The premise of “Daisy Jones and the Six” is a great one: It’s inspired by the 1970s Fleetwood Mac saga in which at least three relationships shattered while the group somehow created some incredibly successful music, including two songwriters at their peak taking out their frustrations on each other song by song. Since it’s not... Continue Reading →
Livetweets: The fall of the Alamo
Here in Feb. 23-March 6, 2021, we are again in the midst of the Alamo's “13 Days to Glory.” I've "livetweeted" the Alamo siege twice, in 2011 and 2020. This year, I thought I would collect the text of my 2020 tweets in case I ever decide to revise them again! So here they are... Continue Reading →
Aggie book shopping, and Texas too
The Texas A&M Press puts out a great number of terrific books. Many, but certainly not all, deal with Texas and Texas A&M. Here’s a selection of some that are new in the past year or two! You Saw Me On The Radio (memoir of Dave South, longtime Aggie sports broadcaster) Return to Junction (Bear... Continue Reading →
Kitty’s Tortilla Soup
Below is a most useful recipe for soothing head, heart and soul, a tried-and-true favorite by my friend Kitty that appeared in the Austin paper with the headline "Cedar fever is no match for heady, spicy tortilla soup" (cedar fever being the allergies you get from the Central Texas/Hill Country resident evil, Ashe juniper). It... Continue Reading →
Bubbles, “Ball five” and more Aggie baseball traditions
Baseball season is back! Since 2015, Texas A&M fans have been blizzarding Blue Bell Park with bubbles when the Aggies score a run. A&M fans' "Ball five" chant is decades older than that. I wrote up this guide to the most noticeable traditions observed by Aggies at Olsen Field - where we don't have yell... Continue Reading →
They read only four names.
For Presidents’ Day, here’s a story I did about 1946 when (future president) Eisenhower was Muster speaker in Kyle Field as Texas A&M celebrated the end of World War II with a giant homecoming. Thousands of returning A&M servicemen came back for a weekend of dancing, dining, Aggie baseball and the largest Muster that had... Continue Reading →
Gardening month-by-month in the Brazos Valley
This is the A&M Gardening Club’s “Monthly tasks for the Brazos Valley" - but edited down to plants that are in my garden. View their whole calendar here. January FERTILIZE AND MULCH: Iris, crepe myrtle, trees, strawberries, day lilies BLOOMING: Narcissus, pansy, jasmine, roses. WEATHER PROTECTION: If a freeze is predicted, cover tender plants and shrubs with boxes... Continue Reading →
Why Yankees think ‘Y’all’ is singular: A theory
A few years back at Christmastime in Chicago, I wandered cold and sleepy into a store across from Wrigley Field. I'd been away from home too long, I needed comfort and I hadn't found a Dr Pepper in days. Inadvertently, a linguistic theory was born. Yankees are known (yes, you are) for mistakenly using "y'all"... Continue Reading →
Three Aggies to know: Ike, Von, Roy
Here in the land of Aggie news, we are aware of what we call "the maroon bubble." That is, some news is really familiar to those of us living/working around campus, but we realize not all Aggies may actually hear about it if they live outside the bubble. So here are three Aggies whom, if... Continue Reading →
Maroon Velvet cocktail
A sparkly cocktail suitable for all formal Aggie occasions. Seniors may garnish with a dainty curl of lemon peel. 🙂 Proportions are One part Chambord liqueur (black raspberry liqueur) Four parts pomegranate juice Six parts champagne