I can’t imagine anything less interesting to me than something interesting. After the last two-and-a-half years of pandemic and political insanity, the last thing I need is stimulation of any kind. I’d rather be pleasantly numbed. My mind-altering substance of choice is YouTube. Continue reading

Today's beautifully drawn Six Chix cartoon by Isabella Bannerman. Continue reading

A cartoon by my wife, Isabella Bannerman, running today. That's one scary rabbit. Continue reading

I'm always excited to have a piece run in the FT. This one is about the late and great soda pop for beautiful people. Click to enlarge. Continue reading

My great-uncle's footlocker has arrived safely to First Division Museum in Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL. I snapped this photo at the Fedex office in White Plains, NY. They were extremely helpful in helping me bring it inside from the car. John died at the Battle of Cantigny on May 28, 1918. This trunk was sent back to his mother, Sara Curry, who kept it at her house in Plains, PA. Decades later, the Corcoran family, who bought the house from Sara, found me. They had kept the footlocker safe all those years. I'm happy that John's footlocker is going... Continue reading

You can actually scan the QR code in this cartoon by Six Chix Monday cartoonist (and my wife) Isabella Bannerman... Continue reading

Yesterday's "Six Chix" cartoon by my wife Isabella Bannerman, syndicated by King Features Syndicate. It's so important for couples to listen to each other... Continue reading

My absolute favorite painting by Tali Paul, my great aunt who grew up in Berlin and moved to Lidingö, Sweden in the 1930s. No photo can do it justice. My mother, Christa, had this painting as long as I can remember. It was painted in 1960. Click to enlarge. Close-up for detail: Here is the painting in situ, around 1963 or so. James Nolan, me, Chris Nolan, Christa Paul Nolan, Lisa Nolan. Dad appears to be wearing white bucks. Continue reading

Today's Six Chix cartoon by my wife Isabella. They do kinda look like dogs, don't they? Continue reading

Here is a painting by my great aunt, Tali Paul, in oil. I also include a close-up for a look at the brush strokes. Tali lived in Lidingö, Sweden, and grew up in Berlin. Continue reading

A classic Bannerman Sunday Six Chix 'toon. Click to enlarge and see how beautifully drawn it is. Continue reading

My grandfather Bengt's twin sisters, Tali and Hedda, were both artists (as was his brother, Holger). They were raised in Berlin, and were the daughters of Adolf Paul, a Swedish playwright, and Natalie Brehmer Paul. This week I received a note from someone who actually met Tali, Pia Clark. Pia's aunt and uncle were neighbors of Tali's in Lidingö, a suburb of Stockholm. They lived on Frimurarevägen. Pia sent me a portrait of her grandmother, Carolina Elizabeth Liljedahl, that Tali drew. Usually, her paintings are thick with oil, but this one had a lighter feeling and was similar to a... Continue reading

Today's Six Chix cartoon by my wife, Isabella Bannerman. I love how it's drawn. Continue reading

You can see more of Isabella's work here. Continue reading

Sometimes I get messages from folks wondering where they can buy a Buffalo Forge Grill, and other times asking how they can sell one and how much they're worth. Well, here is one that is for sale. Sure, it has some rust, but that is a given for these grills (including mine). Looks like it has its hubcaps, which isn't always the case. If you are handy at restoring, like my super-talented friends Adam Gibson or Howie Mook, it could end up looking pretty great. If you are interested, reach out to me and I will connect you to the... Continue reading

Sent to me by my friend Harley Spiller. I didn't notice it right away, but the oval is a football. The Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965, beating the San Diego Chargers both times. Lou Saban was the Bills' coach. Continue reading

It starts with his first name In the J.R.R. Tolkien novels and Peter Jackson films of The Lord of the Rings, Gríma Wormtongue is portrayed as a devious, sniveling bad guy, with greasy dark hair and an all-around bad attitude. By far, he’s my favorite character. I find it easy to sympathize with him. Let’s start with his last name. It couldn’t have been easy growing up a Wormtongue. On the mailbox at the foot of the driveway, there’s a big “Wormtongue” written on the side. People ride their horses by it every day. I’m not sure it sets up... Continue reading

In the Queens, NY neighborhood of Rego Park, they have been attacking residents and, rudely, biting them. Even if these people had coated themselves in a mixture of suet and sunflower seeds, it’s unusual behavior for squirrels. Continue reading

Another great one by Isabella Bannerman (my wife) for Six Chix. I really love the handwriting and grapes and cheese illustrations. Continue reading

There's nothing charming about this prince. Continue reading

Behind curtain #1 is a devilish math test Monty Hall, the late host of “Let’s Make a Deal,” may not be the first person who comes to mind as someone associated with complicated probability theory. But to mathematicians, he’s as well known as Stephen Hawking, Katherine Johnson, or even the jerk responsible for so many unfortunate results on my geometry tests: Euclid. This fame derives from the “Monty Hall Problem.” My son told me, “anyone with a passing interest in math has heard of it.” Naturally, I hadn’t heard of it. But Monty Hall will be known for the Monty... Continue reading

As long as there was Tab Cola, the decade wasn’t over. You were beautiful to me. I can still hear the jingle in my head. “Tab, Tab Cola, what a beautiful drink. Tab, Tab Cola, for beautiful people. Tab, you’re beautiful to me. Real cola taste, just one calorie.” In the commercial, a beautiful bikini-clad woman walks towards camera from the water, wet from the sea but somehow holding a can of… Tab. Apparently, if you drink Tab, one calorie Tab, you will look like her or I suppose the male equivalent. “Promise, large promise,” said Samuel Johnson, “is the... Continue reading

Thrilled to have this piece run in the FT. All my favorite ones have my dad in them. Beautifully drawn and colored cartoon by Six Chix's Isabella Bannerman. Squirrel King: Birdseed, Mayhem and Madness Lions and tigers and squirrels, oh my. While watching an episode of Netflix’s popular “Tiger King,” my wife casually mentioned that I am the Squirrel King. It’s an identity I embrace, but unlike Joe Exotic, I do not intend to become polygamous, at least not right away. Also, I’m guessing the neighbors might disapprove if I start blowing up gas canisters, even with advance warning. There... Continue reading

Ikea shoppers: we all have the same collection. Isabella Bannerman for Six Chix. Continue reading

A great sound engineer changes everything. Cartoon by Isabella Bannerman for King Features' Six Chix. Continue reading