Ben East Books

Category: Holidays

  • Clean, not Sanitary

    Clean, not Sanitary

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    Ben East
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    That left the question of whether it would be worse to wear the pee of some anonymous surfer, or wear his old man’s pee. The kid handled it gracefully. “No dad. Then we wouldn’t be surfing together.”

  • Surf Report

    Surf Report

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    Ben East
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    a low and diminishing will to push out and paddle, there will be no board wax today

  • Holiday Travel Writing Tip

    Holiday Travel Writing Tip

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    Ben East
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    Most of us in this parallel economy already have some version of BuyBux—cash rewards for paying with credit. MyBux© takes it to a whole new level, consolidating all loyalty programs under one umbrella. And because I’m a novelist, not a productive entrepreneur, the MyBux© loyalty program exists safely within the confines of my unwritten plot.

  • Indian Independence Day

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    Ben East
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    I’m used to hearing about my sideline activity: ‘Don’t quit yer day job!’ This performance, part of my official duties, speaks for itself: time to revisit the common wisdom about where to put my energies. That said, the team who put it all together have proven once again how talented they are at producing something…

  • The Longest Monday

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    Ben East
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    With all its cold, dark hours and lingering gloom at the start of the year, January might be called The Monday of Months. This year, many of our democratic traditions will be reflected in major events taking place during this long month of Mondays. The 117th U.S. Congress is sworn in today. A vote in…

  • Christmas Cream Cheese

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    Ben East
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    Candy cane cream cheese did not exist before today. Google the concept and see for yourself. The phrase turns up false narratives, like cream cheese cookies shaped like candy canes, or a candy cane-shaped Danish with cream cheese and cherry filling. Delicious, yes. But candy cane cream cheese? For a bagel? Nosir. Here’s our recipe.…

  • An Indian King from the East

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    Ben East
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    Every year brings new challenges to our myths. This year, astronomers turn our attention to the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn low in the night sky, an event said to have occurred two thousand and twenty years ago at the birth of Jesus Christ. The three wise men, we are made to understand, found…

  • Thanksgiving Hike

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    Ben East
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    We shook off the lingering Thanksgiving weekend with a sturdy hike today, climbing 1,100 feet to reach Karnala Fort. The climb passes through the Karnala Bird Sanctuary off highway 66 in Raigad, Maharashtra, home to some two hundred species of birds. We also spotted wood spiders, carpenter bees, termites, dragon flies, and cicadas, and saw…

  • Don Turkey & Key Lime Pie

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    Ben East
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    Me bloggy familiars: recognize this? We made such pies a few years back. And we ate those discs of lemony lime so again Kodachrome the tarty goodness in oven-baked form. After Don Turkey loses his head we’ll top ‘em with cream. Whipping it first! (Did I say, Don Turkey, THE Donald Turkey? Pardon me, pardon…

  • Lost

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    Ben East
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    Nothing in 2020 was immune to the pandemic. Even my hard drive crashed by June, shelved for months before a fix could be found. Well before my laptop’s demise, the year had already presented its share of challenges. Travel to Bhopal in January to support American blues performers at an international music festival. February dedicated…