With the movements towards a permanent colony on Mars, and Virgin Galactic’s progress toward civilian space flights, it seems like a good time to offer just a few reflections on space travel and its implications. I think the end of the shuttle program bodes poorly for the screenplay I wanted to produce when I was […]

4:20am:  Hm.  I think it’s time to get up.  Hm.  Yeah.  Time to get up.  Time to get up! Time to get up! Time to get up!  Gosh, where is everybody?  TIME TO GET UP! 6:14am:  I am very close to figuring out the code to the three buttons on the play station.  There is […]

The sand-colored jeans worn by Mark Hamill in the original Star Wars have gone up for auction! You might reasonably wonder why you should spend the expected 70-100,000 dollars for them, especially if you don’t happen to have a size 29 waist. But that would be because you haven’t thought it through.  Just consider all […]

As most people know, there are agreed upon nonverbal signals ranging from fairly minor – like the “okay” signal or an eye roll to communicate an “Oh, brother” reaction – to very important non-verbal distress signals. *** But the truth is, there are an incredible number of situations in which non-verbal communication is crucial.  Here […]

I had an idea.  An idea that bubbled up from some terrible dark place.  It was an idea for my own award, which I am introducing today, in hopes that people will connect with it, and pass along their own winners.  The basis of the Jafees is blogs that do something, or have some component, […]

For the school where I work, this past weekend was prom – that magical night when a girl’s dreams come true.  Assuming her dreams involve trying to walk in 5-inch heels, not eating your expensive dinner because the dress is too tight, and then listening to deafening music with a guy who thinks he’s the […]

Have a problem and don’t know where to turn? Well… When Dr. Laura isn’t brutal enough… When Carolyn Hax isn’t sexy enough… When Dr. Phil isn’t yelling enough… That’s when you need to Ask Sexy Stalin! Dear Sexy Stalin, Fashion question: This spring, is it going to be OK to mix Czechs and stripes? Signed, Baddest […]

So the other day I was explaining hyperbole to someone.  I said, “For example, ‘I will love you ‘til the seas run dry.’ Gross overstatement for effect.”  The person said, “Oh, of course – because of the prefix ‘hyper.’” And said that I supposed then you could also use hypobole – gross understatement for effect.  […]