I registered a new domain name earlier this week, and in the days since a deluge of spam–”let us design your new website,” “let us design your logo,” “guaranteed SEO!” and the like–has descended upon me, the likes of which I’ve never experienced.

They all went into my junk mail bin.

I’ve never been inclined to pay for anonymous domain name registration, partially because of frugality, but mostly because I think the domain name system should be open and transparent. But now I’m reconsidering.

“Coming up, Patricia Bosworth relives the day she sent a fax to Marlon Brando’s dog, and got a response…”

Nobody gives promo like Alec Baldwin gives promo.

Listen to how the story unfolds.

During the solar eclipse, I was busy eating shrimp on the patio of the Olde Dublin Pub with visiting friends from Saskatchewan; I am an astronomical failure.

Casey Neistat, though, made a delightful video about his pursuit of totality.

I’ve had this Edison Record case (empty, alas) on my shelf for years; so long that I’ve forgotten how I got it.

Tonight I finally got to hear what its missing contents sounded like: For Love and Honor was digitized by UC Santa Barbara Cylinder Archive.

Evidence that Oliver is taller than his mother.

As much as I’m delighted at the thought of a diary bar, I felt it only right to correct the record.

The sunflowers on our dining room table started to shed yellow today; I decided to seize the opportunity to experiment.

Oliver was very passionate about getting a chance to speak at the “Inaction is Not an Option” rally today here in Charlottetown, organized to give Islanders a chance to gather to speak out against racism, hatred, white supremacy and nationalism.

The organizers generously allowed his name to be added to the speakers list at the last minute; he chose two passages to read, one from Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, and one from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

I have never been prouder: Oliver has a deep-seated aversion to inequity, violence and hatred, and feels a strong common cause with anyone whose intrinsic worth is threatened.

We wanted to get something to help Oliver with his photography at Cloggeroo last week, something that would clamp around the Moto G mobile phone he was using to shoot the photos, that would allow him both extra reach and a way of steadying the phone.

We went up to Best Buy the morning of Cloggeroo to see what we could find; I remembered there being a wide array of phone-mounts-for-tripods; alas there was nothing in evidence, and the staff disclaimed any knowledge of such things ever having existed.

Just before we headed out, empty-handed, I noticed a kit labelled Quik Pod by Digipower hanging in the camera accessories rack; it was exactly what we needed. Inside the carrying case was a telescoping monopod and a mobile phone clamp that screwed into it. It was $34, which seemed dear, but it was all they had, so we purchased one.

Here’s what it looks like:

And here’s an annotated sketch illustrating how it all fits together:

The Quik Pod performed well at Cloggeroo: Oliver used it as a monopod, as a selfie-stick, and as an extension to allow better photos of the crowds. It was a good investment, and I’m sure we’ll make more use of it in the future.

It took more than two months from start to finish, but the Coles Building in Queens Square has a new set of stairs.

Demolition on the old concrete stairs, which had been patched beyond their ability to be patched any longer, started on June 7, 2017; through July and into August, MacLean Construction removed the rubble, set forms, poured concrete for the sides, let this set, set forms, poured concrete for the stairs, let this set, and, finally, put in place brand new rails on August 11, 2017.

The restored entrance, which affords access to the temporary home of the Legislative Assembly of PEI, opened earlier this week.

MacLean did great, careful work, and I’m certain that the new stairs will outlive it and me.

Because I walk by the Coles Building at least twice a day–it’s on my way to and from the office–I had a front-row seat to all of this, and every time there was a new development I snapped a photo.

Here’s a photographic journey through the process.