Simpson's Paradox

Packing (verb) — Throwing the absolute minimum amount of wash-in-the-sink-and-hang-dry t-shirts in a bag, so I can leave maximum space for hair products and books.
Once again, I forgot to take my shampoo and conditioner and lotion and mouthwash and antiseptic out of my carryon and put them in a little plastic bag, and put the [...]

Perhaps I’ve mentioned this once or twice, but I was recently in Denver visiting my friends. And before that, I was at the Triangle games conference. I’m back working my usual shift in the restaurant now, with a refreshed appetite for mango lassis. (I’m also trying not to kill a certain prep cook who cannot [...]

When Stick and I were flying out to Denver, there was a problem with the TV screens on the plane, so no one could watch the movie. It was no trouble at all, because I hadn’t realized that there was going to be a movie, so I’d brought a book (Ok… several books. Shut up!), [...]

So, how about that Google Buzz, huh?
Google’s last toy, Google Wave, was kind of a flop for me because it seemed like a neat collaborative tool, but none of my friends were on it yet. (On a reread, doesn’t that make me sound like a pretentious tech geek?) Like any social network, it’s only as [...]

So, I’ve been working on some other projects, and now I’m going to recycle snips of those articles into a blog post,  I mean, share what I’ve been working on!
First, I recently reviewed the new Nintendo DS game Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion on ThumbGods:
WMC follows the usual pattern of story cutscenes, hidden [...]

We gave our students a practice verbal SAT test in class this week.
“What does circumlocution mean?” asked one student, who wrote a hilarious career essay on becoming a successful Pokemon master.
“I can’t tell you that,” I said, “I won’t be next to you on the real test.”
“I could summon you from a Pokeball. Miss Meg, [...]

I have mixed feelings about Colleen McCullough. On one hand, she wrote the well-researched and racy Caesar’s Women and other novels set in ancient Rome. On the other hand, I haven’t quite forgiven her for Thorn Birds.
Now, I love Pride and Prejudice.The story is an understated comedy of formal manners and romantic expectations, plus nerdy [...]

Note: As you read this post, please imagine Stick shouting “Trickertreat!” every few minutes in the background.
I saw this over on Suburban Turmoil, aptly titled  “Best. News Release. Ever.”
Monster Mash Singer’s Daughter Turns His Cremated Remains into a Diamond.
Los Angeles, CA October 31st, 2008 – Bobby Pickett who co-wrote and performed “The Monster Mash“, died [...]

The awesome Mental Floss Blog has a new post on 5 Innovative Ways to Encourage Safer Sex. All 5 are funny – condom ringtones, anyone? — but I just had to share this one.
Ethiopians claim they hate condoms because the smell of latex sickens them. To combat the odor, DKT International, a United Sates nonprofit, [...]

I interviewed for a job at reading center today, and the interviewer hired me to edit her dissertation.