http://blocletters.com REFLECTIONS IN A STRONG CUP OF COFFEE Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:07:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I downloaded Hipstamatic recently, and get a kick out of the results. Posts on Facebook from a former coworker reminded me I wanted to check out the iPhone app. Thanks, Lisa. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540" caption="Baby Blocletters goes retro"][/caption] http://blocletters.com/2010/08/22/novelty-for-sure/ Here's a follow up to the last post. Now that I've had the iPhone 4 for a few days, a few more thoughts: I can now duplicate the "grip of death," getting the bars to drop. To get the effect, I have to hold the device just so with my left ... http://blocletters.com/2010/07/26/new-iphone-impressions-2/ I admit I did a little happy dance when the email from Apple to let me know my new iPhone was ready for pickup arrived this morning. Mrs. Blocletters bought it just two days ago for my birthday. At the time, they told her the wait could stretch for three ... http://blocletters.com/2010/07/24/new-iphone-impressions/ Today I drew the crevé! card. My doctor called this afternoon with test results: I have a stress fracture in my left foot. I used to play Mille Bornes often. For the unacquainted, it's a French-import card game. Each player, or driver, takes turns drawing cards representing distances in the hopes ... http://blocletters.com/2010/07/23/creve/ Recently a nice surprise arrived in my inbox from my Great Aunt Alice. She sent this photo given to her by my great grandfather, Joseph Russel Johnson. [caption id="attachment_1216" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Sproats and Johnsons c. 1905"][/caption] The photo, likely taken in fall 1905, shows Joseph Russel at age 8. It features much ... http://blocletters.com/2010/07/16/family-a-century-ago/ I fathered a mixed-race child. Honestly, I don't give her "mix" much thought, and don't think twice about the idea of people marrying and (gasp) having children across racial lines. Mom didn't raise me like that. So, I was taken aback on a trip to a local hardware store this week ... http://blocletters.com/2010/06/07/silence-is-sometimes-best/ Three weeks have passed. Recovery stands at about 95 percent, though I still ache in my left shin when I extend my foot too far. My finish time: 5 hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds. The Trail Marathon sits in a well-earned first place among the most demanding physical acts I've ... http://blocletters.com/2010/05/16/2010-trail-marathon-lookback/ Lump quiche in the easy-to-make category. Eggs, milk, cheese and filling -- that's it. Of course, you can use a pie shell if you want, but that just complicates things. I worked for a while at a cafe that featured a daily quiche and, having hundreds of them under my ... http://blocletters.com/2010/05/07/quiche-made-easy/ Raw fish scares a lot of people, but it shouldn't. People eat a lot creepier things* all the time and live to tell their tales. Plus, the tuna here isn't technically raw, since it "cooks" in the acid of the lime juice. This recipe is versatile and delicious. Sorry, no picture ... http://blocletters.com/2010/05/01/albacore-ceviche/ Never, ever leave stuff in plain view in a car in Detroit. Mrs. Blocletters has made this point to me numerous times. I had to learn the hard way. Yesterday, I waited in the repair shop with Baby Blocletters, who was about as patient as a 6-month-old can be in a ... http://blocletters.com/2010/04/28/crappy-lesson-learned/