"I'm sorry, I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer for dinner," said Joe.

"That's okay; we'll have scrambled eggs," I replied.

"With ham?" Joe said, with hope and longing in his voice.

"Certainly, and maybe even cheese," I chirped, full of a cook's confidence.

I spoke too soon, at least as far as the cheese was concerned. The contents of the bag of grated mild cheddar was turning a lovely shade of slate blue, while… Read More

A few years ago, I asked Joe what he wanted for Christmas.

"Oh, a dodecahedron," he replied helpfully.

Great. Where was I supposed to find a dodecahedron? Internet to the rescue!

It turns out that you can actually make dodecahedrons, tetrahedrons, cubes, and all kinds of other geometric shapes using origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding.

I found some simple instructions for a dodecahedron and I was off to the races. I bought packs of… Read More

Joe and I are really enjoying the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We may be a bit different from most fans, though.

See, our home team, the Washington Capitals, did not make the playoffs this year, so we have to root for other teams. We generally pick "our" teams at the start of the first round, and stick with those teams if they advance. If a favored team gets knocked out, then we choose a new one.

But when our… Read More

I am in Minneapolis at the moment, attending the Technical Communication Summit, the annual conference of the STC. I've been a member of the Society since 1983 and served as its president in 1999-2000.

I look forward to this conference every year, because I love meeting up with old friends, meeting new friends, and learning about the cool new trends, tools, and skills of my profession.

This year I'm learning about wikis (think … Read More

Mom, today is your 70th Mother's Day!

You first became a mother in November of 1936, during the Great Depression, when every penny counted and you wondered how in the world you and Pop could make the mortgage payment - $47.50 was a huge amount of money in those days.

Pop went away to serve in World War II and left you to raise two kids, using ration books for meat and gas while you wondered if he would come home safely.

… Read More

Still looking for a Mother's Day gift?

Oh, you've already got it covered?

Okay then, here's a suggestion for the next holiday where a gift of calorie-laden, endorphin-producing chocolates are appropriate.

I love Dan's Chocolates.

I first discovered Dan's when my son was in college and in desperate need of a rich chocolate elective. I got an email advertising Dan's and decided to give them a try.

I selected a 1-pound box of assorted chocolates, picked a fun cover for the box,… Read More