycle culture of the United States versus the more civilized one in Berlin. This got me thinking about the city I work in, which as I mentioned in the comments, … Continue reading →