Bill Powell Is Alive [The Den]
{ Three Acres and a Penguin }

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Sorry I've been away, but I've been updating Penny Justice. Take a look.

About Bill Powell (me)

Hi.

I write, and I'm alive. Wherever I go, whoever I meet, I find we usually have at least one of those in common. I do like to check.

This site is primarily my den, which was formerly known as my blog, Adventures of an Ex-Suburbanite, until I gave up trying to name it something other than the web site, Bill Powell Is Alive. For years I've let this email address amuse and bewilder hapless data entry folk, but it's time I explained that the site name is a reference, perhaps oblique, to Chesterton's Manalive, which is one of my favorite books. In fact, maybe you should just go read it right now, or at least my sample typeset chapter. Or find out how I made it into a game.

I have also given up pretending I really qualify as an ex-suburbanite. Not yet. But you can still read about my adventures in land hunting, organic farming, and permaculture under quest. Oh, and then there's that home birth or two under family.

If you prefer not to think about chickens as cannibals or what it's like to actually use your pocketknife, fear not, fellow sedentary friend. A casual perusal of the categories at right demonstrates the true proportion of outdoor adventuring on this site.

For instance, my last few years have been rather disproportionately occupied with GNU/Linux. You wouldn't guess it from the volume of posts, but that's because it's more fun to play with Linux. Or fight with it.

I've also posted a fair bit of my writing here (especially at the portfolio), but most of my current stuff is still offline while I send it to market. In fact, I originally conceived of this as my work/personal site, but that little slash turns out to cover rather an abyss. If you're interested in professional typesetting, layout, and graphic design services, please consider Wineskin Media for your next click.

And if you don't find enough around here on Distributism and other social justice topics, you might enjoy my new free ezine:

And if you're tired of the Internet's collective posturing at veracity, perhaps you'd enjoy a bit of open satire:

Wherever you go next (here!), I hope you have a lovely day.

And if you have any questions, comments, or uproarious tales of derring-do, please let me know.

Portfolio

Layout and Typesetting

For samples of my layout, design, and typesetting work, please see my portfolio at Wineskin Media. You’ll find book covers, typeset book pages, and links to web sites I've designed.

Art

On this site, you can see several children’s illustrations which appeared in workbooks by Seton Press.

Writing

Understandably, I can’t put all my work online. Upon request, I’ll be happy to send you private copies of the following pieces:

• Is There a Hobo in Your Attic? (Bibliophilos Magazine).
• The Case of the Missing Binoculars (Reading-Thinking Skills 6, Seton Press)

Nevertheless, while almost everything on this site is my own work, here are a few of my polished pieces:

Reviews and Criticism

The Complicity of Jobs
By limiting ourselves to scientific language, scientific reasons to save the planet, we destroy the concept of reverence for nature. White explicitly hearkens back to religious traditions, Christian dogma, even Thomas Aquinas, finding there a reverence for what is that’s missing today as much from the Sierra Club as from Silicon Valley. So what can we do? Wrong question. What are we doing?

An apple for Ms. Cavatica?
Seen in this light, the story features a rather narcissistic but mysteriously adorable young child whose only friends, really, are his teacher and her descendants (replenished yearly). All his love, respect, and devotion are for the Cavatica clan alone.

Essays

Whose Bod Is It Anyway?
On the other hand, maybe I thought also of my wife. She gives up her body for our daughter. Pregancy, birth, nursing plenty of joys, but also plenty of pain and aggravation. And plenty of time.

Procreation: The Neglected Superpower
You’re not listening. I told you. My wife and I can make new people.

I’m hatin’ it!
On one side of the billboard, occupying literally half the billboard, is a giant Egg OMuffin. Again, Im veiling the actual name of this product, but to help you visualize it Ill say that it apparently consists of two muffins, lightly toasted, each about twenty feet wide.

Hannity: Critique Not, Lest Ye Be Critiqued
Suppose I said I was Muslim. We progressive Muslims, I might say, actually reverence Jesus more than we do Muhammad. Further, we have a special veneration for St. Thomas Aquinas. And we’re encouraged to go to Confession at least once a month. To a Catholic priest. Now, in proposing these fascinating ideas, I might be right or I might be wrong. But would I be Muslim? A progressive Muslim? Any kind of Muslim?

Christ in the Utility Closet
And countless choirs of angels would appear, not to the Pope, or even to the local bishop, but to a few greasy oil-change mechanics in their shop, just finishing up on an old station wagon

Satire

You can see more of my satire and commentary at speroforum.com or The Fabricated Press.

Annual convocation of hypocrites opens
Kindred spirits find support, hypocrisy at Annual Convocation of Hypocrites

Vitamin C now requires a prescription
“And that includes those risky oranges,” explain anonymous doctors

Online dating now officially safe
Would-be murderers can’t bear to click, “I’m good”

The Milwaukee First Church of Mammon
Find fellowship on the path to True Wealth

Television fundraiser ends in fistfight
Operators standing by flee in terror, laugh

Teens

Something To Talk About Besides Girls
Youll notice that Books werent high on our list. Theyre deep in Everything Else, somewhere between Sports and Toe Cheese. (Listen Magazine, 2004 October)

Children

Bill Powell on abcteach.com
With over eighty lessons on abcteach.com, and titles like How To Argue Without Cheating and Flory’s Gulp, how can you go wrong?

How To Talk To A Rock
Of course, if you tell everyone youre going to go talk to a rock, some folks will say things like, But rocks dont talk! or Are you feeling okay? or Rocks are only good for eating! Dont worry. Theyre wrong. Rocks can talk.

Phonics K Story Sentences
I want jam on my bread.
You want Jim on the bread?
No, I want jam.
Is it a ham you want?
Stop! I just want jam!
(Phonics K, Seton Press)

Scripts: Radio/TV

Preview for “Hotel Horror”
INT. HALLWAY, NEAR VENDING MACHINE
MEL gets a drink from machine. MARK stands there.
On drink is a paper reading, “Melchizidek, you are going to die.”
MARK: Must be some other Melchizidek.
(Produced 1999.)

One Foot Can Make A Difference
AGAPE: Whats the matter, buddy? You look sad.
STINKY: I always look sad.
AGAPE: Thats cause your face is drawn on.
(Finalist, 2001 Christopher Video Contest)

The Catholic Perspective
The only show that gives you the TRUE Catholic perspective on hot, contemporary issues from the afterlife to pattern baldness-and everything in between!
(Produced 2000.)

Sometimes a blogger just wants you to go see for yourself.

CSS Sandbox

I didn't know CSS could be interactive.

The Twelve Days of ... Windows 95

People talk about technology as a religion, but does it have its own carol?

On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

• 5 eighty six
• 4 sectors bad
• 3 ports not responding
• 2 GPFs
• and Windows 95 for my PC

Dated? Nonsense. The whole thing still rings true.

Store Wars

You're not going to believe this.

Chesterton art!

ART ALERT! Time is running out to bid on this contemporary Chesterton art.

• What's a den? What is this place?
• Where do I post my comment?
• Where's the site map?
• Hey! That old post isn't under the same date/tag anymore!
• Full FAQ

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