General
Interest |
Due
to the size of our archives, the General Interest area has been
divided into two sections. Listed on this page are the more recent
essays, from 2020 to the current date. For essays posted from
2003 to 2019, use this link...
General
Interest archive 2003 to 2019
|
August
15, 2024 |
|
There’s
a Greek restaurant nearby.
Well,
that’s not right. There was a Greek restaurant nearby.
Was. It closed a few weeks ago.
If
I’m being honest, I’m not going to miss it all that
much. If I’m being very honest, I don’t think the community
is going to miss it all that much.
|
|
August
8, 2024 |
|
Another
company continues to express interest in employing me
as a registered nurse or an anesthesiologist. (This
one requires a bit of dot connecting, because as you
may have figured out, I have never been a nurse or a
doctor or in any way administered anesthesia.) Years
ago, I did work in a few places related to the medical
field. One of them was an operating room. Somehow, this
company’s software had to be interpreting the wording
in my work history in a way that licensed me as a nurse.
Expand from there.
|
|
August
1, 2024 |
|
When
I go out for walks, I tend to wave at the cars that
drive by. This is especially true when the driver does
something obviously kind, like sliding over to make
sure they’ve given me space along the side of the road.
It’s not just me saying hello, it’s a thank you for
the thoughtfulness.
Turns
out, driver’s wave back. Usually at that rate of eighty
to ninety percent. Which, I feel, overall is a pretty
solid number. Even makes me feel a bit better about
the world, knowing that so many folks I haven’t met
are saying hi back to me. Maybe there’s a bit of hope
for the kindness of neighbors after all.
|
|
July
25, 2024 |
|
Often,
we get into the same debates when it comes to electric
car options. What is the true level of harm in manufacturing
and disposing of electric cars? Will driving ranges
ever reach a consistently desirable level? Costs and
charging stations and all sorts of other things, most
of which I don’t need to cover here because you’ve heard
them. We’re all thinking about them.
What
you don’t often hear is how most service stations won’t
repair electric vehicles.
|
|
July
18, 2024 |
|
I
happened to be headed out with the trash bins one evening,
and they were near the other corner of the house when
I saw them. Not sure why I was outside the next evening
around the same time, but there they were again. When
I went outside on nights number three, four and five,
I made it a point to time it to see if they were still
wandering across the property.
They
were.
|
|
July
11, 2024 |
|
We
had made the mistake, as a group of four, of heading
up to the Falls and over to the Canadian side during
the July 4th holiday weekend. To describe it as busy
would be a massive understatement. There was a wait
of an hour in a line off to the side that needed to
be entered and finished just to be able to get into
the two-hour line for some attractions. That three-hour
wait doesn’t include lapping Clifton Hill, Falls Avenue,
Niagara River Parkway, and Murray Street to search for
parking and attempt a bit of site assessment reconnaissance.
|
|
July
4, 2024 |
|
I
was reminded of this yesterday by the hole in the backyard.
Several of them. All begun because, apparently, the
first attempt at digging resulted in the discovery of
a rock. So, while I said hole in back yard, I should
have said holes. Plural. Multiple. Multiple holes in
my back yard. (And yes, multiple rocks.)
|
|
June
27, 2024 |
|
I
was wandering the grocery store the other day, looking
for my sister, when I stumbled across these disasters.
Mind you, they may taste just fine. And I do love Sour
Patch Kids. But how is this even possible? Classic Oreos?
Fantastic. Double Stuf? Brilliant. Golden? Not a personal
favorite, but the creation make sense. After all, when
they started producing… wait… forgot something… what
was I… oh yeah…
|
|
June
20, 2024 |
|
You
can clear levels of video games, build a deck, and repair
your snowblower. You can make wine in your shed, cornbread
on your propane grill, and cookies using the bottoms
of muffin tins. We can tear a bathroom down to the studs
and rebuild it completely. We can fix the water damage
on your grandfather’s furniture. And, I’m fairly certain
we could make pickles with two needles, a thimble and
bottles located only on the bottom shelf of the left-side
door of your refrigerator.
|
|
June
13, 2024 |
|
One
person sent along a message after the opening plays
and introduced themselves as a woman living in the southeast
Unites States. After saying hello, then asking me where
I lived and how long I had been playing, she told me
she was unemployed and wanted to know if I’d like to
see some nude photographs of her. Still seemed friendly
enough, I suppose, but that was quite the transition
from casual pleasantries.
|
|
June
6, 2024 |
|
Was
the shirt amazingly unique and different and amazing?
Let’s say I opened up Word and inserted an image of
a blank navy blue t-shirt. (Yes, Word.) In 15 minutes,
you would have been able to design a shirt of equally
intricate detail. Even if I tied your hands behind you
back and faced you away from the monitor. Plus, you
would have had enough time remaining to look up some
information about Hurricane Hermine.
|
|
May
30, 2024 |
|
This
morning, I had gone out to run some errands, and had
plans to be in and out of the house all afternoon. Figured
I’d take a look and see what information might be available,
hoping to get a rough idea of when to expect something
at my front door. Clicked on that link and found out
the package had been delivered.
Only,
no, it hadn’t. No package was at the house.
|
|
May
23, 2024 |
|
That
isn’t a challenge to come up with something less exciting.
I’m not looking for thoughts about what might be a step
or two more mindless. (More mindless? Mindlesser? Mindlessest?
Never mind.) Not looking to compare houses that have
had puppies wandering around often with those that have
not. The point for me is—and was—that I was standing
in the yard, leash in hand, and while I was looking
around for distractions or potential problems since
this wasn’t a puppy-tested puppy-approved secure yard,
about all that was really happening involved trying
to keep the two leashes from getting tangled.
|
|
May
23, 2024 |
|
I
didn’t know where I was.
Now,
yes, good catch. I did know where I was. In a car, with
two dogs, driving south on interstate 95. The exits
and signs for Savannah were behind me. And, you’ll fully
agree if you know this run of highway, I was navigating
a one-hundred-twelve-mile stretch of Georgia nothingness
all the way to the Florida line.
|
|
May
16, 2024 |
|
It’s
here that I need to point out three things. First, as
I have every so often covered in a variety of essays
and stories, I am not a grumpy person that swears and
mutters and shakes my finger at confusing technology.
Well, at least not all the time. Instead, I simply don’t
mind doing some things and often find myself not fully
embracing all that technology has to offer or the latest
and greatest details. Second, the boys love to let me
know how far behind the times I can be, such as whenever
they see my dedicated only to its purpose, not built
in but separate, GPS unit in the car. And third, Karen
happens to work in the tech world, and she holds back
nothing when opportunities to roll her eyes or make
fun of me are available.
|
|
May
16, 2024 |
|
Anyway…
the chuckit is plastic stick, roughly two feet long,
with a handgrip on one end and something of a cup that
holds a ball on the other. Smooth motion with the arm,
flick of the wrist, and off goes the ball. Less stress
on your arm, same amount of fetch fun for the dogs.
|
|
May
9, 2024 |
|
Watching
these lizards and seeing their activity change based
on the weather is a strange combination of obvious and
educational. For instance, when it’s cold out, they’re
not out. Lizards hate the cold though, right? Pretty
standard and unsurprising stuff there. What is surprising
is how quickly they show up again when an unexpectedly
warm day arrives in the middle of several colder days.
And check out how they know where to take positions
in the sunshine, or to duck and take cover in fences
or rocks or other assorted natural formations. Their
appearances and movements and more can be fascinating.
|
|
May
2, 2024 |
|
What
would happen if you gave up some sort of consistent
thing in your life that you actually are kind of happy
to have around, think about it in a way that you want
to keep it around, but maybe wouldn’t fight so strongly
for it if you were debating things to give up.
|
|
May
2, 2024 |
|
So,
called in the folks that are so amazing at taking care
of me and the house when something is beyond my skills,
and sure enough it seemed like time to replace it. You
know, seemed like it because the decision was to replace
it when it was an inconvenient headache and not wait
for a broken massive problem.
|
|
April
25, 2024 |
|
(Hey.
You. Quiet in the bleachers. Yes. Given time, I would
have found it. One hiccup to finding it was simply that
we were moving around. I wanted to pay attention to
the day we were having and talk to Karen and post quickly
about the giraffes as we made our way to visit the chubby
unicorns.)
|
|
April
18, 2024 |
|
(As
an aside here: Who are you folks that enjoy Dr. Pepper?
Honestly, I’m near the belief that puts the enjoyment
of Dr. Pepper on my list of reasons not to trust a person.
Not there yet, but close. Puppies don’t like you and
four-year-olds don’t like you are the only two permanent
items on such a list. But liking Dr. Pepper is close
to having a place. Especially if puppies don’t like
you and you like Dr. Pepper. Anyway… let’s walk back
from the edge of a massive tangent… cherry limeade on
sale…)
|
|
April
18, 2024 |
|
The
other night I was sitting in the living room. Two dogs
were curled up against me, enjoying naps. Karen was
moving about, checking off items from her list of preparations
for an upcoming trip. At one point she walked past me,
picked up a pair of scissors, turned, and as she was
headed the other way and walking past me again, she
held up the scissors for my appreciation and said:
“You
have to pack the tape and scissors, just in case you
get to decorate the elephant.”
|
|
April
11, 2024 |
|
Let’s
meander back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. There
are such things as cellphones and email addresses, but
not that the general masses are even aware of (never
mind using). We’re still a few years away from the majority
of people hearing the words windows and computers in
a way that associate the two as belonging together.
The world wide web is a world wide never heard of it.
|
|
April
11, 2024 |
|
“Don’t
talk to strangers” is an incredibly sweeping and vague
statement, while at the same time being simple, direct
and valuable. Sweeping and vague? Sure. Anyone you don’t
know is a stranger. Some of them are quite wonderful
people. Between professional needs and personal encounters,
there are all sorts—bordering on endless sorts—of reasons
you actually need to talk to strangers. Simple, direct
and valuable? Absolutely.
|
|
April
4, 2024 |
|
Reports
are circulating in trade publications… or, at least
publications with areas focusing on films, movie theaters
and box office stuff… that Indiana Jones and the
Dial of Destiny is settling in at an overall loss
of around $125 to $135 million dollars. That comes in
for a production that finished it’s screen run somewhere
just shy of $400 million.
|
|
April
1, 2024 |
|
Funny
thing about meandering around a house in daily life.
People have very different ideas about what needs to
be done, even when it comes to assorted small details.
There are folks out there that believe a bed should
be made every day. If you aren’t in it, sleeping, it
should be made. Dirty dishes in the sink? Never. According
to some, those pots and pans and plates should be immediately
washed or placed in the dishwasher.
|
|
March
28, 2024 |
|
I
have plenty of friends that dress their pets up a certain
way. They use their favorite colors for colors and leashes.
They include them in group costumes for Halloween. If
you expand on it enough, add enough purple to a shirt
and leash and sunglasses and collar, a visual connection
can be obvious and compelling and manipulated into evidence
for the ownership mirror test.
|
|
March
21, 2024 |
|
It’s
a wonderful example of how language evolves and develops.
A phrase that means exactly what it says, but gets tossed
out so casually that it’s offered more out of habit,
ranking right up there with hemming and hawing and hmm
and umm and more on the scale of nervous space filling
mutters.
|
|
March
14, 2024 |
|
Normally
I’m not one to worry too much about sticking to specifics
and narrow windows of application. Rules of grammar?
Happily breaking them, sometimes without even being
aware I’m doing it. And if people want to use words
as a catchphrase of sorts, go for it. I spent a lot
of time using words like “bonus” as a reaction, to a
level where it became a reflex response, especially
during my years in school. Most of the time, there was
no bonus involved in any way.
|
|
March
12, 2024 |
|
Mainly,
it’s not about stupidity because all of us can be stupid.
That’s not to say “can be” as in some are and some aren’t.
No, all of us are stupid from time to time. It’s “can
be” because almost all of us are pretty level-headed,
decent, and on occasion fairly ingenious in the way
we act and make decisions. Every so often though, our
brains are surrounded by fog, or our eyes have blinders
obstructing our view, or we react as is in a vat of
pudding. There are times when we can be smart, and times
when we can be stupid.
|
|
March
7, 2024 |
|
As
we discussed it, her defense was that I should know
the direction I’m moving. Saving you the back and forth,
I’ll say that I earned a very reluctantly begrudgingly
awarded victory in the argument by asking her what direction
she preferred driving on the designated north and south
of Interstate 95 in Connecticut. (Which despite being
labeled as north and south to remain consistent with
the full run along the coast of the United States, actually
runs east and west for arguably the entirety of its
roughly 112 miles in the state.)
|
|
March
7 , 2024 |
|
The
Super Bowl. Specifically, consider halftime performers.
Can you name three of the past five halftime performers?
I have a funny feeling that most people will have more
success when it comes to naming folks that sang the
National Anthem than they will of names from halftime
performers.
But
that’s just a funny feeling. In truth, the Super Bowl
halftime performer role may simply be the Kobayashi
Maru of show business for musicians. It also might just
be, bar none, annually the biggest performance slot
in the world.
|
|
March
7, 2024 |
|
Joe
and Samantha. Been friends for ten or more years. Started
dating. Wedding date is early next year. At some point,
it’s very likely Samantha introduced Joe to people with
“…and this is my friend Joe…” or something close to
that. Once married, I believe most of us would naturally
believing Samatha will shift to “…and this is my husband
Joe…” when bringing him around. But, is “…and this is
my friend Joe…” wrong at that point?
|
|
March
5, 2024 |
|
I
must admit, I have my biases. I want to check the expiration
dates on the milk, and not leave it to chance that some
mysteriously assigned shopper knows I don’t want a half
gallon displaying a best by date that arrives in three
days or less. I like making decisions about my own produce,
normally leaning toward slightly green bananas over
a bunch that’s already beyond too ripe for banana bread.
|
|
March
5, 2024 |
|
Not
overwhelming jokes. In fact, there’s a good chance my
even mentioning the existence of jokes catches you by
surprise. Of course, there’s a really good chance that
my mentioning the release of a new flavor is even more
surprising. The advertising and news coverage has been
there, but the advertising and news coverage has been
very subtle. It’s almost—almost, an untrained and not
included in the marketing team debates opinion might
wonder—as if Coca-Cola is expecting a roar of public
response to rise up and create an unforeseen tidal wave
of excitement.
|
|
March
1, 2024 |
|
I
think, since we’ve been encouraging him toward productivity
and joining the real world, if he doesn’t want to wake
up then he gets the results of the order that was made.
Didn’t tell us anything as we assembled our plans the
evening before, was aware of those plans, and sleeping
when the rest of the house was moving and the plans
kicked into action. He didn’t order, so he doesn’t get
anything.
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|
March
1, 2024 |
|
Was
visiting family recently and stopped into a fantastic
barbecue place. One of the things they have is barbecue
chili-roasted cashews. Packaged them up in classic glass
Ball jars. I usually by at least two, and have been
known to pick up four or five during a single stop.
Snack on them during the visit, and get enough so I
can bring them home with me at the end of the trip.
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|
February
29, 2024 |
|
The
formality of all of this is a bit on the doesn’t-really-matter
portion of the diagrams. After all, I could decide to
always introduce myself as Bobby to people. There was
no requirement to become Bob. Many folks use the full
formal name, some use a nickname, and plenty use their
middle name. All of which brings about a scenario where
the if and when I move from Bobby to Bob is insignificant.
|
|
February
29, 2024 |
|
Take
Disney and Universal for example. Universal has a theme
park called Islands of Adventure, which in turn has
a section called Marvel Super Hero Island. As a result
of previous agreements and licensing and so on that
exist from the creation of that area for Universal,
and then from a variety of reasons and negotiations
over the years, Disney cannot use some characters in
certain locations. Short, basic version: Disney cannot
put Hulk, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom and some others into
their Orlando theme parks. Not even supposed to use
the Marvel name.
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|
February
27, 2024 |
|
Was
out returning some equipment to my local cable-internet-wireless
provider. Had to do the amazingly inconvenient check
in process—NOT the point of
this essay, but absolutely worthy of 750 to 3,000 angry
words at some other time—where, and no one will acknowledge
your existence at all in any fashion until you do, you
head to a tablet on a table and get to type in fourteen
different pieces of information that they aren’t going
to use. (Seriously, why can’t I just type in a name,
click enter, and be in the virtual queue? Why do these
companies need phone numbers and email addresses AND
mailing addresses AND last four digits
of account number AND…
deep breaths. Why do they never seem to ask why I’m
there? Never mind. Another essay. Anyway…)
|
|
February
27, 2024 |
|
In
each of these two cases, the arguments are used by both
sides. Take the driving range. As charging stations
increase in numbers and improve the efficiency of the
process, the idea of a horrible search to find a place
for a six-hour battery-charge stop every three hours
is being eliminated. The ability to find a charging
station, and get a significant enough charge in the
time it takes to use the facilities and grab a bite
to eat, is becoming less of a concern and closer to
a practical reality.
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|
February
22, 2024 |
|
Bit
of research took place. Name actually gets spelled about
forty different ways, a result of it not being an official
term but a regional nickname. Appears to originate as
something along the same route of thought I initially
traveled. You can’t see them that well, so you don’t
notice as they’re biting you. Noseeums.
|
|
February
22, 2024 |
|
But
the word bomb. The word cyclone. Combined. Bomb cyclone.
It has all the thrills and chills of a phrase like thunder
snow. Right?
My
words: “Hey Syracuse, get ready and hunker down because
tomorrow we expect a bomb cyclone to hit the area.”
Makes you want to know more. Makes you want to tune
in at 11 for the latest and download the app for updates.
|
|
February
1, 2024 |
|
In
August of 1642, Abel Tasman set out on a voyage. He
had been charged with a bit of a fact finding mission
to gather information for the Dutch East India Company.
And, well, one way of summing up his first journey would
be to say he managed to prove that Australia was an
island without ever seeing Australia.
|
|
February
1, 2024 |
|
X
marks the spot. Without dancing around, X is it, find
X and you find the treasure. Usually a phenomenal hidden
treasure. We could—but we won’t—go on for a bit about
many legendary treasures that have a variety of Xs marking
them, though they’ve never been found.
|
|
January
25, 2024 |
|
Articles
came around recently. Looked a lot like the ones that
catch your eye every two or three (or four (or thirteen))
years. Promised an arrival of cicadas this year the
likes of which we don’t often get to witness. One of
them claimed it would be the largest the world has seen
in about two-hundred-twenty-years, and that’s when things
went a bit wonky for me.
|
|
January
22, 2024 |
|
Heading
home, there is a turn that needs to be made. As you
approach it, if there is a car coming in the opposite
direction, it always feels as if you need to stop because
there is no way you’ll have enough time to turn left
and clear the road in time. And yet, in all of my experiences
to date, there always is time to turn.
|
|
January
18, 2024 |
|
His
view of normal, in my words, is that whatever exists
in the world and where we live when we’re born is what
we will come to hold as our basis of normal. It’s the
starting line of what we know and what we experience,
and as such, the foundation of what we’re comfortable
with.
|
|
January
11, 2024 |
|
Ever
heard of T.F. Green airport? Gets advertised as Providence.
Flight crews welcome you to Providence, Rhode Island.
Those three-digit identification letters for it are
PVD. It’s also located in Warwick. About 8 miles from
Providence. (Your results may vary, but that’s an 11-minute
drive.)
|
|
January
11, 2024 |
|
The
thing is, just because it isn’t without exception, one-hundred-percent,
nothing uneven and flawlessly perfect doesn’t mean it
isn’t good. Doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be made. It doesn’t
indicate a fatigue, where the audience (and perhaps
industry as well) is tired and exhausted and finished
with Cars.
This
holds true when considering box office numbers, which
is often the first and foremost (and often only) factor
discussed. It’s a flawed—and, frankly, lazy—way of thinking
to only say something like (my words): “It’s not making
the expected dollars, therefor audiences are tired of
this material.”
|
|
January
8, 2024 |
|
Why
on earth would I respond and “do the needful” for anything
like this? Is there anyone, anywhere, at any time that
would “do the needful” had a similar effort been sent
to them? Did anyone “do the needful” in response yesterday?
Or, the day before?
|
|
January
4, 2024 |
|
Let’s
say we want better relationships. We might work on communicating
with folks we care about, perhaps by calling a bit more
often or sending more frequent texts. We could identify
people that—forgive the ultimate negative extreme here
and follow the thought in general—are toxic pieces of
our life, and reduce our exposure to those individuals
and groups.
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|
January
4, 2024 |
|
What
was funny was when
she started complaining about losing her voice. Turns
out virtually everything in her house has been set up
for modern day ease and convenience from the advancements
of technology and voice activation. According to her,
never mind operating the television or streaming options,
she couldn’t make any sound that resulted in turning
on the lights so she could read a book.
|
|
December
28, 2023 |
|
Now,
yes, I deliberately selected these two ideas from what
are millions of offerings and possible phrasings. And
I selected them, even though my idea is consistent and
similar, because they arrive at opposite ends of the
debate. One looks at how everything changes, and the
other sort of acknowledges that while pondering how
nothing changes at all.
|
|
December
21, 2023 |
|
She
heard them. Was looking for them. But couldn’t see them.
She was looking straight across the yard, and as a result
straight across a few neighbors’ yards. She had a bit
of experience with squirrels. Occasionally a single
bird, or perhaps two, might appear on a fence post or
tree. But this was different.
|
|
December
7, 2023 |
|
Maybe
we need to create an office for such a purpose. Instead
of a person, perhaps a committee. To decide when decorations
can be set up around the home. To give permission for
displays in retail outlets. To provide official guidance
on the pros and cons of tinsel. To determine the line
where pumpkin spice crosses from enough to too much.
|
|
December
1, 2023 |
|
Consider
phone books. In the good old days, lots of businesses
selected names beginning with the letter A so they would
be among the first businesses in any listing. Now, phone
books are gone and search engine results don’t lean
into the alphabetical order that provides additional
benefits for Acme Party Supply or AAA Lawn Service.
|
|
November
11, 2023 |
|
Been
more than twenty years around the In My Backpack
website. And, as far as I can tell, this is the first
essay I’ve ever written with a title that begins with
the letter Z.
That
many not seem like much to you, but I have a lot—read
A LOT—of essays that begin with “the” and several that
start with “technology” as starters for the title. There
are other popular words. But any word with a Z? Nope.
Nothing shows up.
|
|
November
11, 2023 |
|
Many
places can claim pristine conditions and unique beauty.
That acknowledged and established, however, for me Spanish
moss tops them all. Anyone that has ever had the pleasure
of visiting the city of Savannah under the skies of
a clear evening will readily admit that the breathtaking
and eerie ambience generated by the moss will delight
and haunt them forever. It is, unchallenged, a feature
that shifts everything around it as nothing else can.
|
|
November
11, 2023 |
|
Turned
out, it wasn’t a branch. It was an actual tree. A small
tree. Just starting out. Still, a tree. While it turned
out the gutters were clean—having been swept out just
a few months earlier during the fall—there was just
enough dirt and such along the bottom of them to allow
it to settle in and start growing.
|
|
November
10, 2023 |
|
Something
isn’t right. It feels set up and arranged. I don’t know
what’s going on, but I sense it, and I think I know
the members of the group that do not what’s happening.
The
accusation is made. Shenanigans. There, I said it.
|
|
November
10, 2023 |
|
One
of the golden retrievers—don’t want Canasta to feel
bad by naming her as the culprit, but, yeah—loves to
do things in the back yard that involves putting anything
in her mouth. She grabs sticks and rocks. Digs for roots
and, yes, more rocks. Has been seen chewing at the fence
and paver stones.
|
|
November
10, 2023 |
|
Most
of it is likely based on some wacky algorithm I’ll never
understand since it isn’t created for anything that
matters to me, regardless of what I do to influence
the results. Plus, since I’m not invited to the meetings
where things are discussed like new features and designs
that improve ad revenue regardless of what users are
used to or experience, many inconsistencies and issues
are going to have reasons I simply can’t prove.
|
|
November
10, 2023 |
|
With
an air of desperation and a sense of urgency, he whispered
toward us. “Pineapple.” Tears seemed to be welling up
in his eyes. He repeated, each time the pitch of his
voice rising. “Pineapple. Pine. Apple. Pineapple!”
|
|
November
10, 2023 |
|
You’re
thinking it’s no surprise a Saint Bernard can take over
a bed. Fair. But this isn’t really about the size of
the dog and some type of situation that actually makes
sense. Any dog owner that has witnessed it will tell
you about how they can spread out and have paws and
a head and a tail somehow all positioned so perfectly
that if they get to the bed first you are going to struggle
to find any way to get into that bed yourself. They
even go completely limp, which somehow more than quadruples
their body weight, then pretend to be asleep and ignore
your please to move. It is amazing.
|
|
November
9, 2023 |
|
Ok,
ok, yes. I know. I literally just mentioned—barely a
dozen words ago—that I gave lots and lots of thoughts
to the reasons we set alarms. The practical reasons
we set alarms. We set them to wake up. We set them as
reminders. We set them to acknowledge a schedule, respect
a commitment, organize our movements and on and on.
|
|
November
9, 2023 |
|
The
confusion for me comes from a place that doesn’t seem
too obvious, but makes sense once you hear it. The reason
people ask almost always comes out of two reasons, sometimes
independent of each other and sometimes intertwined.
First, and most often, something I put together connected
with them and they enjoyed it. Second, common but not
nearly as often, an observation wandered to a place
that surprised them.
|
|
November
6, 2023 |
|
The
list of needs, wants and more that we could create borders
on endless. But there is a simple truth: There is absolutely
nothing that you can do to your house that can be guaranteed
as attractive to every potential buyer. Not one thing.
Not everyone likes a deck. Not everyone wants a massive
bathroom counter that can be used by five people at
the same time. Not everyone needs a good school system.
|
|
November
6, 2023 |
|
Mom.
When she calls, voice mail or text or no, I’ll call
her back.
Similar
rules for family and friends.
If
I see there’s a missed call from someone I care about,
I’m going to try to touch base with them. Might end
up being a quick “did you call” text response, but I’m
going to reach out.
|
|
November
1, 2023 |
|
The
title of this essay is a joke about Halloween. Three
words from the classic trick-or-treat saying of my childhood.
(Do the kids still ask you to smell their feet? Have
to admit, I don’t know. Hmm. Research for next time,
I suppose. Anyway…) It’s offered as a joke in many ways
because I don’t know what to make of Halloween.
|
|
November
1, 2023 |
|
There’s
a reason for the expression bet on the favorite. It’s
because more often than not, the favorite is going to
win. It doesn’t mean that the underdog can’t win. Situations
and circumstances need to be factored in. The unexpected
happens. But by and large, the majority of the time,
expect the expected.
|
|
October
23, 2023 |
|
Now,
sure, if Good Morning Bill was coming over for lunch
one day, or giving me a ride to a shop, I’d want to
know. If Eclipse Bill and I saw each other again and
had a long conversation about the Orionid meteor shower,
I’d want to know. But right now, as I learn some of
the new surroundings, it’s kind of fun to think it might
be possible everyone around here is named Bill.
|
|
October
23, 2023 |
|
If
we consider the things we can’t control one extreme,
then procrastination becomes the direct opposite. By
that, I mean when you actually avoid the work. Sure,
you may blame the vacuum or the dogs for not getting
anything done, but chances are good you picked up the
tennis balls and headed toward the yard without any
help from the puppies.
|
|
October
23, 2023 |
|
Old
expression I like: When someone shows you who they are,
believe them.
There
are moments all over the place where it seems we actually
do get a warning, a sign, some type of notice before
something happens. A classic way of phrasing it: We
did see it coming.
|
|
October
21, 2023 |
|
As
we all know, in any story that involves us as individuals,
we all have a version of what took place in our thoughts.
And we are convinced that version is, without fail,
accurate.
It
never is.
|
|
October
21, 2023 |
|
We
were out the other day, making a decision about lunch.
She started looking for her glasses so she could read
a menu off of her phone. She put on a pair, but those
were the wrong ones. Then she picked up another pair,
but those weren’t right either. And considering that
during all of this her sunglasses remained in place
on top of her head, it was kind of funny to watch the
glasses being swapped around.
|
|
October
21, 2023 |
|
I
don’t get it. Hey, if you own it, and want to call it
something different, change it up and have fun. I’m
not going to try to stop you, and you don’t need to
please me anyway. What I will say is that I seem to
have learned over the years that brand recognition tends
to mean something when you’re in business. Has value.
So, when you change a fairly well-known name, and add
in a pay wall, it sure seems like you are moving down
a new path.
|
|
October
13, 2023 |
|
I
had a neighbor that, as a very simplified way of saying
it, never raked any leaves. It wasn’t some deeply personal
push benefitting nature. He simply didn’t have to. There
was little brush around, as just one part of the setting,
and the yards around us act as wind tunnels. If he delayed,
procrastinated and ignored the leaves—or whatever other
descriptive way would like to say it—long enough, his
leaves would be my leaves. Blown away from his yard,
then across mine, eventually settling into my drainage
ditches.
|
|
October
13, 2023 |
|
It’s
a question that has delivered countless answers. Poems
and songs, essays and novels. Declarations in front
of family and friends, whispers exchanged by a couple.
Love.
I’ve
attempted to explore it once or twice. (Or more.) But
every so often, a better example that you might not
normally share as advice becomes readily apparent. (And
yes, good for you, I do happen to have one example of
my own.)
|
|
October
6, 2023 |
|
Just
those two words may have sent you off into concern.
(And I love you guys for that, but again, I’m good.)
Just those two words combined a bit with the atmosphere
created by the song, got me thinking. What moves any
of us to do things for others? And by that, I mean simple
things as well as extra effort sacrifices.
|
|
October
6, 2023 |
|
The
world, in general, plays to that game of predator and
prey around us, where camouflage and disguise matter.
Blending in is not just a neat trick, but a survival
must. And—in a figurative way—there you are, standing
on a blanket of white trying to spot a mountain goat,
or staring out onto a winter scene with snow and rocks
looking for a snow leopard, or trying to see a snowshoe
hare any time of year.
|
|
October
6, 2023 |
|
Life,
however, seems to enjoy providing twists and turns,
delightful chaos, and moments of joyfully blue skies
and rainbows. Many will tell you that it’s when you
aren’t looking for something that it arrives. I’m not
sure that’s true. Instead, here are the two things I
do know:
First
– Jigsaw puzzle pieces are cut in lots of different
ways. Far, far, far more often than not, no piece
is cut wrong. But it can take a great deal of time
to find two pieces that fit together perfectly.
Second
– If you don’t put your hand in the jar, you ain’t
getting a cookie.
|
|
October
4, 2023 |
|
Maple
tree in my front yard. Used to have a birch. Lived in
places with dozens upon dozens of oaks surrounding the
house. No palm trees.
Neighbors
have some evergreens. Wide variety of those. No palm
trees.
Spending
some time in Florida over the years, I’ve noticed that
just about every yard has a palm tree. Some short and
full, others tall and wispy, but palm trees all over.
|
|
October
4, 2023 |
|
Have
you ever felt better than perfect? Have you ever had
a moment where you said to yourself that everything
was as great and right as it could possibly be, only
to learn a short time later that things had gotten even
better?
(And,
yes, those comments about friendly and cliché
are about to come back into play. Good on some of you
for picking up on that. Gold stars for you, and ten
points for Hufflepuff.)
|
|
August
8, 2023 |
|
The
problem with it, in my opinion, is that life doesn’t
move in a direct, straight line. It’s not a flow chart.
Not an if this than that, insert tab one into slot two,
run of dominoes where the decision to knock down one
automatically and always leads to the rest of them falling.
|
|
August
8, 2023 |
|
Ever
had a dog? Do you walk them regularly? I mean, good,
long, wear them out so they sleep all night walks. What
happens when it rains for two or three days in a row?
You can just see the dog a bit on edge, looking for
that release.
Today
that’s me. I stayed up most of the night working on
some projects, have a cool breeze coming in through
an open window and a steady beat of rain on the roof
available to rock me as I doze off, but instead I’m
standing at the door looking out at the puddles.
|
|
August
7, 2023 |
|
Friend
mentioned that he was doing some work around the house.
Back had been acting up. This morning, I sent a text
his way…
“Hey,
let me know if you need any help today. Heading to
the kitchen to make some pancakes. Blueberry. Let
me know if you want a couple.”
Ha,
right? Good stuff. Offered to help. (Not looking for
any credit there, just pointing it out.) And, blueberry
pancakes. Fun.
|
|
August
7, 2023 |
|
Now,
let’s get this out of the way. I am not suggesting,
thinking of, or asking about a Klondike bar. Same thoughts
for anything else in that general area. This isn’t about
how far you’d walk for your favorite sandwich. Not a
question of how long you’d wait in line for the latest
book or game release.
I’m
talking about bigger things. (Hence the involvement
of wishes.)
|
|
August
6, 2023 |
|
Sure,
our directions had put us exactly where we thought we
were going. But the properties we were sitting in front
of and the pictures of those properties had nothing
in common. Nothing. Looked completely different. The
pictures were taken from specific angles. They were
cropped. They were up close and zoomed in and focused
on very specific portions and not the whole.
|
|
August
6, 2023 |
|
There
are millions of people in the world that hate that band,
have no interest in that dinner choice, will not sit
through an episode of that show, and really aren’t all
that interested in that person. (I know that, try my
best, there’s at least one person in the world that
doesn’t like me. Right or wrong, they don’t. And deep
down, you know that’s true for you as well. Best friends
of yours or not, there is someone that doesn’t want
to spend another second around them.)
|
|
August
4, 2023 |
|
But
those beliefs, and a desire for a better tomorrow, don’t
stop me from noticing that in a battery powered car
I can’t drive across most U.S. states without stopping
to recharge. They won’t stop me from noticing that a
massive power outage leaves us at the mercy of our car
batteries to recharge us… someday likely to be for the
majority the same car batteries that a power outage
means can’t be recharged.
|
|
August
2, 2023 |
|
Went
out for a walk the other night. As I left the house,
I happened to glance at the app on my phone to see where
I was at that point of the day for steps. The next step
I took, the count began. 1, 2, 3… all the way down the
driveway… 61, 62, 63… along the front edge of the yard…
110, 111, 112… across the street and truly out for my
stroll. I was around 250 before I finally found a song
to listen to that caught my attention and got me to
stop rattling off numbers as I took step after step.
|
|
August
1, 2023 |
|
The
project itself is fairly basic. I’ve got some hosta,
deer are eating it, and I want to move some so it has
a chance to recover. I’m not looking for immediate results.
Just replant, let this season play out, and then hopefully
next year be rewarded with growing plants. In two or
three years, take those plants out into the yard. (And
sure, likely be disappointed as the deer enjoy the buffet
without leaving so much as a thank you card. Start again.
Repeat.)
|
|
August
1, 2023 |
|
A
dealership could have three cars on the lot that are
essentially exactly the same. Model, trim, color and
more. Same car. Three customers could walk onto the
property on the same day and after a vast combination
of scenarios plays out— research done, questions asked,
initial offers exchanged, if the salesperson feels particularly
kind or particularly cranky after lunch and on and on—each
person could pay a different amount for their car.
|
|
July
28, 2023 |
|
To
be fair, often it works. Often, it’s true. We can all
think of situations where something obvious was (or
is) taking place. Usually, it wasn’t (or isn’t) even
being hidden. Like dinner at a friend’s house, where
the host has expressed having a significant crush on
one of the invited guests, and we all know who will
be served the biggest slice of cake for dessert.
|
|
July
21, 2023 |
|
It’s
not the naming of things. You won’t find peppers in
Australia, but you will find capsicums. Same darn thing.
Different name. It’s not the broad, sweeping ideas of
items. The options in the bakery area may not be perfectly
familiar, but there are plenty of amazing and delicious
options for bread.
|
|
July
14, 2023 |
|
Let’s
summarize it like this…
In
my childhood, a storm did not mean people walking to
their cars to run them so they could recharge their
world.
|
|
June
9, 2023 |
|
The
biggest topic tends to be that whatever item we don’t
have isn’t where we usually find it. Remote? Should
be on the end table nearest the chair of the person
that used it last. Glasses? Nightstand, next to the
book we were reading. Half and half? Kitchen cabinet
where we keep the coffee mugs, since we put it there
instead of back in the fridge.
|
|
June
6, 2023 |
|
To
start with, at various moments, am I driving differently?
Less safe at this time and more safe at that? We change
radio stations, catch up with friends by using the phone,
and generally do vary in offering our complete and unwavering
attention. Will a sign change that and improve someone’s
driving?
|
|
June
2, 2023 |
|
Still,
regardless of how you break it down, consider that conservative
estimates place the annual global perfume sales above
thirty-billion dollars. That’s $30,000,000,000. Ten
zeroes. And many of those same conservative sources
have the industry growing at a steady five-percent per
year.
Smelling
good is good business.
|
|
June
1, 2023 |
|
A
few blocks from my house there’s a fence. Runs along
three of the four outer edges of the property. From
one corner of the front heading back, along the furthest
stretch of the yard, and then back up to the road and
the other front corner.
It’s
old. It was old and fairly beaten down when we arrived
about a decade ago. Temperature extremes, wind, rain,
snow, strolling wildlife, sunshine and the passage of
time have done it no favors.
|
|
May
29, 2023 |
|
The
next morning, you wake up and go to make some coffee.
There’s no half and half. In fact, your friends don’t
have any type of dairy. No whole milk. No heavy cream.
No offerings from the almond or oat or soy creations.
Heck, you’re even having troubles finding any sugar.
|
|
May
24, 2023 |
|
And
while I may grumble a bit, and occasionally point in
the direction of silliness, I recognize that many of
the decisions are beyond my control. I absolutely could
write a letter, but judging from products that were
brought back that provided major disappointments, it’s
hard to risk the delicious memories on the hopes of
truly bringing back the product I love. (I’m thinking
of you, Planters. Say whatever you want, the Cheez Balls
you returned to the shelves were not even close to the
Cheez Balls from thirty years ago.)
|
|
May
24, 2023 |
|
They
know the brand of detergent you use and how much fabric
softener you add. They critique your choices of flowers
to plant in conversations with other homeowners on your
street. They are disturbed that you don’t take your
shutters down, clean them, paint them, and rehang them
at least once per year.
|
|
May
22, 2023 |
|
Canadian
currency in the American city, and American currency
in the Canadian city. Happens all the time. Plenty of
Canadian quarters in upstate New York, a bit fewer but
still around in Massachusetts, and probably not as frequently
found in Tennessee or Kentucky.
|
|
May
22, 2023 |
|
The
bird isn’t bothering me, is nice to have around, and I’m
not going to interfere. Bird chose an end of the gutter,
and not the end that has a downspout. An end under the
eave and not really catching rainwater, so the nest isn’t
blocking anything. If, when it does rain, the nest ends
up with some water approaching it, that’s not on me.
|
|
May
12, 2023 |
|
A
few years ago, I found myself in Orlando on vacation
in December. The first morning after our arrival, I
decided to drive around the resort, check out the pools
and restaurants and other facilities, and just get familiar
with a fairly large property. It was in the low forties
when I got in my car. I had arrived from a location
where each day hovered around freezing as the high of
the day. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Everywhere
I went on my ride, staff outside were bundled up and
shivering.
|
|
May
5, 2023 |
|
At
first I chuckled, thinking about orange juice. I really
couldn’t grasp a similar idea, where Tropicana wasn’t
in every grocery store. If you like Tropicana, Minute
Maid or Florida’s Natural, and walk into a store with
orange juice on your list, you feel pretty good that
you’re going to see your favorite brand. They might
be sold out of pulp-free or some other variety, but
more than likely all of the major choices will be there.
|
|
May
1, 2023 |
|
So,
I set out walking along the regular roadways near my
home, and I have some peculiarities in how I try to
approach the efforts. While I have zero clue what the
drivers are thinking, I like to express my appreciation
when they slide their cars over a bit to give me some
space for safety. That means I wave. Sometimes a smile
and a head nod as well. Maybe I add in a thank you as
well (as if they can hear me). I hope they understand
I’m grateful, but I’m also good if they just believe
I’m being friendly.
|
|
April
30, 2023 |
|
Lately
I’ve been trying to pay a bit more attention to my exercise
routines. By that, I mean actually applying ranges and
expectations to my daily efforts. Examples include things
like knowing how long I ride my stationary bike, or
how far I go when I use it. Or, when I set out on a
walk or two each day, trying to reach a minimum number
of steps or miles covered.
|
|
April
30, 2023 |
|
It’s
a great follow up for any conversation you’re having
with someone…
“I’d
love to see a sea turtle.”
“What
would you do if you did?”
Yeah,
yeah, the obvious answer is watch it. Be careful, of
course, because you don’t spot a bear in your backyard
and just start walking over to offer it a slice of pizza.
But watch it. Try to take it all in and create a lasting
visual for your memories.
|
|
April
28, 2023 |
|
Allow
me to be clear, I don’t care that this celebrity was
sighted for the first time in weeks by paparazzi that
took pictures of a coffee run. I’d even go on with more
examples of things that I’m not at all interested in,
but then I’d be bringing additional information to the
latest thing that broke the internet (or whatever phrase
the kids have already abandoned that the media is hoping
to sound cool using to describe it).
|
|
April
26, 2023 |
|
On
it was sticky note from Big Simon.
Really,
that’s the way he signed the authentically simulated-hand-written
fake additional note. Big Simon. And, with that flourish
of familiarity, I felt the warning signs even more deeply
than usual that someone was trying to take advantage
of me.
|
|
April
21, 2023 |
|
Out
in my yard right now, plants are beginning to appear.
In a few places, hostas will soon be joining the scenery.
Those were brought when we moved from our previous home,
and have connections for me with Terry, our boys, and
all four of our dogs. (In fact, some of them have been
thinned since arriving here and replanted at the boys’
homes as well.)
|
|
April
14, 2023 |
|
Full
disclosure, I have been to this park before. Many times.
As in, over decades of visits, probably hundreds of
times. I’ve gone there to ride on the bike path. I’ve
played tennis on its courts. Flown kites on some of
the fields and enjoyed multiple picnics on tables and
grassy shaded places and a beach area.
It’s
a great park.
|
|
April
14, 2023 |
|
In
part, I ask this because I’m still trying to figure
out why I don’t see moose in central New York. (The
answer, to some degree, is that I’m not really looking
far enough north in New York. Even with Syracuse and
Rochester and such being able to claim a northerly location
similar to portions of Vermont or New Hampshire, the
reality is the moose are in New York but tend to hang
out in the northeast area of the state in the Adirondacks.)
|
|
April
7, 2023 |
|
To
watch it play out is essentially like having a seat
at one of the strangest boomerang throws you’ll ever
see. The best description I can give in comparison is
a song being performed as a round. You know the drill,
one person starts, and before that person finishes another
person begins, and so on until everyone ends. In the
case of our yard, the candy corn goes out and a bird
comes back, then a football goes out and the candy corn
comes back.
|
|
April
7, 2023 |
|
I’ve
been able to experience some of the most incredible
sunsets you might imagine. Over the Pacific Ocean. In
Key West, onboard a relaxing wine cruise and with parrots
at Mallory Square. From a viewing area along the Kancamagus
Highway in New Hampshire. Along the southern rim of
the Grand Canyon.
|
|
April
2, 2023 |
|
The
road runs along the side of my property and off into
the distance. There’s a turn after slightly more than
a quarter-mile, then it takes swings back and forth
slightly until reaching a bit of an arching loop as
its end. By just staying on the road, you could easily
clear two miles of walking simply by going to the circular
area and back to my house.
|
|
March
31, 2023 |
|
Walked
out onto my deck today. During a recent snowfall that
left a moderate accumulation, I had gone out with a
shovel to clear the way to my grill. Didn’t do a particularly
spectacular job, more or less just cleaning a path about
six feet long and two feet wide by tossing the snow
into a pile a few feet away. But now, what’s left of
that pile is the only snow in my yard.
|
|
March
31, 2023 |
|
It’s
off to the side of the house, or more precisely to the
side of the driveway. Been using it for about eight
years now. Goes up at some point before November starts
and usually comes down in April. Dates slide slightly,
but you can’t wait until the ground is too hard to pound
in the posts, nor break it down too early when plenty
of good snowstorms arrive around these parts after spring
has begun.
|
|
March
24, 2023 |
|
I
bought three of those grates. Bought them because the
price was low enough that I decided having them for
only a few weeks would be worth it. Bought three because
that’s what was needed to cover the space. As spring
begins again and we head toward another summer, those
grates are still in place and ready for summer number
nine.
|
|
March
24, 2023 |
|
A
few weeks later, something occurred to me. We had basically
built a glorious hotel for wildlife. Whether you want
to consider logs, branches, leaves and other assorted
natural cuttings as providing structure, safety and
bedding or not, the reality is there weren’t a lot of
places to convert into a den nearby before we dragged
stuff over and set things up.
|
|
March
17, 2023 |
|
While
there is absolutely a lot of evidence that supports
there are people that don’t want to work, there isn’t
any evidence that states universally that no one wants
to work. Often, the statement is being used as an excuse
for poor service and bad experiences, because pointing
fingers and making accusations is easier than admitting
anything more. We don’t hear it when things are going
well. We hear it when business hours are inconsistent
or extremely limited. We hear it when our meals arrive
at the table cold after long waits. We hear it when
most of the tables are empty and we still can’t get
seated in less than 45-minutes.
|
|
March
12, 2023 |
|
The
news came out recently. A car manufacturer is designing
a vehicle system that means a car can repossess itself.
I’ll
pause while you consider that for a bit.
Car
manufacturer setting up a car with self-repossession
capabilities.
|
|
March
12, 2023 |
|
A
food truck parked at the side of the road in rural any
town claims world famous fries. Says it on the sign
they placed nearby. World famous fries. If I can see
that I sold copies of a book in America, Canada, England
and Australia, it would seem to me that my works have
been purchases around the world. Can’t I legitimately
wonder about how those results speak of my efforts when
the food truck offers it in support of theirs?
|
|
February
18, 2023 |
|
In
upstate New York, measurable accumulation is a major
difference maker. It seems like even on a completely
clear night you can wake up to find your car covered
in a layer of snow. Just so cold that all of the moisture
in the air froze and landed on your vehicle. The fun
part is, it disappears almost as easily as it appeared.
A burst of daytime sunshine and it melts away. Add a
magician, an assistant and a few waves of the hand and
people might applaud.
|
|
January
23, 2023 |
|
Let’s
head back to 1990, and look at the arrival of a new
program on a little network called HBO. Shows like 1st
& Ten, Not Necessarily the News and
Tales from the Crypt broke ground and never
seem to fully get the credit they deserve for the trails
they began to clear. In July of 1990, things changed
as a show arrived no one saw coming. (And chances are
you have either completely forgotten about it or don’t
even recall it ever existed.)
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December
23, 2022 |
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Yes,
that’s it, let’s call it a concept. And as a concept,
it’s a pretty good one overall. Simple, and yet, to
a degree it’s a thinker. A bit hits right away with
stop making it worse message, and then it expands a
bit with the realization that more often than not it
can always get worse. More to the first half of our
concept, the ribbon proposes that finding a solution
should always involve stopping the problem.
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December
23, 2022 |
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I
found my slippers this morning. Been missing for a few
weeks. Of course, they were under the bed. Just about
right where I would have expected them to be. I just
finally had a moment where I needed to grab something
that had been hiding under a bench at the foot of the
bed and decided to look a bit deeper while I was on
the floor. Find them I did, and that felt great.
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December
23, 2022 |
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I
was talking to my mother about it, and she replied in
a way where you could tell that the more she thought
about it, the less she knew. At first, she said they
definitely have more candy left over each year. She
has bought the same number of bags, and roughly the
same number of pieces for a few years. And over the
past five or so, she knows there’s been a steady increase
remaining at the end of the evening.
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December
18, 2022 |
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Not
only do I like using approach myself, I can appreciate
it when it comes around from others. Don’t mistake it
for a lack of concern. Don’t mistake it for a person
that won’t take action, won’t offer support, or doesn’t
understand what is taking place. Instead, place it in
context of a person that realizes what is cannot be
undone, so accept and act, and do so in a way that keeps
everyone’s spirits elevated.
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December
18, 2022 |
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Most
of us—I’m guessing—never really had to worry about mice.
Flies? Yes. Mice? Not so much. Even if you did grow
up with mice around, the reality was you dealt with
it, so you likely never thought about it when looking
for a home of your own. It was a reality—perhaps a reality
of country living—and you just dealt with the reality,
you didn’t view it as a problem.
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October
10, 2022 |
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Not
too long after finishing up, I decided to take a walk.
Was interested in knowing how far I went, so I checked
to see where I was for the day before wandering down
the road. According to the app, during the time when
I was riding on the lawn mower, I had walked 1,127 steps.
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October
10, 2022 |
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The
bulbs we purchased were to replace a burned-out bulb
in a four-bulb light fixture. Because, of course, the
styles were slightly different. Replacing just one bulb
with one that looked different wouldn’t work. So, I
replaced all four bulbs.
Later
in the day, dark outside, I walked toward the kitchen
and flipped the switch. The result was that an absolutely
hideous room came into view. It was hazy. The light
was an awful blue that felt like it could be cut with
a knife.
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October
10, 2022 |
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For
some reason, I spent all of Friday feeling like it was
Saturday. Hardly a unique feeling. I just said I know
we’ve all felt that way on occasion. In this case, however,
I never thought it was Saturday. Not once. I was always
aware it was Friday. I just kept hitting things, from
mail delivery to picking up the remote, where a thought
went to Saturday.
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October
2, 2022 |
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There’s
the true North Pole, where the world turns. Then there’s
the magnetic North Pole, which involves the magnetic
field of the planet (and actually moves). (And then
there’s a third option. Santa’s North Pole, which is
an entirely different conversation.)
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August
29, 2022 |
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Have
you ever thought about how the images in the mirror
are actually reversed? You know, you look in the mirror
and get yourself ready at the start of the day. You
think everything’s right. Hair in place. Makeup good.
And as you turn to walk out the door and into your day,
everyone that sees you actually sees the reverse of
what you think they’re seeing. You look in the mirror
and on the person you see the part in your hair is on
the left. Everyone that meets you that day sees the
part on the right.
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August
29, 2022 |
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On
an immediate level, it might indicate something as simple
as dinner. It’s 4:30, you’re hungry, you go find someone
in the other room and the question gets asked. Dinner.
Dinner is the answer.
But
maybe dinner has already been established. Now the question
refers to the idea of what to make or where to go for
dinner.
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August
29, 2022 |
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I
was getting ready to go away for a bit and I wanted
to make dinner. On the counter, half of a loaf of bread
and a banana one day past ripe. Neither will be around
when I return. Perhaps a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Head to the cupboard to get the peanut butter, which
is next to the Nutella, and you see how decisions can
occasionally arrive in a pretty straightforward manner.
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August
28, 2022 |
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Well,
not just that particular bus. But every bus and truck
and large vehicle that had driven along the road. School
buses tend to average a very rough ten-and-a-half feet
in height. Simple idea is, whenever one of the trees
that extends across the road has a branch filling in
at ten-feet-and-three-inches, that branch gets battered
a bit until it’s back and ten-and-a-half.
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August
28, 2022 |
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A
couple of weeks ago, I was checking some electrical
connections in the kitchen, happened to be near the
toaster over, and noticed something. We had always used
it by turning the knob that engaged a timer. Spun clockwise,
always turned on, made sense. Great toaster. Used it
as an extra baking area when making meals. Versatile.
Reliable.
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August
28, 2022 |
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Over
the years, that tick-tick-ticking has been a very strange
thing. Some nights, we don’t even notice it. Others,
it seems to fill up the darkness like a metronome set
to the highest of volume options. Honestly, once or
twice a year, it feels like it has a depth to it that’s
rich, full and echoes.
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August
28, 2022 |
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As
we kicked around different stops and ideas, we discovered
a place where we would be able to participate in a dolphin
swim program. Real interaction with a dolphin. We decided
to do it and had a fantastic day and a wonderful experience.
Here’s
the thing about swimming with dolphins. When you’re
organizing it, it’s something that you believe is a
once in a lifetime opportunity.
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August
28, 2022 |
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One
friend of mine had an older sister that bought what
seemed to us at the time to be a pretty great car. In
the back of the house where he lived a car was partially
covered by a tarp. The portions exposed were incredibly
rusty, and seemed to belong to what remained of her
vehicle.
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August
27, 2022 |
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Many
years ago, there was a great story that came out of
Wisconsin. Woman wanted a chain restaurant in her community.
The public went bonkers about it. They didn’t like her
request. They pointed out that their town had been able
to avoid many multi-location businesses in favor of
unique locally owned stores and restaurants. They named
dining options nearby that offered high quality menus.
They basically asked her if she was thinking clearly.
But all she wanted was bottomless salads and endless
breadsticks.
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August
27, 2022 |
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In
either case, you might have made a brilliant dessert.
I’m craving chocolate, raspberries and hazelnuts right
now. But the announcement, the name, created a shift
in expectations. Regular Oreo or Double Stuf, each version
is pretty good. But once you say it’s double stuff,
you’d better present more cream filling.
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August
27, 2022 |
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Every
so often, I stumble across a moment where some sensation
triggers reactions and perhaps even old memories. The
smell of garlic and butter and wine in the kitchen.
An echo of kids playing down the street as hide and
go seek extends across the twilight hour and into the
night. The sight of a waving neighbor as she turns her
lawn mower around to head into the other direction.
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August
25, 2022 |
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I’m
driving in a new car. Pulled in to fill it with gas,
wanted to make sure of which side the gas cap was on,
and I glanced at the fuel gauge to look for the arrow
that points toward the side I need to place next to
the pump.
If
I asked you what it said on the gauge to indicate fuel
levels, what would you answer?
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August
25, 2022 |
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Scientifically,
in most cases we’re headed down the path of rods and
cones. This is something where the conversation could
turn to photoreceptors. All interesting, fascinating
and amazing to think about, but not really where I’m
going. (And neither are the spider webs.)
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August
25, 2022 |
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Just
so happened that this person was headed to a place where
the best options for something to eat were likely to
involve vending machines. Since we were headed to a
favorite place for all of us, the jokes began. We were
going to be sharing appetizers, jealous of the other
plates on the table while enjoying our own, and clinking
glasses of adult beverages. He was going to be making
decisions that involved flattening out the edges of
dollar bills while clicking buttons to select B-5 and
D-7.
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August
24, 2022 |
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No.
Not
your grandchildren.
Your
grandchildren are not waiting for you
to die.
Your
grandchildren love you and can’t wait for the next time
they’ll see you.
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August
24, 2022 |
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The
specifics of the post however didn’t really connect
with me. Not all that interested personally in glow
in the dark shirts, pants, socks or bandanas. Doesn’t
stir much excitement. With that rattling around in my
head, however, I realized there was a specialized fabric
I would love.
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August
24, 2022 |
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Sure,
some of it is a combination of issues. Take a person
that believes they’re right, then acts as if you either
agree or you’re wrong. No listening to details or consideration
of your thoughts. Often anger with hands clasped tightly
over ears. Occasionally with violent outbursts. Combine
that with the anonymity of the internet and you have
some of the most hateful, belligerent, ignorant people
making unfounded accusations, abusive comments, and,
well, we’ve seen how horrible the situation is and can
be.
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August
10, 2022 |
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Years
ago, a friend of mine and I were having discussions
about awards shows, pop culture, and getting old. And
we agreed upon a true measuring stick for determining
how well you were doing at staying up to date with the
world.
The
Grammys.
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August
10, 2022 |
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Around
me, it’s not uncommon in late June and early July to
be able to drive your car without turning on the headlights
until well after 9pm. Sunset for those dates averages
after 8:30. The result is you don’t need to have those
timers triggering lights at 4 in the afternoon.
But
late in August, the sunset is arriving before 8pm. It
will be at roughly 7pm in late September. And once the
clocks switch and winter arrives, it will be difficult
to see around the house without the lights on at 4pm.
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August
9, 2022 |
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There
used to be a thing for articles called a blurb. Actually,
it still exists. It was kind of a combination of neon
sign and summary. The idea was waving a spotlight around
to get your attention, while at the same time letting
you know what you would be getting. On the internet
though, the balance has shifted… all neon sign, no content.
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August
9, 2022 |
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Now,
when you consider that twenty years ago I would never
have guessed my washing machine would feature a design
that could text me so I’d know when the load is ready
to move to the dryer, I suppose I’d have to say that
sneakers with the ability to keep me from wandering
to the fridge might have some interesting applications.
But that’s not a tangent to this story we need to explore
just yet.
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August
9, 2022 |
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A
few years ago, Terry and I decided to set up a snow
fence in our yard. The winter before had been especially
windy, and we learned some valuable lessons. One of
which was that our driveway was a bit exposed, so the
snow was swept along the yards in our neighborhood and
filled things in. Things like, say, a perfectly cleaned
out driveway.
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August
9, 2022 |
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Have
you picked up a package of bacon recently? I’m going
to be kind and say five dollars, but unless it’s on
sale that price is wishful thinking. Add in lettuce,
tomato and bread, and you’re going to be over ten dollars
before you even consider if you have any mayonnaise
in the house.
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August
9, 2022 |
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I
like to put myself in the functioning group. I can usually
get my electronics to do what I need them to do. I don’t
have my email set up on my phone, but I know a workaround
so I can get to my email on my phone if I really needed
to do it. And when it comes to the latest and greatest,
I find I’m not unable to learn it, I’m just more defiantly
upset I can’t continue using what I know.
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August
7, 2022 |
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I
like to say I’ve never met a deadline I didn’t want
to snuggle right up against, but that’s not completely
accurate in capturing it. Sure, procrastination is involved.
I won’t deny it. There are very few projects… VERY few…
that I will quickly move to begin. But there’s another
part, where I wonder if the action is one that will
truly be necessary.
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August
6, 2022 |
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Look,
my numbers and location inventory may not be perfect…
but supplying well over 50,000 buildings with your product
is pretty impressive. And we just wander in, expecting
to grab some Tropicana orange juice and Duracell AA
batteries, as if there’s no possible chance our store
won’t have them.
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August
6, 2022 |
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Earlier
today I went out for a short walk. Very hot day. Only
wanted to add something different to some exercise I
did in the house and switch things up a bit. (Treadmills
and ankle weights are fine, but switching it up once
in a while and getting outside is a great thing.) Still…
managed to bring about two-thousand steps to the rest
of my work for the day.
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August
6, 2022 |
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If
I walk across my yard during the day, there are shrubs
and fences. There’s a table and chairs. There’s a shed.
All of those items from the day are still in place during
the night, with possible addition of the raccoon trying
to sort out a meal from a birdfeeder being an exception.
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August
4, 2022 |
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As
I began opening drawers and cabinets, and then continuing
while I walked around the house to search all sorts
of possible kitchen gadget storage places, I was muttering
to myself. Basically—curse words removed—I was trying
to figure out how it could be possible that I didn’t
have a second can opener in the house. I would have
accepted even some cheap one that everyone hates but
you decide not to throw away and toss in a junk drawer.
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August
2, 2022 |
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It’s
not a real paper clip. It’s called a SIM ejector tool.
But I’m betting that for most of us, given the number
of times we actually need to remove a SIM card and the
size of the darn thing, the SIM ejector tool will be
a fond memory and never found when the time arrives
for it to be applied to its purpose.
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August
2, 2022 |
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Was
away from home for a bit. The day after I returned,
I headed outside to look around and figure out how to
attack some overdue yardwork. It was such a subtle change,
I almost didn’t see it. Then it hit me.
The
fence was missing.
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August
2, 2022 |
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I’ve
been led to believe the speed limit on the road is 55,
but that feels nothing short of ridiculous. Not even
the state roads, often with multiple lanes in each direction
and heavier traffic, continue at 55 for the full length.
Those dip and dive up to and below 55, depending on
communities, traffic signals, and, many might suggest,
to create interesting segments that seem especially
noteworthy for local law enforcement.
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May
31, 2022 |
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Normally,
I’m pretty simple when cooking for myself. Sometimes
I’ll get motivated to put together a deeply involved
meal, from a salad to two vegetables to a main dish
that has some type of separate sauce. Other times I’m
working hard to find the desire to bring soup to a boil.
But either way, whatever I find in the fridge or pantry
or even sitting on the counter can move me in one direction
or another.
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May
31, 2022 |
|
Many
folks know I can be fascinated by noises. Anything from
how the level of sound seems to change over the course
of a day to the things outside that defy discovery.
Now spring has made a definitive turn into warmer weather
around here, which leads to an overwhelming arrival
of random distractions.
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May
31, 2022 |
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But
if you give yourself some time, it’s never going to
be just hot dogs and potato salad. That’s late in the
game, cooking what you got stuff. Given a day or two
to prepare, you’re going to add a couple bags of chips,
corn on the cob, and perhaps buy a few different types
of beverages. Your friends are going to ask what they
can bring, and a few more items get added to the menu.
(And, the s’mores.)
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May
30, 2022 |
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It
started with a bottle of liqueur Terry and I found on
vacation a few years ago. It’s a wonderfully smooth
coffee caramel pecan blend, and I had poured a bit into
a glass to bring out with me.
Next
door, our neighbor had a small fire burning. I could
hear young voices, and the idea of holiday family gatherings
brought on a smile.
In
the distance, the first fireflies of the year were dancing
about. Not many. In two or three weeks the yard will
be a dazzling array of firefly fireworks, but for now
it was enough to bring on a thought of upcoming days.
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May
30, 2022 |
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Most
of us have elements of our day mapped out and timed.
If our ride to work takes twenty minutes, we almost
definitely do not leave two hours before we want to
arrive. In fact, I’d bet more of us leave late just
about every day, expecting to make the twenty-minute
drive in fifteen minutes, as opposed to those that leave
thirty minutes ahead of time to have a small cushion.
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May
30, 2022 |
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Maybe
you need to mow the lawn. Weather forecast has rain
heading in for the next five days, plus after today
your daylight hours are packed. So, you really want
to get the lawn mowed today because mowing it in a downpour
at three in the morning really isn’t making it any more
enticing. But is it an absolute must? Will the world
crash around you if you don’t get it mowed?
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May
30, 2022 |
|
In
the United States, the population is currently estimated
to be around 330 million people. So, if you sell ten
million albums in the United States, the media will
be presenting you as an unavoidable steamroller of success.
There is simply no way, those same sources will argue,
that you don’t own the album. And yet, only three percent…
3%... of the population will have purchased it.
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May
29, 2022 |
|
Wooden
hammers, however, aren’t just lying around. You might
get one or two early on. The game makers taunt you with
a couple of freebies, partly to show you how they can
be used. Because you don’t know any better, you spot
a moment where it will help, take the wooden hammer
and just use it. In turn, a few days later, when you
reach that crazy level that can’t be done without it’s
gone. You used it.
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May
29, 2022 |
|
That
Colorado River Basin? There are reports that the agreements
in place for water supplies actually far exceed the
annual flow of the Colorado River. Reservoirs like Lake
Mead and Lake Powell held enough water to compensate
for the difference, concealing the dilemma. Now, however,
as a result of conditions traced back to a drought that
began in roughly 2000, Mead and Powell are estimated
to be below halfway filled.
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May
29, 2022 |
|
This
is not offered up for a debate, but instead to set the
stage for a reality of sorts. Because, for the most
basic of reasons, the majority of us are simply not
in a position to purchase zero emission vehicles. But
it’s more than that, because those same vehicles are
also: (1) Not yet at a performance level that covers
all scenarios, and, (2) are only zero emission based
on how you ask the question and view the answers.
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May
29, 2022 |
|
Most
estimates place the cost of converting an average home
to solar power between fifteen and twenty-five thousand
dollars.
Now,
in fairness, just about everyone actually leans toward
the lower end of that range, offering a range between
eighteen and nineteen thousand. And, those ranges do
not include tax credits, rebates, and other ways of
offsetting the cost.
But
they also don’t include the routine care, general maintenance,
and repair charges. Even if we assume the best cost
for the consumer, there are details that get brushed
aside.
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May
24, 2022 |
|
Two
hours into the first overnight and we are establishing
rules. By a 2 to 1 vote, the “no plastic seagulls allowed
in the bed” rule passed.
It
was a tricky vote. I had to wait until Moose had the
seagull and Kona wanted it before calling for it.
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May
20, 2022 |
|
Now
look, the ham company makes a great tasting product
and sends me some pretty sweet coupons around the holidays.
I’m not complaining that they think I want to add some
assortment to my grilling options for the summer. My
friends weren’t complaining when I sent them their own
ham for the holidays. Similar reasoning, I get why the
home décor company and two clothing companies
and so on are sending stuff my way. I may not be that
interested, but there they are.
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May
20, 2022 |
|
The
reality is, as far as your relationship with those in
attendance, this once every year or three catching up
happens just often enough. And, possibly, more often
than you care for by a rate of every year or three.
If you didn’t see some of these folks for five to ten
years, you would never on a random afternoon look toward
your significant other and begin a “you know who we
need to catch up with” conversation about any of them.
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May
16, 2022 |
|
This
is not some deep philosophical puzzle. I’m not asking
you to search where the wind blows or begin at the end
of the rainbow. Instead, when it comes to those looking
back and giving that hypothetical advice to your younger
self challenges… well… what makes you so certain you’d
listen? Why would giving your younger self a map matter
if your younger self doesn’t care about the map?
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May
16, 2022 |
|
I
will say, right out of the gate, that popularity doesn’t
hurt. Familiarity matters. There are those signs that
you spot, from a mile down the road, and know exactly
what it’s going to be when the images and lettering
take form and focus. But those that we know, we know
for a reason. Time and experience and marketing went
into that recognition.
|
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May
15, 2022 |
|
Rhode
Island. They refer to the airport as Providence, but
it’s T.F. Green and actually sits in the city of Warwick.
Southwest, Delta, American, and United provide a partial
list of airlines using Green. It’s also technically
an international airport, with seasonal flights to Canada
offered using Air Canada. More than thirty destinations,
including Los Angeles and Denver, are part of their
nonstop flight offerings.
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May
15, 2022 |
|
And
I got feedback. Pretty much immediately.
Sun
rises. Sun sets. A day to spin. A year to orbit the
sun. Time is a verifiable measurement. It is not vague
and arbitrary.
Technology
makes everything better, and usually it’s operator error
when it lets us down. It is trustworthy, it’s us that
limits it.
And
to those responses, I say bull.
(A
soft, polite bull. But yeah. Bull.)
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|
May
13, 2022 |
|
Now,
I will admit, I’m a bit embarrassed it took me years
to discover that. In fact, even though I’m now positive
it is, part of me wants to believe I’m wrong. After
all, I spent a lot of time running up and down stairs…
looking at the heating and cooling units… examining
the duct work… heading outside and walking lap after
lap of the house, looking for exhaust pipes and staring
at the roof for some additional clues… and, grand total
of nothing.
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May
13, 2022 |
|
Take
text messages as an example. Everyone raise your hands.
Now, put them down if autocorrect has ever changed words
on you and you didn’t notice. Anyone left? Ok, has anyone
ever had voice text kick in and you didn’t even know
it was enabled so you sent some strange audio text?
Has anyone ever managed to get confused as to whether
or not they were sending, receiving or responding to
a group text? Hands go down… hands go down… and, let’s
face it, if we’re being honest everyone put their hands
down on the autocorrect one.
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May
10, 2022 |
|
Funny
thing about grinding your own coffee fresh each morning.
You might drink coffee from someplace else. You might
even enjoy coffee from someplace else. But if you’re
grinding your own, and using quality beans, virtually
everything else is going to be far in the distance for
you as far as how good a cup you’re getting.
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May
9, 2022 |
|
We
all know the drill. Maybe it’s one of those two times
a year when the hours shift. Spring ahead, fall asleep
for an hour, something like that. Or, maybe the power
went out for a bit. Whatever the case, displays flashing
or not, there you are needing to get a few of the clocks
back on track.
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May
9, 2022 |
|
Friend
of mine has his own business. A few recent changes have
created a bit of scattershot havoc for him around the
place. Kids live in two different states and have some
things going on. Parents have been providing a bit of
a scare… thankfully nothing too crazy and they’re ok,
but silly enough moments that emergency room visits
have been involved. And then, because crazy lives there,
he and his wife got a new puppy.
You
would not refer to his life as boring.
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|
May
9, 2022 |
|
As
the afternoon moved along, the movie just kind of hung
around. Every few minutes or so something would trigger
a reminder. Imagine a three-year-old you’ve promised
some candy at five o’clock. It’s only noon now, but
they don’t know what time it is or how far away five
is. They just keep asking the same question every minute
for five hours: “Now?” Over and over and over (and over
and over) again. That was my Sonic the Hedgehog
thought pestering me on that day.
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|
May
7, 2022 |
|
And
that’s where the weird things begin. See, toss aside
the humor and keep the fundamentals in place… somehow
there are things in the world that others do that never
change my savings account, have no bearing on the yard
work I’ll be dealing with, and in no way reflect upon
me or change anything at all within the walls of my
house. I’ve still got yellow and spicy brown as options
from my fridge regardless of what you have in yours
to put on your hot dog.
|
|
May
7, 2022 |
|
For
me recently, it was the recognition that I cannot find
three things. Thanks to unpacking, thinking, and a bit
of time, all else has been accounted for. Everything
isn’t right, but for the most part at least I feel like
I know where everything is. Except: (1) A pair of boots,
(2) a pair of slippers, and (3) a shower curtain still
in the package with a winter theme and adorable penguins.
It’s
the penguins that are bothering me the most.
|
|
May
2, 2022 |
|
And
while I wouldn’t select the rabbits and turkeys for
blame in this area, would likely go back to the deer
to start, the reality is there are plenty of options
to consider. (And rabbits are sneaky. Never trust a
rabbit.)
|
|
May
2, 2022 |
|
I
could sense some of you pull away at that. I am not
saying relish and onions are out of line when dressing
up your frankfurter. I have absolutely been drawn in
by a fresh poppy seed bun and a Chicago-style dog. What
am I saying is ketchup has no place on a hot dog. In
fact, a tightly closed, never touched bottle of ketchup
has no place on a table where hot dogs are being served.
That’s what I mean.
|
|
May
1, 2022 |
|
I
like my privacy. I like the doorbell not ringing. Over
the years I’ve found that when I answer a knock on the
door that I wasn’t expecting, the vast majority of the
time I’m not that thrilled by the introduction that
results.
|
|
May
1, 2022 |
|
Sand
is quite likely the original toy. Perhaps not. Maybe
the original toy was a stick, a stream, a rock, or some
other incredible combination of time, place, initiative
and creativity. Or maybe someone saw an apple on the
ground and kicked it. The point being, sand has been
around since the early days and has plenty of ways to
fall into the definition of a toy.
|
|
May
1, 2022 |
|
How
can it be that I don’t have a second can opener?
Even
just some cheap one picked up for $1.29 or less at some
point. Something long lost to the deepest portions of
a drawer filled with useless utensils and culinary artifacts.
How can I not have one of those?
|
|
March
11, 2022 |
|
I
find that multilane travels tend to be the great equalizer
of location. Hit sixty-five on a four-lane road and
the trees in Georgia remind you of the trees in Pennsylvania
remind you of the trees in Oregon. Keep in mind, I offer
this knowing ski lifts and palm trees are very different.
Instead, I’m simply nodding toward the idea that as
vividly wonderful as some places are, there are other
ways that make them not that unique at all.
|
|
January
16, 2022 |
|
Back
in 2007, Terry and I were out on a group trip with some
friends. We stopped in a famous national chain of breakfast
delights, and as we ordered the following exchange took
place:
Friend: “What’s the difference between the French
toast and the senior French toast?”
Waitress: “Two dollars.”
Friend: “I’ll have the senior French toast.”
|
|
January
16, 2022 |
|
Have
you ever looked over some of the information people
share on social media? Or, more specifically, the information
they present on social media? Perhaps as a profile blurb?
Turns
out, there are a lot of people that seem to believe
they are influencers. Like, an incredible a lot of people.
We’re talking A LOT of people.
|
|
November
17, 2021 |
|
Now,
look, I get it. There are about forty-five million shades
of blue out there. And for forty-three million of them,
it’s easy to spot the differences. Once you wade through
light, dark, royal and navy, it’s fair to conclude that
the obvious names are going to be exhausted early in
the process.
|
|
November
14, 2021 |
|
Funny,
but if you approached these city folks and asked them,
most don’t understand people that want to live in rural
settings. (If you want to really stump them, describe
towns where you couldn’t find an open store within one
hundred miles to sell you a toothbrush after 5 on a
weekday afternoon. They will stare at you in unbelieving
silence, more likely to accept the existence of unicorns
than such a retail dilemma.)
|
|
October
28, 2021 |
|
We’ve
all likely mixed up a sauce. If not by making it from
scratch, then by pouring a jar into a pan and adding
wine and assorted spices. When it’s done, and we’re
plating up some delicious linguini with tomato sauce
goodness, we rarely think about that shot of merlot
and spoonful of garlic we added. We just enjoy the meal.
|
|
October
22, 2021 |
|
Well,
the other day I saw an article that Kellogg’s is being
approached with a legal dilemma involving strawberry
Pop Tarts. Apparently, the claim is that the product
contains a low amount of actual strawberries, while
adding pears and apples to the mix. As accurate as the
concept may be, and whether or not it has any legal
merit or stability, it makes me chuckle and roll my
eyes. I would contend… and I cannot stress enough that
this is nothing more than my opinion here… if your search
for strawberries leads you to Pop Tarts, that right
there could be a sign of a faulty treasure map.
|
|
October
19, 2021 |
|
Of
course, there’s a catch. There are options for blame
in this what happened disappearing act. Maybe it’s the
stove. Maybe the fridge. But there’s something just
close enough that the piece of carrot could have bounced
and rolled and made its way underneath and out of sight.
After all, you know a piece fell. No doubt about it.
It fell. The issue isn’t if it fell, it’s where it landed.
|
|
October
19, 2021 |
|
Need
more? The facility is closer to twenty years old than
thirty. In that time, nothing of any significance has
really happened at the place. I believe the organization
that calls the complex home has made the playoffs twice
since it opened… that would be two playoff appearances
in more than two decades. Those two appearances sit
atop the accomplishment list for the park, and the team
was swept out of the playoffs on both occasions.
|
|
October
12, 2021 |
|
The
other day I was out shopping. Needed to pick up some
Fluff. For those of you slightly confused, I needed
marshmallow fluff. For those really confused, I was
picking up the only type of marshmallow creme that is
acceptable for purchase.
The
whole experience got me wondering a bit. After all,
like Oreos, there’s Fluff and there’s everything else.
And my mind was meandering about.
|
|
October
8, 2021 |
|
We
had an old video game system I was looking to include.
Problem though. It used RCA cables. (Those are the olden
days cables with red, white and yellow connecting ends.)
No such place for incorporating that type of connectivity
on this television. But there was a solution…
A
VCR.
|
|
October
8, 2021 |
|
(Well,
it’s more than that, truth be told. You know it’s the
averages and statistics and probabilities and cookies
and snooping around while sharing information you didn’t
know you consented to allow the sharing of… but what’s
a little privacy invasion between friends when there
are some terrific programs to binge. Right?)
|
|
September
30, 2021 |
|
Once
the sun goes down and evening settles in, there are
parts of the house that can get pretty dark. Likely
no surprise there for you, since just about anyone’s
home gets dark when the sun goes down and all the lights
are off. But for path leading to the bathroom, a walk
to the bedroom, or a search for the perfect snack to
satisfy that final craving of the day, there’s one particular
light that covers things fairly well. It’s in the hallway.
Sun sets, light goes on.
|
|
September
28, 2021 |
|
The
flavored butter that involves butter and diced black
olives. Yeah, that one caught me by surprise. Not because
the olive-infused butter itself was a bad idea. (I didn’t
like it, but I do have some friends that actually might
have enjoyed it. And, truth be told, of everything we
received, this could very well have been your most creative
and flavorful item of the night.) But, just a hunch
on my end, chances are good your menu shouldn’t refer
to it as garlic butter with olive oil and herbs when
it’s actually butter with diced black olives and not
even a wispy hint of garlic or other flavors.
|
|
September
28, 2021 |
|
What
impresses me about my father’s wall is that it’s all
there. Add in the few bottles of cleaning supplies,
and you have a decent backup run of the non-perishable
items you’d be looking for in an emergency if they suddenly
were unavailable. We might even call the work a bit
of a Goldilocks-level supply. Not too many. Not too
few. Just the right amount, especially if the stores
ran out for a bit.
|
|
September
28, 2021 |
|
I
often wonder about that job specifically when I hear
people discussing work environments, employee and employer
expectations, and what the difference is between fair
critiques and misguided opinions. Because the reality
is, a desirable job is not as simple as just having
a job available. Employment and good employment are
two very different things. Employment opportunities
and employment opportunities that match an applicant’s
needs and skills are two very different things.
|
|
September
26, 2021 |
|
Sure,
childhood, flying. Pretty sweet with just that. I also
was handed a deck of cards with the airline’s logo and
a pair of plastic captain’s wings. Which, yup, awesome.
But then, shortly after taking off and still in a state
of disbelief while staring out the window, I was served
pancakes.
|
|
September
26, 2021 |
|
E-mail
arrived the other day. Wanted me to know I needed to
rush in for my free queso and chips. On the surface,
nice enough. Kind of a you’re a valued member, hey,
here’s a special deal to welcome you back. But there’s
a thing. (You knew there was a thing, right?)
It
is nice. But it would probably be better if it didn’t
show up the very day after the previous offer for free
queso and chips expired.
|
|
September
21, 2021 |
|
School
and league fundraising has reached an unreal level.
This is no longer about having a five-dollar bill in
your wallet and giving it to the kid down the road that
is trying to support his baseball team. Suddenly, it’s
logging on to a web site that accepts your credit card
and suggests a minimum of a $50 contribution. It’s become
a massive, research and statistics driven, money-seeking
machine.
|
|
September
21, 2021 |
|
If
you were to go online right now and search for Zen and
lawn mowing, I can pretty much guarantee you thousands
of results. For some people, the idea of mowing the
lawn takes on a level of dedication and importance that
cannot be overstated.
This
essay should not be a part of those results. We are
not going to explore the mystical nature of lawn care.
|
|
September
21, 2021 |
|
Let’s
make this clear, here and now: If you are undertaking
something—anything from a home improvement project to
a lifelong dream—and you’re not hurting anyone else
or breaking the law, you have my best wishes. As long
as your ambitions and intentions don’t bring pain or
harm to someone else, and there’s nothing deep and dark
and hidden that I don’t know of, good luck and great
successes.
|
|
September
21, 2021 |
|
Here’s
an innocent example…
In
the summer of 1985, a concert was held. Multiple locations.
It was called Live Aid. One of the comparisons this
event received involved how many performers were taking
the stage and the Woodstock show from 1969. That right
there is roughly a 16-year span of time between the
shows, and a lot of folks thought that was an eternity.
|
|
September
19, 2021 |
|
When
you first get your license, you want to explore. And
the only navigational tool beyond your memory and experience
back then was something printed, like a copy of the
official Arrow Street Guide. There was no GPS
or app recalculating after every turn. If you went out,
turned right and then left, drove fifteen miles and
turned again, there was a good chance you could get
yourself lost.
|
|
September
19, 2021 |
|
The
helpful (being polite) representatives and the quality
(being polite) brand name shop checked me in, looked
things over, and said they could change the battery
if I wanted. (I did.) They also said that before committing
to a new battery, I might want to consider upgrading
to a newer model. (I didn’t, but I did appreciate they
weren’t heavy handed about it. Just a mention, and obviously
one I expected that wasn’t out of line being asked.)
|
|
September
19, 2021 |
|
Terry
and I pretty much don’t let any Christmas pass without
visiting Ralphie and the gang by watching A Christmas
Story. I had seen the original version of The
Santa Clause, but not the two that followed, so
last year we ran through the entire trilogy. A few years
ago, I finally watched It’s A Wonderful Life.
So, we have our traditions, and I’m caught up on most
of the things I’ve missed.
|
|
September
17, 2021 |
|
When
it came to the phone call, there were a few problems.
Many homes only had one phone. It was located in a somewhat
central place, like a kitchen wall. Likely had a cord,
and not a long one. You got to talk on the phone, needing
to be aware of others in the house if you had any privacy
concerns, and couldn’t move more than six to eight feet
from the wall. Add in charges for long distance calls,
and things really begin to get fun.
|
|
September
17, 2021 |
|
Several
times, I’ve pointed to the great tire dump off the coast
of Florida as the standard for understanding how to
evaluate good intentions gone very, very bad. I am a
big believer that often when we rush into action because
something needs to be done, we fail to fully understand
the something we do. Not always. But often.
|
|
September
17, 2021 |
|
The
oil is supposed to be changed on the ride on lawn mower
every fifty hours. We’re wrapping up the seventh season
of use on it, and should be slightly over one hundred
fifty hours of use when winter storage arrives this
year. Feels like I’m using it far more than twenty hours
a season, but that’s about what the gauge is counting.
|
|
September
14, 2021 |
|
We
moved in late in the fall and went through a fun winter
season. The first time I went outside to mow the lawn
it literally took me ten days. I had decided to collect
the grass because of the way the yard was left to us,
figuring it could use something of a bit of clearing
and cleaning. Then, multiple days of rain swept in and
called off activities a couple of times. And, really,
the length of time actually makes a bit more sense than
it appears as you read it. Still, yeah, ten days.
Yes,
before I finished mowing it, it did need to be mowed
again.
|
|
September
14, 2021 |
|
In
some cases, they involve places where I live, family
members live, or friends live. I like to keep up on
local events that involve me, those I care about, and
may be likely to hear in some conversation.
A
few are places where I’ve traveled or plan to be traveling.
Many
are just because I like the news. Local and regional
and national and international news. Sports and celebrities.
Fact and the occasional bit of gossip.
|
|
September
12, 2021 |
|
Consider
ride sharing services. We all view them as taxi replacements,
but you know the groups I mean. Now expanded on those
into a delivery service for food, which given room and
reason over the past two years, has grown incredibly.
And now, your packages from Best Buy and Amazon and
more may wind up on your doorstep with what has every
appearance of a private vehicle out front when it does
arrive.
|
|
September
12, 2021 |
|
I’ve
come to hate them.
Ok,
that’s not accurate. Or fair. I don’t hate them. As
I said a few moments ago, they are doing wonderful things.
But I admit, the sight of their logo or return address
does cause my eyes to roll and triggers a deep breath
of frustration.
|
|
September
10, 2021 |
|
Or,
never. We’ve probably never really been pumpkin spice
free around here.
That
does not mean we have pumpkin spice added to anything
and everything now that fall is closing in, the evenings
are darkening a bit earlier, and the cool weather is
approaching.
Also
doesn’t mean we’re avoiding it. After all, I do love
everything about autumn. Pumpkin and apples and gingerbread?
Sign me up. Love the stuff.
|
|
September
10, 2021 |
|
My
wife is a very good cook. Delicious food, and she prepares
it with love. I know that sounds corny on the surface,
but there’s depth in that statement. A lot of people
believe a meal is a way to convey togetherness and affection,
and I value such thoughts. The dinner becomes the legendary
community sharing of a table and breaking bread. The
preparation of the meal is an investment of time built
upon caring about the people it will nourish. Terry
cooks from the heart.
|
|
September
9, 2021 |
|
Eventually
I needed something from the basement, and heading down
the steps I was red hot. Bang bang bang. But the source
still wasn’t clear. I checked some of the possible culprits,
but everything from the dehumidifier to the furnace
were fine. And while literally spinning around to consider
the possibilities, eventually the timing of a round
of beeps and the way I was facing brought a resolution
to the mystery.
|
|
September
7, 2021 |
|
A
handful of years later I was attending college. Different
state. Several hundred miles away from that small court.
It was a weekend, and I happened to be in a convenience
store near campus. A few of us were out grabbing food
from one restaurant or another, and had stopped to pick
up something to drink. I have no clue how right time
right place right everything swirled around and connected,
but there they were. Bottles of the believed lost to
time fruit punch soda.
|
|
September
7, 2021 |
|
Let’s
say you were in a diner. It’s about fifteen minutes
before closing time when you walk in. All you’re looking
for is a cup of coffee and a piece of pastry. Nothing
fancy. Staff has been through a long day, though no
customers for the past few hours (for whatever reason),
and they had been working on shutting things down before
you arrived in the final moments of the day.
You
order a cup of decaffeinated coffee. They had already
cleaned that pot. What are the odds you’re getting decaf
(as opposed to a cup of regular coffee, which they still
have ready, that they will say is decaf)?
|
|
September
3, 2021 |
|
People
have become trained by what I’d describe as a heightened
sense of immediacy. We want results and information.
Now. Right now. We’ve roared beyond the arrival
of twenty-four-hour news cycles into pulling out our
phones and expecting updates within seconds. (Sarcasm
alert: Accuracy not always included.)
To
a large degree, this sense of immediacy has come to
define our lives. Free two-day shipping brings about
being unsatisfied and disappointed by free four or five
day shipping. We want what we want and we want it an
hour ago. (So much for patience and virtues.)
|
|
September
3, 2021 |
|
When
I was growing up, we made regular trips to the grocery
store. Our purchases were placed into paper bags, which
in turn were brought home and then used to cover our
school books. We had a box in the backyard for the milk
delivery. A glass bottle, return the empty, milk delivery.
I walked places more often, used my bicycle more often,
and rode around in a car less.
|
|
September
3, 2021 |
|
We
hop on the internet with good intentions. And then,
without warning, the temptations of roughly a trillion
pages of stuff takes hold.
A
trillion web pages. That’s a rough estimate.
|
|
September
1, 2021 |
|
If
you’ve ever experienced the joys and wonder (and sometimes
boredom) of stretches of road across the United States,
you know that a sign warning you that there won’t be
any gas available for a while means there will be absolutely
no gas after this next station for a really long distance.
So,
regardless of it being food or gas or alcohol or lottery
tickets, there deserves to be some thought given to
a place that wants you to know the road ahead is lacking.
That, in summary at a really basic level, is fair.
|
|
September
1, 2021 |
|
Some
places attribute it to specific conditions. Others to
a certain location. A few cite evidence that it happens
below a set temperature, and some contradict by saying
it needs to be above a set temperature. It might be
the time of year. And then there are the skeptics, combatting
the studies by debating different sounds being mistakenly
attributed to the planet.
|
|
September
1, 2021 |
|
We
walked into the area of the store featuring computers.
I counted. Seventeen different displays set up. Six
all-in-one units, five PCs, and six laptops. A representative
greeted us and we explained our needs to him. Out of
the seventeen on display, eleven met our specifications.
Of those, only one was in stock so that we could buy
it and walk out of the store with it at that very moment.
|
|
August
29, 2021 |
|
One
day I walked in to a restaurant, approached the then
empty counter and asked about my to-go order. As the
person was about to turn around to a table that had
some bags on it, a delivery service driver arrived.
Person that was taking care of me saw him, knew that
his bags were waiting, and grabbed them first. But,
as he looked them over, the driver noted he was missing
two orders. So, do you think the server turned and checked
the one remaining bag to see if it was part of the set
(or even if it was mine)? Of course not. She went in
back, looked around for the other two orders, waited
for them, and came back five minutes later to hand them
to the driver. My order was sitting on the counter,
a handful of feet away from me and paid for, getting
colder while I waited ten minutes for the driver that
showed up after me to have his stuff packed together.
|
|
August
29, 2021 |
|
So,
I’m standing at the counter in the optometrist’s office.
Wife wears contacts, had been given a new style to try,
and now was the time to order a few. I had no clue what
I was doing.
In
my defense, I don’t wear contacts. Never have. Don’t
think I ever will. While that may change somewhere down
the line, with a day arriving that finds me willing
to switch from frames to contacts, the more specific
and relevant point remains… I do not know much about
contact lenses.
|
|
August
28, 2021 |
|
First,
I’m wondering how often you see turtles. I don’t mean
the ones that some of you have in aquariums in your
home. I mean the crossing the street, down near a local
stream, in the corner of your yard turtle sightings.
Second,
I do believe most of us consider turtles to be a regular
thing. Go outside and there’s a panda? Nope. Not happening.
A koala or a kangaroo? Depends on where you live, with
it quite possible in Australia but not so much in Canada.
A moose? Perhaps, especially in Canada, but you’d still
be looking for something to take a picture if you spotted
one. And then, consider a turtle.
|
|
August
28, 2021 |
|
One
place may only take cash. Another operates only one
or two days a week. I know a fabulous restaurant that
only takes cash and is only open five days a week for
three hours each day around lunch. And then… well… look,
there are cat cafes and places that rent goats to mow
lawns. Somehow, many of them thrive.
|
|
August
27, 2021 |
|
Those
days have long since passed. In this neighborhood, we’ve
seen the outdoor care of almost every property taken
over by services. That’s not surprising, the kids have
grown and long since moved to other places while many
of the owners have remained. As to the earlier hours
of blades spinning and engines puttering, a business
based on outdoor work needs to make the most of available
daylight.
|
|
August
10, 2021 |
|
Once,
in the same segment of a sports radio program, I heard
the hosts discussing the Mount Rushmore of NBA players
and then pivot to a discussion of the Mount Rushmore
of NBA players from their city’s team. And if you’re
thinking that seems like a natural pivot, then I would
like to add that the hosts used the next segment to
qualify the different levels and construction of the
city’s Mount Rushmore created by players drafted by
the organization as opposed to those brought in via
trades and free agency, and then adding value for those
that only played for this organization in their careers.
Yes, indeed, they created a Mount Rushmore of one NBA
organization’s free agency signings.
|
|
July
30, 2021 |
|
Let’s
say you live in a heavy-snow area. Old Forge, New York?
Yes. Carlsbad, New Mexico? No. It might make sense for
people in such a place that own homes to receive unsolicited
mail about snow fencing. Makes sense for the region,
and that they might consider a purchase. Wouldn’t be
too hard to narrow the search parameters to add in characteristics
that might increase wind and driveway issues.
|
|
July
27, 2021 |
|
In
the corner of my mind are fairly detailed memories of
a bank opening up near our house decades ago. They held
a party that lasted multiple days. Had someone dressed
up in a costume walking on a tightrope. (It was a lion
wearing a king’s robe and crown. Impressive enough,
and partly little else going on, that we went to a couple
of the shows.) Gave out gift bags to kids, which resulted
in multiple days that summer making bake-it-yourself
stained glass.
|
|
July
23, 2021 |
|
Bears.
Mountain lions. Or maybe… ok… fine, maybe not bears.
But I’ve seen everything from skunks and racoons and
woodchucks to deer and turkeys and geese parading in
and out and all around my yard. Seem them in the fields
nearby. Maybe he was having some troubles with wildlife
around his yard and heard that the scent of his pee
can act as a repellant.
|
|
July
23, 2021 |
|
I
chuckle every now and again when areas look for ways
to improve the flow of traffic and increase safety.
Absolutely worthy and noble endeavors. And there are
amazing things that a bit of research and unlimited
computer simulations can reveal and design.
Still,
a roundabout tossed into a community where a roundabout
has never existed before is usually going to come with
a bit of an adjustment period. I don’t know how many
computer simulations build in a few weeks of driver
hesitation and confusion as part of the results. Guessing
it may not be many.
|
|
July
20, 2021 |
|
Never
mind the expensive chocolate. What I’m saying is that
the regular price in this store usually isn’t a true
price. It’s a misleading label designed to get you to
believe that you’re getting a great deal from the sale,
when in reality the sale is just bringing the price
down to what you would have expected it to cost all
along.
And
that ticks me off.
|
|
July
20, 2021 |
|
Have
you ever used a paper straw? The quality—more precisely,
often the lack of quality—involved in the paper straw
industry is, often, discouraging. On this particular
day, our straw unraveled on the first exchange between
us. We hadn’t taken more than two sips out of the cup
and we needed another straw.
|
|
July
9, 2021 |
|
So,
here I am, and I ask: What’s the deal with blueberry
coffee?
Before
you try to answer, let me slide this into place. I swear
I saw a box offering toasted marshmallow mocha coffee.
Toasted
marshmallow mocha coffee.
|
|
July
1, 2021 |
|
I’d
probably let it pass if it wasn’t for that can of soup
directly underneath it. I’m sure that in my lifetime
I have probably used a can of cream of celery soup or
two. But I don’t remember any of them. And I cannot
think of a single reason, very last second no other
option and crossing my fingers to late at night and
I really need some, where I would be looking to a convenience
store for a can of cream of celery soup. It’s just not
what I would place in the emergency need or impulse
buy categories.
|
|
July
1, 2021 |
|
When
you’re driving at night, the entire dashboard lights
up when the display turns on, pretty much completely
compromising a driver’s ability to use any mirrors on
the vehicle. It can be, literally, a blinding distraction.
They
also become a habit, an all-purpose crutch, where many
people don’t use the mirrors even when they can see
them. The look both ways and check your mirrors mantra
hasn’t changed, it’s been wiped out of existence. It
almost seems as though if it’s not on the camera, it
doesn’t matter.
|
|
June
23, 2021 |
|
If
you investigate it, you’ll start to find out all sorts
of things. There are variations depending on the metal
used. Variations based on the types of twisting of the
wires. Single strands. Double strands. Single wire.
Double wire. Coated steel. This gauge. That gauge. A
half gauge. Stainless steel reverse twist double strand
13 gauge barbed wire.
|
|
June
23, 2021 |
|
Not
that you can’t watch it because you don’t subscribe
to the streaming service it’s on. Not that you don’t
want to be forced to watch commercials because it is
on demand but you’d be stuck with the no fast-forwarding
scenario. Not even that you can find the DVDs to order
somewhere online, but the price is outrageous or the
supplier fairly suspicious.
I
mean there’s something you really would like to see,
but it isn’t available in any format on any platform.
|
|
June
22, 2021 |
|
On
it, two people were having a conversation, and it came
out that one of them had only been to a specific major
city once in his life. They city was roughly 90-miles
away by car, and happened to be a significant international
destination. Again, he had been there once. In fact,
he claimed to have on that trip he never left the vehicle
he used to get there.
|
|
June
22, 2021 |
|
Breaking
out the lawn mower is not necessarily my idea of thoughtless
peace and harmony. Yet I have several friends that not
only change the blades on their mower twice per season,
they sharpen them after every use. (Yes, every
use.) They know down to precise minutes of operation
when to change oil, clean filters and replace spark
plugs. I have known them not to spend a handful of hours
working on their lawn, but rather to invest almost every
day off completely into landscaping issues around the
house from the first waking moments until the sun sets.
They tell me they do it to get away. They claim it’s
not a chore in the sense of an awful to-do, but rather
a way to truly escape from everything else for a bit.
|
|
June
22, 2021 |
|
Terry
and I live somewhat in an isolated setting. It’s not
amazingly far away from the real world. It’s not the
middle of nowhere. We have grocery stores and dining
options within a few minutes of the house. Even a great
community movie theater. (One-dollar popcorn on Wednesdays!
Looking forward to that becoming a regular thing again.)
However, it’s twenty minutes in one direction to a decent
sized city, with significant shopping and restaurant
names, and it’s more than a half hour to the real city
area.
|
|
June
21, 2021 |
|
Any
parent with finicky eaters under the age of ten can
explain why national chains are popular. It’s the consistency
of the menu. You know you can walk through the doors,
sit the child down, place chicken fingers and fries
with honey mustard sauce on the table and the child
will eat. Headache remedied.
|
|
June
21, 2021 |
|
Now,
hold on. It was barely two seconds ago that I warned
you I needed you to stay with me. Off I go, mentioning
a chipmunk looking for a birthday card and you throw
your hands into the air.
Obviously,
we’ve never seen a dolphin using a smart phone to check
any reminders on its calendar. I know of no records
or evidence that confirm a lion baking a cake. I feel
comfortable saying there has yet to be an orangutan
witnessed purchasing party balloons.
|
|
June
21, 2021 |
|
I
mentioned to her that there were several types of fondue,
including cheese and chocolate… and that was it. Chocolate
fondue? Chocolate fondue? I had to leave my two roommates
in charge of the food (which they ate… thanks guys).
She dragged me to her car, then the store, and we got
ingredients so she could have chocolate fondue not only
that night, but as soon as possible. It was as if I
had introduced her to something she knew had been missing
her entire life and could not wait to try it.
|
|
June
20, 2021 |
|
At
a previous house, our neighbor across the street introduced
herself by bringing over dozens of iris plants. She
was thinning out the ones in her yard and wondered if
we’d like some. We took them, planted them and enjoyed
them. When we moved, we dug up several of them and brought
them with us. Thinned our yard out by bringing some
to the boys. Her kind gesture has added to the beauty
of four yards in three states.
|
|
June
20, 2021 |
|
The
other day, I saw an article blurb on the home page of
an entertainment-news-based web site. It basically wanted
to know why Pixar movies weren’t as good as they used
to be. To that, I ask you to look again at that list
of their most current five releases: Luca,
Soul, Onward, Toy Story 4,
Incredibles 2.
My
response is simple: Pixar fading? They have to be kidding.
|
|
June
18, 2021 |
|
Another
room has a ladder on the wall. Terry had seen one used
to display things in someone’s house and seemed to remember
we had one in the garage of our house. When we moved
in, we found it, an object left behind by some previous
owner. Sanded it lightly, added a bit of stain, and
now it’s on the wall. I don’t think we even had to buy
sandpaper or a can of stain for it, just using what
we already had. So for the cost of physically moving
it, we have dozens of memories on display. Plus, the
comments it gets for a unique piece just keep coming
from everyone that walks into that room for the first
time.
|
|
June
18, 2021 |
|
Decades
ago, the quick and immediate answer would involve the
world, singing, and a cold Coca-Cola. That may not jump
readily to mind with a lot of people these days, but
about forty to fifty years ago it was a song written
as a marketing jungle. (And it is a marketing theme
that Coca-Cola uses even today in a variety of ways
and places.)
|
|
June
18, 2021 |
|
Kids
today likely won’t understand outrageous long distance
call charges or the possible need to call your parents
from pay phone. They don’t have the firsthand experience
with something like coming home from school, being locked
out of the house, and just sitting around and waiting
because there was no way to contact the person you were
looking to reach.
|
|
June
18, 2021 |
|
Now,
some of you right now are thinking about this idea.
You’re debating mysteries that have been going on around
your home, or maybe thinking of things that were solved
in very unexpected ways. You might even specifically
need to address some chipmunks that have been running
around. I’m not sure I can help you out. I don’t know
the answers at my house.
(And
a few of you are wondering how the hell I made the switch
from lightning to chipmunks.)
|
|
June
14, 2021 |
|
It’s
the disconnect between those two questions that I think
has me thinking about this today. If someone has their
own list, and that list is made up of eggs, milk, toilet
paper and frozen pizza, then that’s fine. But the sign
says “your” essentials, meaning my essentials, and nope.
This doesn’t cover it. Which means the person writing
it didn’t write it for me. And frozen pizza? That hardly
sounds like it was written for you (well, most of you).
|
|
June
14, 2021 |
|
Good
conversation, making s’mores, and just quietly sitting
and staring off to the heavens. The elements necessary
can change from event to event. There is no specific
list of ingredients necessary to create brilliance.
A bit of this, a bit of that, mix, relax and enjoy.
|
|
June
14, 2021 |
|
I
mean, come on. I wrote an essay saying that thoughtful
and beneficial conversations were endangered, with society
at a point where there likely isn’t a single issue for
which we will ever see a unanimous agreement. The first
response to my being convinced people are unable to
agree is someone that disagrees.
Yup,
I win.
|
|
June
12, 2021 |
|
There’s
more to the story—necessitating a deep dive into the
motivations of our generous friend as well as a long
list of assorted issues—but there is also a flip side
to the story. It involves two screwdrivers, with price
tags still on the handles. If they are accurate, his
best gift to me was a grand total of one dollar and
ninety-eight cents, plus tax. And it tends to make all
the others worthwhile for me.
|
|
June
9, 2021 |
|
This
is finding a key ring that refers to something meaningful,
so you put it aside and save it, never a key near it.
It’s about casino chips or coins from other countries,
stacked up next to a framed picture of a trip you took
with some friends. It’s a broken belt from a dryer that
you successfully replaced in a “I can fix that (though
I’ve never tried this before)” home improvement project.
|
|
June
9, 2021 |
|
Turns
out, no one knows. Oh, sure, likely floor cleaning professionals.
I get the idea of who could be an expert. But I actually
used three search engines, created terms for how often
vacuuming should be done and who are the vacuuming experts,
and I didn’t see one specific name. “Experts recommend”
this… “experts say” that… experts all over. No names.
|
|
June
8, 2021 |
|
The
sarcastically witty voices in my head wanted to answer
simply: “When everyone in the house leaves me alone.”
Which, to a degree, would be true. Take away questions
and errands and the variety of absolutely appropriate
and acceptable interruptions that occur, and often focus
upon a single task improves. Just makes sense.
|
|
June
7, 2021 |
|
Game
of Thrones. That was just a massive part of the
entertainment landscape for many years. We all heard
about it. Do you know which episode is noted as having
the most viewers, and, how many viewers that is? As
you might expect, it’s the final episode. Cleared 19
million viewers.
That’s
pretty impressive.
|
|
June
7, 2021 |
|
For
whatever reason, recently my mind flashed back to something
from my childhood. It was a battery powered garden shear.
You may have seen them. It usually consists of two plates
with three or four prongs, attached to a motor, battery
and handle. Simple. And I don’t have one.
|
|
June
6, 2021 |
|
I
think the problem is that in most cases, you’ll find
that these rules were invented to create an easy way
of teaching something. A way to remember it. A way to
show others how to apply it. And when you go one step
further, the biggest issue tends to be that when people
don’t understand the rule, it creates all sorts of issues
when attempts are made to bend and break it.
|
|
June
6, 2021 |
|
That’s
just a simple example of where things can go off the
rails in all of us getting along. Some people would
argue Five Guys doesn’t need to serve the peanuts, and
could step into positive customer relations by dropping
them. Others would contend it’s part of the charm, they
love the peanuts, and that there are plenty of other
options for burgers out there.
|
|
June
6, 2021 |
|
Have
you ever known a bird to own a computer? When was the
last time you were aware of a cardinal reading a newspaper?
Are there any examples of a blue jay watching a weather
forecast and making plans as a direct result of what
it saw?
Your
answers are likely no, no and no. Fair enough.
|
|
June
3, 2021 |
|
While
living in that first house of ours, a neighbor stopped
by one day. She was thinning the irises around her property
and wondered if we’d like a few. We happily took them.
Later, like the hosta, many of the irises were brought
along with us from one home to the next.
|
|
June
1, 2021 |
|
Once
that wave of acknowledgement ice had been broken with
her, Terry and I began seeing our dog walking friend
several times a week. Perhaps it was us, or maybe she
recognized our car, but even if we were off by a bit
and passing further down the road, the smiles and waves
became a regular occurrence.
|
|
June
1, 2021 |
|
I’ve
found, every so often when a conversation turns to such
material, that it never really occurs to many people
that there is a solution. They toss their hands in the
air—an act of I can’t do this defiance, of sorts—and
step away. I would contend that often, the first hurdle
in any dilemma is very simple: understand that there
is an answer. It should be a natural reaction. And,
if it was, then instead of giving up our first steps
would actually be to move toward solutions.
|
|
May
11, 2021 |
|
The
Nautilus from the Jules Verne novel was a prediction
of an electronically powered submarine. Nicely done,
Mr. Verne. But hardly a one-hit wonder, he has a few
other thoughts delivered before their time. He wondered
if electricity or light might be able to power a mission
to the moon, and you can find solar sails now deep into
design and experimentation. Just do some looking around,
and you’ll find Verne suggested, furthered, and essentially
predicted many interesting developments long before
they arrived.
|
|
May
11, 2021 |
|
My
mother had no shortage of parents telling her about
how their kids couldn’t stop talking about dinner at
our house. She used to shake her head, trying to figure
out how she could spend hours feeding us and not get
nearly the same level of praise. My guess is that a
few companies owe my father some referral payments for
the kitchen cabinets that were filled as a result of
“but I want hot dogs and baked beans like I had at (our)
house” cries.
|
|
May
3, 2021 |
|
Organic
is not a word without some meaning behind it. It does
have some weight and power when it gets awarded. Still…
Organic
does not mean any specific levels of nutritional value.
Organic does not mean that it is healthier for you to
consume. Therefor you cannot issue as fact a blanket
statement saying organic produce is better produce.
That would be false.
|
|
April
27, 2021 |
|
There’s
a scene where two of the main characters, who happen
to be children, are on the run. They stumble across
an old garage, get a vehicle running, and off they go.
Critics (I’m not quoting, but the intentions are out
there in plenty of places if you care to go looking):
(1) No way the battery would have worked after being
on a shelf for twenty years. (2) That gas would have
been unusable. (3) Tire rot.
|
|
April
16, 2021 |
|
As
an all-in-one-tool, gosh, we’re talking amazing. Park
tickets and reservations for attractions and payment
methods in retail outlets and so much more. The darn
things allowed for anything and everything you wanted
or needed. We’re not stretching the truth to say you
could walk into a store, wave your arm to both pay for
your purchase and confirm the details to have it shipped
to your hotel room, then take ten steps and wave it
again to begin your move to the front of the line at
the next attraction.
|
|
April
14, 2021 |
|
I’m
not writing this to examine (or reexamine) what does
or doesn’t influence a child though. That’s an argument
for a completely different time. What frustrates me
is how people tend to present information that supports
their argument while completely ignoring anything that
might create an alternative interpretation of reality.
|
|
April
10, 2021 |
|
Facebook
is down. The page said the folks at Facebook knew it
was down. Action. Reaction. Should be a bit of closure
if we bring patience into play. Difficulty. Confirmation.
And yet, countless numbers of people raced to an alternative
to ask if anyone else was having troubles with Facebook.
I’m
probably stretching the idea here, but this entire event
struck me as a beautiful example of the current needs
of immediacy and validation that are swirling around
society today.
|
|
April
10, 2021 |
|
Second,
you’re an idiot and I just don’t have any time to deal
with your stupidity and ignorance. (And that’s me being
kind in my description of your situation.)
This
reason usually means that I’m keeping my mouth shut
and not engaging with you mainly because it’s not worth
it. You go on being the loud clown, I’ll be the one
over here enjoying something worthwhile. You interpret
my silence as lacking in knowledge and possibly ability.
I view it differently.
|
|
April
7, 2021 |
|
Funny
enough, I can’t do any research into it. The reality
is no one is talking about this specific problem. (Go
ahead. Look it up. You’ll find all sorts of links to
USDA and other official sounding agency advice about
safe butter storage. You’ll find plenty of links suggesting
how to get the butter to room temperature, or how to
soften it properly in a microwave without ending up
with a plate full of liquid butter. But in no place
that I have found does anyone discuss why the butter
softens in July but not January.)
|
|
April
7, 2021 |
|
For
a variety of reasons, there seem to be all sorts of
things out there that we simply don’t see from day to
day. And then, once we become aware of them, for a time
we simply can’t not see them.
A
long time ago, I pieced together a couple of lessons
I had learned into what I approach as the twenty-four-hour
buffer. Basic idea is, with very few exceptions, there
is nothing you can do right now that wouldn’t be better
done tomorrow.
|
|
April
4, 2021 |
|
People
make fun of me from time to time. I like CDs. I like
DVDs. But more than anything else, I suppose the best
description of it is I like tangible. It’s nice to be
able to say that streaming whatever… music and movies
to start… can help me out. But what happens when Amazon
or Apple goes out of business, and can no longer provide
authentication of my purchase (and protect my rights
of product ownership)?
|
|
April
4, 2021 |
|
Funny
thing about driving around. If you can manage to stay
on a decent secondary road and continue along a fairly
straight path, eventually you’ll find yourself looking
at a sign for a major road. A highway. Maybe an interstate.
Usually with numbers you recognize. You will find that
every road can lead you back home. (Just follow some
of the best literary advice ever: “Don’t panic.”)
|
|
March
28, 2021 |
|
Even
with the Cap’n removed as an option, it’s likely most
people would stick with cereal mascots for this humorous
social media challenge. That means a list of responses
that would likely include Tony the Tiger, Buzz the Bee,
Toucan Sam, Count Chocula, Lucky the Leprechaun, Snap,
Crackle and Pop.
|
|
March
28, 2021 |
|
Even
if you live in an apartment, I would wager that a ton
of results came back. Most of the leading ones will
be from real estate sites, such as Zillow and Trulia
and so on. If you head over to some of those sites,
chances are really good you will find some lovely photos
of the place. (Seriously, even if you didn’t post them,
there they are. Did the previous owners have an on-line
listing? Then enjoy the slideshow of your home. And
even if it’s been some time since the home was last
on the market, and the interior shots aren’t there,
chances are that some Google image from the street is
(along with link to a map).)
|
|
March
26, 2021 |
|
Did
you know there are people that have tried to figure
out if Doc’s need for 88 miles per hour could have been
reached by the DeLorean in the mall parking lot? Well,
of course there are. (Most seem to claim it wouldn’t
have, unless Doc tinkered with the engine.) The point
is, when you claim significance, and even many times
when you don’t, you have to assume someone is going
to call you on accuracy (or at least claim significance).
|
|
March
21, 2021 |
|
You
often hear the idea that there’s a link between the
personal importance of something and the capturing of
information. I don’t have a doubt that’s true. (As so
wonderfully offered as an example of several things,
if you want to measure a dog’s intelligence, show the
dog you have two biscuits in your hand and then only
give the dog one.)
|
|
March
18, 2021 |
|
Three
days ago, an e-mail arrived. If we take the contents
as true, it was from a manager of a company that produces
outdoor products, including backpacks. She said that
she knew I was in the market for sports products, with
backpacks an important accessory. All of which tells
me that the possibility exists—again, face value of
the e-mail—that some programming code was developed,
picked up on the title of my web site, and the word
backpack created both a hit and an assumption. But it’s
pretty darn obvious she never looked at my web site
for a second, because I’ve got no need for any of that
stuff.
|
|
March
17, 2021 |
|
The
night included that wonderful game we all know and love:
Staring at the ceiling, turning to the clock, turning
back to the ceiling while saying “Ok, if I just get
to sleep right now, I can still get six hours of sleep.”…
repeat, “Ok, if I just get to sleep right now, I can
still get four hours of sleep.”… repeat, “Ok, if I just
get to sleep right now, I can still get three-and-a-half
hours of sleep.”
|
|
March
17, 2021 |
|
By
frequency, it would be the street I grew up on. That’s
simple enough. But there’s a funny twist to the story.
That road was two-tenths of a mile long. And, since
my parents lived essentially dead center on the road,
it meant any travel along it was rarely more than one-tenth
of a mile.
That
means ten trips to walk or drive a mile.
One
hundred trips to walk or drive ten miles.
One
thousand trips to walk or drive one hundred miles.
|
|
March
13, 2021 |
|
While
the result is not quite the a la carte approach some
of us may have envisioned heading our way a few years
ago, the reality isn’t too far off. There’s Netflix,
Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+… select one from column
a, two from column b… consider the services offering
those specialized programs you enjoy… laugh at Apple
TV+ with their five so-so shows while shaking your head
and wondering who the twenty-seven people are that actually
subscribe to it… and you have arrived at television
for your home.
|
|
March
5, 2021 |
|
It
stumped me because, depending on the type of tea, I
often add different things in different combinations.
Usually, I stick with the big four: honey, lemon, sugar
and cream. Honey the most common. But depending on the
type of tea involved, I’ve been known to use both honey
and sugar at the same time.
|
|
March
4, 2021 |
|
How
about placing them on 8½”x11” pages? Must be
some savings there. Well, those costs are all over the
place. Even the lowest quality of paper that size runs
about $10 for fifty sheets. You can position three 4”x6”
images onto a sheet, so that $10 would get you one-hundred-fifty
pictures. Not bad at under $0.07 a picture, but… the
price for this paper varies wildly, once again we haven’t
considered the costs associated with ink, and you are
going to need to cut the pictures on your own. At its
best hit to your wallet, is ink and labor worth more
or less than two-cents a picture?
|
|
February
27, 2021 |
|
I
said version of the question, because honestly the mail
arriving may not matter. It might be the time you leave
for work. Could be when the kids get out of school.
Perhaps you settle in to watch television every Thursday
evening. The idea here is simple… there is something
that you repeat, and do without thought, and accept
as a given, even if it’s where you keep your forks and
spoons.
|
|
February
26, 2021 |
|
Not
sure exactly what I mean? Ok… let’s adjust to thoughts
about a couple of regional legends. Imagine you love
In-And-Out Burger or Del’s Lemonade… that you want to
head to an Iceberg Drive Inn or Skyline Chili… you can’t
just hop in the car and arrive at your craving in ten
to twenty minutes in every city from coast to coast.
You’re going to need… and I’m sorry to say it… you’re
going to need to go without. Or, find an alternative.
(I know… as if.)
|
|
February
26, 2021 |
|
I
absolutely hate making large purchases for the home.
Not always. But in general. If you find a difference
in a cost that favors one store over another, you often
find that delivery charges equalize the final total.
It’s like a magic trick. One has a lower cost for the
dishwasher, but then there’s delivery and installation
and taking away the old dishwasher. Oh, and if you want
the warranty to be valid, the installation must come
from that store’s highly trained team of certified installers.
|
|
February
22, 2021 |
|
Are
you a walnut person? Or do you prefer pecans? It isn’t
just a question of whether or not you’re adding nuts.
The type of nut matters. I even have friends that will
explain, in detail at great length, the importance of
toasting the nuts first.
(Yup.
Toasted nuts. And you thought a chocolate chip cookie
essay wasn’t going to get deep and serious and controversial.)
|
|
February
22, 2021 |
|
The
impulse for this essay happens to be someone that Terry
and I consider a friend, though we’ve only known her
for a handful of years. She has been amazing for both
of us, personally and professionally, over and over
(and over) again. Any time we’ve had a question, or
simply needed a pat on the back and a positive word,
she’s been there for us. The type of person that makes
your world… makes THE world… a better place.
|
|
February
19, 2021 |
|
Planter’s
began offering cheese balls several decades ago. Specifically,
Planter’s Cheez Balls. They weren’t the very best cheese
balls. But they were good. Very good. And they had this
complementary buttery-like taste that no other brand
offered. In short, if you were in the mood for Planter’s
cheese balls, you had to have Planter’s Cheez Balls.
|
|
February
18, 2021 |
|
I
have this fear about handling chainsaws. I’ve used them
many times. Have even owned a couple, with one in my
possession right now. I simply don’t like how easy it
is to get lazy with it or tired. Those aren’t the perfect
words, since I don’t truly mean getting lazy. But I’ve
shared chainsaw stories with many people. And one thing
we all seem to have in common is that every story reaches
a moment where a person is working on a project and
encounters a distraction or a feeling of casual overconfidence.
|
|
February
18, 2021 |
|
One
of the difficulties in gift giving is that most people
can fall into two scenarios: (1) When they really want
something, they buy it, and therefor don’t need anything
(or even have anything sitting on their want-to-get
list). (2) Even if they do fit into some group, or have
some particular interests, it can be hard to avoid giving
horrendous gifts associated with it.
|
|
February
18, 2021 |
|
I’m
not bringing these up as a criticism of any sort. I
think almost all of us have a few things that we don’t
even believe rise to the level of wink-wink acknowledgement.
I’m just wondering about the differences we might find
in people that exist and define levels such as not being
aware of doing something wrong, not really being concerned
by doing something wrong, and, ultimately, flat-out
disobedience.
|
|
February
14, 2021 |
|
Did
you ever have the follow the instructions trick test
in school? Teacher passes out paper. Begins by saying
that we should listen to everything said, each and every
question, before doing anything else. Then, the questions
begin. Number one… number two… number whatever… questions
end. Final instruction is to leave the paper blank.
And, of course, a huge chunk of the class moans, having
been writing answers for the questions on the sheet
of paper while being asked them, completely ignoring
the very first instruction.
|
|
February
14, 2021 |
|
The
weird part is, my reactions always tend to be strongest
about Rhode Island. I’ve lived in other states. Traveled
quite a bit. Rhode Island? A small state. A hop on Route
95 and get from the southwest corner on the border of
Connecticut to the northeast corner crossing over to
Massachusetts in under an hour without speeding small
state.
|
|
February
14, 2021 |
|
Past
year has been a bit rough. Every so often, a package
has arrived. One of our friends sends a little note,
and has been including a mask with each one. Another
wrote a beautiful and thoughtful letter while sending
a blanket to my wife. I cannot tell you how amazing
the gestures felt when we received them and realized
what they were. Simply put, I can tell you that angels
walk among us.
|
|
February
14, 2021 |
|
In
the previous five years, I have never seen a single
snowmobile moving along anywhere except in a neighbor’s
yard or along a marked trail. This year I’ve seen them
pulling in to gas stations, parked in spaces at a coffee
shop and other assorted locations. Multiple times. Of
course, I get why a snowmobile would be moving toward
the gas pumps. I’m just saying that I’d never seen it
before, but somehow this year I’ve seen it easily more
than five times.
|
|
February
14, 2021 |
|
Let’s
say I have two friends that absolutely love pizza. (No.
I get it. Everyone loves pizza. In this case though,
let’s say my two friends both own restaurants that serve
pizza. Plus, toss in that I’ve traveled with them, discussed
pizza with them, and know that both of them are fascinated
by crust styles and ingredients and toppings and more.
They will argue for hours not just about whether or
not pineapple belongs on a pizza, but invest many lengthy
and separate sessions into different types of pineapple.
Fresh and canned. Chunks and rings. Sauce style used.
(Side note: pineapple does not belong on pizza. Different
argument. Different essay. Worth noting.))
|
|
February
11, 2021 |
|
When
Terry and I bought our first house together, she and
I talked about setting up a workshop for her. She does
a lot of crafts, and they are far from limited to one
type of item. So incredibly large work surfaces, with
sturdy construction, was important. I used full sheets
of plywood, and framed everything with 2”x4” boards.
It was overdone in ways… you could have multiple people
stand on top of them, with tools and assorted equipment…
but it served every purpose she threw at it, and the
basic design was used again when we rebuilt her work
area in our next home. It led to us having a joke, where
we said that for any repair all I needed was a two-by-four.
|
|
February
9, 2021 |
|
I
am not doing this to suggest that a coyote is moving
along to grab its mail. Don’t want to create the impression
I believe a deer or two are crossing my yard to get
some take out. And while I’d love it if a racoon hopped
on by to clear some of the snow from our driveway—I’d
even leave a couple of bucks for its troubles if it
did—I’m not expecting one to stop in immediately after
the next storm clears.
|
|
February
9, 2021 |
|
Today,
Terry was going through some boxes and she stumbled
upon a few unexpected tidbits. My grandparents bought
their home new. First owners. My grandfather was involved
in the building of the house. Started after he returned
home following the war. Worked on it with one of his
brothers.
They
ended up with the blueprints to the house. Terry found
the blueprints, a black and white photograph of the
house, and a copy of the mortgage note. (Meme and Pepe
paid $42.42 each month on the mortgage of their new
home.)
|
|
February
9, 2021 |
|
A
few days ago, I had a really basic bad day. Nothing
truly horrible. But a basic bad. I woke up, opened the
fridge, and realized I hadn’t taken the bacon out of
the freezer the day before. That changed breakfast plans.
The changes to my anticipated start continued when I
realized I hadn’t run the dishwasher, so most of the
mugs were dirty and I really didn’t want to invest the
effort in washing one just for the cup of hot cocoa
I was craving. I walked across the kitchen to the sliding
doors into the back yard. Opened then blinds and saw
it had snowed. Enough that I was going to need to head
out and work in the driveway.
|
|
February
6, 2021 |
|
The
feedback began coming in, and I was gathering some really
interesting information. For one thing, my father’s
professional career was primarily spent in broadcast
media. He confirmed that many of the results I was seeing
in my smaller sample group matched up fairly nicely
to the industry-conducted ratings and numbers. And then
a form came back with a note in the margin.
|
|
February
6, 2021 |
|
On
the surface, there actually is little doubt that being
productive should equate to being productive. A simple
example—really basic stuff—proves the point. You make
up a list of things to accomplish tomorrow. You wake
up, get ready, and start your projects. By the time
you settle in for dinner, the list is done. And there
you have it. Productive.
|
|
February
6, 2021 |
|
Let’s
say you have a family or friend that sells cars. They
live about somewhere between 200 and 400 miles away
from you, and you regularly visit them at least four
times a year. My guess is that if you are in the market
for a new car, you’d at least consider purchasing one
from your family member or friend. And when you did,
it wasn’t a special trip that you made for the purchase.
It was a special purchase you made during the trip.
Makes sense, right?
|
|
February
3, 2021 |
|
Ever
had hush puppies? Think fried corn bread and we’re headed
in a direction where we can find a decent understanding
of things. Well, this recipe was brilliant. I made the
batter, Terry cooked them, and the recipe was pretty
much perfect. Some of the best we’ve ever had. Crisp
on the outside, dense and moist on the inside, perfect.
|
|
February
3, 2021 |
|
A
note like that could be a ton of different things. The
city. The weather. It’s where I went to school. That’s
three good ones with a lot of variety right there. Didn’t
even mention The Great New York State Fair, which means
there are plenty of other places to go. Just saying
Syracuse might as well be a one-word note that says
blue… or left… or sneakers.
|
|
February
1, 2021 |
|
I
think my favorite examples of this are when a combination
of need and inconvenience creates amusing results. Think
of a time when you’re in the basement, or out in the
yard, and the tool you need is in the garage. Sure,
you could put everything down, walk the length of the
house, head up the stairs and go to the garage, rummage
through your tools to find a hammer, go back to the
basement and use it, then turn around and repeat the
journey to return the hammer to the garage. Or…
|
|
January
27, 2021 |
|
How
many stores can you think of that have come, gone, lasted
or turned over that have made some type of memorable
connection with you? We all know stores close, but at
times it seems as though many shut their doors and no
one notices it happen. We could think about G. Fox turning
to Filene’s and then to Macy’s. How about Zayre? Some
sting, some don’t, and some leave us numb.
|
|
January
25, 2021 |
|
Years
ago, Bobby Riggs was a guest on a television show called
The Odd Couple. All you need to know about
Riggs for this idea was that he likely was best known
for his hustling and gambling. On the show he challenged
one of the lead characters to correctly type his name
in ten seconds or less.
|
|
January
25, 2021 |
|
That’s
a bit harsh. And I’m obviously exaggerating to make
a point. Still, the general concept remains. If you
have one box filled with bubble wrap and nothing but
bubble wrap… and an identically-sized second box filled
with enameled cast iron Dutch oven cookware… and both
of those boxes would fit on a shelf in the basement,
she will not be questioning whether or not that shelf
can support the weight of either box.
|
|
January
25, 2021 |
|
We
live in an area where it can snow constantly. As in,
no snow in the forecast, no storms sweeping along, but
just a bit of moisture in the air and frigid temperatures
and lake effect and *POOF* measurable snow on the windshield
the next day. Over four days this past week, we got
about four inches of snow over two days. No real fast
buildup of it. Just a half-inch overnight, then a quarter-inch
during the day, another half-inch the next night, and
by the end of four overnights there was four or five
inches to trudge in. Seriously, if you were here to
experience you would agree, it just snuck on in and
there it was.
|
|
January
24, 2021 |
|
Generally
speaking, technology has advanced in ways that my laptop
can now actually be a hinderance where once it bordered
on being a requirement. For example, whenever I need
to check in for flights. Just ten years ago, without
a smartphone and most companies still in the early stages
of app development (if they even had an app), some type
of computer access to the internet was likely needed
to make sure you had things set up for your flight.
Today? Geez, between getting your laptop internet access
and navigating a web site, it turns out a smartphone
and app combination can be significantly faster and
easier.
|
|
January
23, 2021 |
|
Maybe
it’s technology. I’d love to have something to blame,
and that sure seems like an easy place to direct my
accusations. Text messages. E-mails. Social media. So
many ways to stay in touch with people, most quick and
convenient and completely lacking true connections.
But that wouldn’t be fair. Because even though it’s
easier, it doesn’t mean I’m actually making as many
phone calls or writing as many e-mails as I would like
to be. And they don’t have to be empty gestures.
|
|
January
23, 2021 |
|
To
give you an idea we can use an example that has nothing
to do with my call. Let’s say you needed to touch base
with a mortgage company. For one thing, you were changing
the information on your insurance policy and needed
to update the company and address that got paid each
year by your mortgage company. And, for another, you
had received an offer to refinance and wanted to find
out some specifics that weren’t fully outlined in the
letter sent to you. Same company… two very different
departments… and some nuances that meant an automated
button pushing progression wouldn’t finish off your
needs.
|
|
January
23, 2021 |
|
First
one that strikes me is a wooden lion. Terry and I had
gone on a trip to visit my sister in Australia. Back
at home, we had begun collecting unusual animal trinkets.
Hard to explain, easier to show, but essentially the
idea of the collection was that we wanted to gather
things that involved taking them a step beyond a basic
carving or statue. We were looking for unique and different.
This lion has belly that has been carved out, with an
intricate pattern in place, and inside of it is another
lion.
|
|
January
23, 2021 |
|
There’s
been some stunning stuff turning up in our basement.
And one thing tonight almost brought me to tears. A
folder with some old school papers. On the top, a handwritten
and stapled packet. It was a report, from forty years
ago, documenting a family vacation. It happened during
the school year, with all of us getting on a plane and
flying to Disney World. How old was it really? The Magic
Kingdom was the only theme park.
|
|
January
20, 2021 |
|
When
I got to the car, there was a layer of snow on it. It
was that somewhat wet snow that isn’t too difficult
to move. I knew the temperatures were expected to drop
in the afternoon, which meant that if I left it the
windshield would end up covered not with snow, but ice.
I left the bags on the back seat and headed to the garage,
where the snow brushes for the cars are. While clearing
off the windshield, I realized the brushes needed to
be in the cars and not the garage, so I went back to
the house because I only had one set of keys. I picked
up another brush and… hey… why is that ladder over there?
|
|
January
20, 2021 |
|
But
this USB extension cord? I haven’t used one. Ever. Not
one. Right now, so far, I’ve found I have two. New in
the box. Why? Then I begin wondering if I might move
something later on and an extension cord might be just
what I need, but wireless stuff is taking over everything,
and suddenly I’m trapped in the circular logic of arriving
at a day where I need one, had one, but no longer have
one.
|
|
January
18, 2021 |
|
Stop
signs were originally yellow. Apparently red was considered
from the beginning, but most of the materials available
for making the signs were known to fade over time so
yellow won the day. Eventually, red became the norm
once fade-resistant-enamel could be produced in that
color.
Greenland
Sharks are believed to possibly live for up to five
hundred years.
Green
Eggs and Ham was produced on a bet. Dr. Suess was
challenged to produce a book containing less than fifty
words.
|
|
January
18, 2021 |
|
Remember
Salt City? Ask someone from Syracuse and they might
be just as inclined to say snow as anything else. Although,
to be fair to a city I do love and have a history of
my own with, Syracuse residents (and those nearby) are
far more likely to respond with tales about Salt City,
salt potatoes and the Great New York State Fair. I don’t
catch as many of them flatfooted with the question.
|
|
January
17, 2021 |
|
A
few of my friends are outstanding cooks. I mean, could
open their own restaurant brilliant. And prepping marinades,
chopping vegetables, the entire process of cooking anything
and everything is their escape.
I
love cooking, love eating, hate dishes. That means more
often than not my efforts in the kitchen can be based
entirely on how many pans will need to be scrubbed later
on.
|
|
January
17, 2021 |
|
Hey,
I want a new amazing range with two ovens. Whatever
size we think we need for a new refrigerator, I want
to double it. Give me that live edge dining room table
that seats twelve. But if you’ve found that the there’s
a problem with asbestos, lead paint, or the discovery
of shoddy workmanship behind the walls that needs to
be upgraded, I can make due with what we’ve got and
dump the $5,000 wish-list table.
|
|
January
17, 2021 |
|
We
park the cars facing the street. Our driveway isn’t
too long, but it’s not short either. Moving a car forward
in drive is far easier in the snow than moving in reverse.
Part of that is front-wheel-drive vehicles, and I would
say a good portion is not driving in snow using mirrors
as a guidance system. It’s also a trick we picked up
in our previous house, which not only included a longer
driveway, it also provided the added bonus of a decent
uphill rise between the street and the house.
|
|
January
15, 2021 |
|
Now,
I didn’t come here to talk to you about well pumps or
the joys of working on them in below-freezing temperatures.
I came here to talk to you about stuff around the house,
and how many of the things that seem so mysterious—even
though, I cannot stress this enough, the vast majority
of which should be worked on by experienced people and
not novices—aren’t all that mysterious.
|
|
January
15, 2021 |
|
The
really funny thing is, all I need to do is look out
my window. There are far more deer tracks across my
lawn in the past two weeks. So why are they in the fields
but not the woods? I think we’re all still basically
locked into our houses more than previous years. And,
of course we are. Thing is, I’m starting with deer,
but want to mention Christmas lights.
|
|
January
15, 2021 |
|
But
for me, it’s a communication tool that has expanded.
I admit that I’m in the age where texting is almost
a necessary concept. And sure, I use the browser to
help out with information when I’m not at home. My response
to that, however, would be that I have grown into those
options and have never been enticed by them. And in
the end, as long as it’s doing what I need from it,
I don’t get all that excited about update possibilities.
|
|
January
12, 2021 |
|
The
history of meringues is, well, unknown. Honestly, no
two sources really agree on being able to state anything
definitive. Most will mention a small community and
a chef by the name of Gasparini. (Several seem to take
a tremendous pleasure in noting that it likely was not
invented in France. Enough that it was an obvious recurring
side note, and I was really wondering why so many articles
were mentioning it wasn’t invented in France. Perhaps
another story, definitely for another time.)
|
|
January
12, 2021 |
|
If
I asked you to find a spoon in my kitchen, you probably
would be able to handle it pretty quickly. But, likely
without thought, you cheated. You unconsciously and
immediately decided we keep spoons in a drawer, and
began with those. What if I asked you to find a plate
or a coffee mug? Might take a few extra seconds. And
if we move into cutting boards, lids for frying pans,
or perhaps a mandoline, chances are good you wouldn’t
even start looking before asking me where it is.
|
|
January
12, 2021 |
|
Other
times, it’s putting things away that becomes dangerous
for my clean sheet of paper. Once I was unloading groceries
and came across our old bread maker. Hadn’t been used
since we moved, silent for years, and suddenly bread
flour and a few assorted ingredients were being jotted
down. Another time a can of clams got in the way and
triggered a craving for clam cakes.
|
|
January
12, 2021 |
|
First,
Terry is a bit over the top when it comes to Christmas.
As in, without going to where the Christmas stuff is
stored, I can already tell you that we have containers
for at least six different styles of trees. At least.
The Disney theme, the maroon and gold theme, the silver
and blue theme, the traditional ornament theme, the
special gold ornaments theme, and the nutcracker theme.
That’s six, and I didn’t look. I know there are actually
several more. In addition to trees, there are also boxes
with animated figures, skating rinks for villages and…
ok…
|
|
January
12, 2021 |
|
Still,
if you’re going to tell me there’s no such thing as
bad cake, well, you’re wrong. It’s actually become one
of my rules for bakeries as a result. If I like a bakery
and think I might be back, I usually make it a point
to try cake and perhaps a brownie. If you’re claiming
to be a bakery and you can’t make a brownie, then you
should close your doors. I know… and you do as well…
there are some horrendous bakeries out there that couldn’t
make a good brownie even if you just let them use a
box mix instead of their crappy recipe.
|
|
January
9, 2021 |
|
Some
people are conscious of the price of gas and how it
impacts them… compact car. Some people use their vehicle
for work or perhaps don’t care… sports utility vehicle.
Each… a $100 check.
Some
people commute great distances and share rides with
their friends and spouses to work. Some don’t commute
as far and drive alone. Each… a $100 check.
State
to state… taxes differ. Everyone… all together… a $100
check.
|
From
the Backpack ~ Likely original posting date May 1, 2006 |
|
January
9, 2021 |
|
I
was reading an interview with Penn Jillette a few weeks
ago. I don’t recall the exact quote, or even the exact
question for that matter. But Penn essentially pointed
out that you don’t need to reach that many people to be
an overwhelming success. With hundreds of millions of
people living in the United States alone, just finding
1% of the people agree with you in some fashion can provide
a tremendous following.
|
From
the Backpack ~ Likely original posting date December 4,
2003 |
|
January
5, 2021 |
|
I
wouldn’t say I grew up with some sort of formal, deliberate
approach to butter. But I don’t know that I ever considered
anything but slicing a pad of it off of the stick, top
to bottom style (so to speak). I suppose if forced to
explain it, because it’s never something I’ve tried
to explore before, I’d say that unconsciously I feel
it’s almost cruel to the next person to approach it
any other way. Be kind and keep the stick of butter
neat for the next person.
|
|
January
5, 2021 |
|
When
was the last time you smacked right into something in
your home? Corner of a coffee table happens to us, even
in the best of light. But then, in the middle of the
night, not wanting to turn on lights, we set off thinking
we can navigate our path. Three steps to the entry of
the room, turn left down the hall, five steps and… and…
and we’re usually off before we even get to the edge
of the room we’re in.
|
|
January
2, 2021 |
|
I
think, if we are going to come up with any type of simple
summary, we need to be able to figure out a way to determine
what is in a person’s head and heart. What do they truly
believe? What do they truly feel? That is not simple
at all, and it’s at the very center of my observation
about being sorry about what you may have done versus
being sorry because you got caught.
|
|
January
2, 2021 |
|
The
person writing the article was highly critical of the
show, even though they had never seen even one episode
of it. Seriously. Never watched a single episode, freely
admitted that repeatedly in the article (to the point
of adding in a (my words) “and you can’t make me” sticking
out of the tongue attitude as the bragging about having
never seen the show was mentioned again), and effectively
slammed the show as a waste of time.
|
|
December
23, 2020 |
|
And
that’s it, isn’t it? Comfort zones.
It’s
not about accepting or rejecting technology, at least
not if we’re being honest. I may not be the most current
or even interested user of the latest and greatest,
but I can navigate around most issues and get what I
want and need taken care of.
|
|
December
23, 2020 |
|
I’m
not talking about running out of mustard and suffering
without it for your hot dog. Nor am I talking about
making a shopping list, opening the fridge to check
things out and finding you need eggs and orange juice.
What I mean is something you don’t regularly give any
attention, but somehow when you do is exactly when you
needed to spot it. Whenever that moment is, random as
it may be, that’s when you check and that’s when you
need it.
|
|
December
23, 2020 |
|
There
are certain things a person needs in order to survive.
Food. Water. And you know the drill. It moves on into
things like shelter. Depending on who is designing the
list we might start off on one tangent to consider air
right up there with food and water. Another tangent
brings us to sleep, rest and health. And yet another
tangent can move into emotional areas such as companionship
and support.
|
|
December
20, 2020 |
|
Ok.
You got me. I added the enjoy part to Tuesday. And Binghamton
is a side note that didn’t matter to where we live.
We ended up with around six inches of snow. But the
rest of that charting, even in my words, is pretty close
to dead on accurate. In fact, I’m sure I did hear a
forecaster or two mention that significant snowfall
might be good fun. Just don’t tie me down to that one.
(Especially if you live in Binghamton.) Still… back
to the main path of this essay…
|
|
December
20, 2020 |
|
The
basic ideas to take from this are that I really don’t
have many habits or routines when it comes to my daily
endeavors. I don’t start things off by lining up containers
from the medicine cabinet. I don’t need to put on a
pot of coffee. While it may edge right up against too
much information, if I’m headed outside to do some yardwork
on a hot summer day, I’ll often skip a morning shower
and wait until the work is done. All of which often
leads me into some vague and troubled waters.
|
|
December
10, 2020 |
|
Unfortunately,
I’m afraid there may actually be more involved here.
I’m sorry to say that as some people have been repeating
their messages with other postings… in a few cases with
messages and links to stories that are completely fabricated,
which a quick check of the facts would reveal… and as
a result I’m seeing stances and more that are hard to
ignore or write off as an oops.
|
|
November
30, 2020 |
|
At
first, Mom didn’t get it. She tried telling me about
the recipe she’s used for decades to make snickerdoodles,
and how I probably had it in the stack of recipes she
had passed along to all the kids, and insisted I should
try that one.
She
didn’t understand that this wasn’t a phone call asking
about a snickerdoodle recipe. This was a phone call
asking about THE snickerdoodle recipe. I wasn’t
looking for a recipe, I was chasing a memory.
|
|
November
25, 2020 |
|
It’s
not because I really like balloons. It’s because our
first dog, Lady, went bonkers whenever there were balloons
around. It’s as if she thought they were the source
of all evil in the world, she needed to protect us,
and the way to accomplish that was by barking at them
to make sure they didn’t move. Eventually you would
be forced to move them someplace where she could no
longer see them.
|
|
November
25, 2020 |
|
The
basic story goes like this. While looking for some dinner
ideas, I came across an old dessert recipe and thought
I would try to make it. One of the ingredients is Dutch
cocoa powder, and to my memory that was a fairly easy
purchase. Go to a grocery store, find the baking aisle,
locate the chocolates, and there, right next to cocoa
powder would be the Dutch cocoa powder.
It
was not an easy purchase.
|
|
November
4, 2020 |
|
But
which is it? Because behind the doors of your own home…
if we only ask you… you think your way is right. And
that means we could have two homes, side-by-side, wrong
and right at the same moment.
(Lovely.
We might have a foundation now to debate Schrodinger’s
toilet paper.)
|
|
November
4, 2020 |
|
When
I was younger, I tried to get interested in stamps and
coins. The fascination lasted for one weekend trip with
some friends to a hobby shop that specialized in stamps.
Beyond that, I don’t think you could string together
more than five minutes of attention from my childhood.
Ok,
that’s not true. I vividly recall my parents, during
a family trip to Washington, DC, bringing their children
to the National Postal Museum one morning for a visit
that involved many of the Smithsonian locations… and
that was a pretty interesting trip for a variety of
reasons. I’ve always appreciated some of the stories
and histories involved in several specialty hobbies,
including stamps and coins.
|
|
November
4, 2020 |
|
This
delay means that when you do actually buy batteries,
you go on a spree of changing them in game controllers,
remotes, clocks, flashlights and more. It means that
whenever a new package arrives in the house, it’s immediately
called upon to supply a dozen or so needs. Thus, the
result becomes that as soon as you buy batteries you’re
basically out again.
|
|
October
11, 2020 |
|
One
day, a woman came back to the desk after checking in
and visiting her room. She was quite upset. Nothing
was what she had expected or requested. There was no
refrigerator in the room. There was no television. And
she continued. She insisted she had double-checked and
was told she would have an oceanside room, with a television
and a refrigerator. When I asked if she recalled the
person she spoke with, she claimed it was a very rude
young girl. She said she’d never forget how poorly the
girl had treated her, but she didn’t know the name.
|
|
October
11, 2020 |
|
(And
that, right there… face or no face… that’s uncalled
for sarcasm. Because in reality Tigg was looking out
for me. She knows I like lemonade, knew we needed a
new container, went looking for one, and bought one.
If I was so set on getting a replacement, then I should
have moved my behind a bit faster and bought one myself.
Besides, a requirement for a new container wasn’t that
it must be from Tupperware. Some of the stuff from Pampered
Chef is outstanding and we have a few of the company’s
items that I can’t imagine being without. (But where
would that be funny? Instead, I make the skeptical husband
face and offer up a bitter attempt at a joke. Ha ha.
Anyway…))
|
|
October
7, 2020 |
|
Ok,
we should probably start off by saying this isn’t some
deep and dark espionage situation. People weren’t launching
drones, placing tracers on my vehicle, or setting up
surveillance efforts in an unmarked van across the street.
Netflix
and Amazon have not reached out, are not conducting
interviews with me, and do not appear to be seeking
the rights to some incredible tale where a few gifted
screenwriters could bring about a multi-episode season
of exciting suspense.
Not
that I know of.
|
|
October
1, 2020 |
|
Now,
in fairness… Cross Lake… Seneca River… even the Skaneateles
Creek… are all in the vicinity. Depending on how ambitious
we might want to be in finding the source of this abandoned
water craft, there are places where a boat could be
used without having to travel multiple zip codes. It’s
not like we have discovered a boat ditched on along
a major road someplace in New Mexico or West Virginia,
with thoughts wandering to places that might connect
what a dinghy and a cactus have in common.
|
|
September
29, 2020 |
|
I
don’t know why that text message at that moment struck
me as odd. Couldn’t explain why the thought came into
my head right then and there. A few personal things
going on… a few crazies in my days lately… and then,
sure, the rest of the world figuratively (and, in spots,
literally) on fire.
“How are you and Terry doing?”
|
|
September
19, 2020 |
|
We
all have those absentminded days. The ones where we
wake up, stumble into the kitchen and try to make some
coffee. While the water’s heating up, we realize we
can’t find any half and half, or even the mug we thought
we had put out before starting the water. After spinning
around to take in all the counters, we add half and
half to the shopping list, then grab a cup from the
dish rack and the milk from the fridge.
|
|
September
6, 2020 |
|
Usually,
if I don’t have time to write a draft of a piece, I
grab a sheet of paper or write some lines in a notebook
that outline the topic and some thoughts. If I’m sitting
at the computer when it hits, I’ll open a document,
jot a few ideas and save it. End result, I try really
hard to have something in place that reconnects me with
the idea so I know what I was thinking and if I had
any designs on where I wanted to head with it.
|
|
September
4, 2020 |
|
There
are no specific qualifications that are universally
cited and agreed upon. A national source might have
something that pertains to wind speeds, visibility,
duration, potential accumulation totals and such. On
the other hand, your local news Doppler Weather Radar
8600 420K Report with Spiffy Jim wants to be your source
for weather accuracy. So, they have a region mapped
out… their viewing region… and if a might flake drop,
the darn thing gets a name.
|
|
September
4, 2020 |
|
For
a wide variety of reasons that aren’t part of this story,
my sister (Kerri) and her husband (Nick) were on a journey
driving around the United States that summer. They were
very roughly planning on bringing their trip to an end
around the days we would be in Pennsylvania. Roughly
meaning their schedule would have them crossing the
state while we were there. Plans were made to meet up
in Hershey.
Here’s
a bit of a twist to the story. This took place about
twenty-five years ago. No GPS. No cell phones. No navigational
apps. No where-are-you text messages. Just hotel reservations
made, meet up on this date, hopefully everyone is around
in time to join up for dinner.
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
Over
a bit of time I began noticing something while watching
some brilliant guitarists perform. Their hands never
seemed rushed. There was a calm, smooth, steady movement.
Watch John Denver play “Rocky Mountain High” and… well…
it’s just a mesmerizing thing of beauty.
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
Terry
and I have the favorites from growing up in Rhode Island
on the mind at times. We have preferences for baked
beans as an example (and never can find brown bread
in our neighborhood markets). So, any time we are visiting
family and friends in the Ocean State, we have a tendency
to stock up on these treats. (Hence, a bigger than really
needed bottle of Autocrat syrup being purchased.)
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
But
here we are, breakfast complete, the day ahead of us,
and a few possibilities for dinner are being kicked
around. If I’m going to head out for some corn on the
cob and buttermilk—we’re thinking of frying some chicken,
we’ll be ready for you about 3, don’t forget to bring
your famous potato salad and a pie for dessert, we’ve
got the beer—I probably should make the trip a bit more
productive and sort out anything I might need over the
next few days.
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
I
suppose my difficulties though are more with what we
might summarize as the organized business of religion.
And yes, I know I’ve gone and stepped on it with that.
Because there is no way I will be able to fully form
my feelings and thoughts, defenses and explanations,
or anything else associated with supporting that idea
in a single essay. Religion for many is a lifelong dedication.
Good luck covering that in one thousand words (or less).
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
Chip
and Dale make a couple of appearances, though I’m not
going to share the reasons why here and now. Nor will
I go deeply down the road discussing Tinker Bell, Harley
Quinn, Figment and Scooby-Doo. (That said, the multiple
Mouse Ears probably need no explaining.)
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
But
when you have a shear pin that needs replacing, and
the thermometer inside the garage is registering low
single-digits (while outside is negative numbers), and
you’ve already returned from eleven-hours that day at
work with dinner to make and a long day tomorrow, I
think you can be forgiven after clearing the driveway
for not moving around to different corners of the garage
to put everything away when thoughts of defrosting your
face seem like a more pressing priority.
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
It
was an observation that originated when listening to
a variety of albums, by bands where I usually enjoyed
the entire album, and for some reason—probably on a
long car trip—I happened to notice that the seventh
song on album after album was my favorite song on each
one. Seemed like a nice theory, which I never wanted
to not be true, so I just ran with it and left it in
place.
|
|
August
30, 2020 |
|
Earlier
I was working on some laundry and I got around to a
load of towels. Tossed them in the machine, got it started,
and went out to handle some other stuff. Roughly fifteen
minutes later, I was washing my hands in the kitchen,
reached for a dishtowel and realized I should have switched
it out when I started the laundry. That, in turn, reminded
me that the towels in the bathrooms could be changed
as well.
|
|
August
28, 2020 |
|
One
piece of advice that seems a bit out of the ordinary,
and yet makes a lot of sense, is creating a to do list
for myself. Remember that mind chatter? Let’s use that
as a theme here. Part of the mind chatter problem is
that your mind can’t settle down. You keep thinking
of all the things you need to do tomorrow, or concerns
that are bothering you, or tap dancing unicorns.
|
|
August
28, 2020 |
|
She
started with that prescription. That led to talking
about the pharmacist, and over to grabbing a sympathy
card, and did I remember when it used to be across the
street and we picked out special occasion cards for
my grandparents, and eventually curled around to asking
if I remembered when we would go in when I was really
young and on most stops would be allowed to select one
candy bar for myself.
|
|
August
28, 2020 |
|
I
was born and raised in Rhode Island. Methodist was the
religion of our household. I can imagine what it might
have been like to grow up in Arizona… Kansas… Alaska…
and I might even come pretty darn close. There are shared
experiences. We can apply the same idea to being raised
Catholic, Jewish, or as a follower of several other
religions (or none at all). But the truth is, I do not
have the real-life background to tell you what it’s
like to be a Jewish girl that was raised in Oregon.
|
|
August
27, 2020 |
|
So,
people are living longer, which means more people around
to span multiple generations. Plus, better details about
exactly what the entire planet looks like. And the great
thing is, lately we’ve arrived at a point where the
guesses are darn good ones. Most studies and researchers
are able to adjust factors for various circumstances
and variables, while all seem to be narrowing in on
similar results when putting this type of question into
perspective.
So…
are there more people alive right now then the full
total of people that have died?
|
|
August
27, 2020 |
|
This
should not be interpreted as meaning I don’t like attending
weddings, don’t respect weddings, or in some way that
I’m advocating all of us have better things to do with
four hours (or more) that suddenly get swept aside and
are gone for good by a ceremony and reception.
I’m
fine with them overall. Invite Terry and I. We’ll try
to be there. And we will bring a nice gift (or at least
a really nice card with a check inside).
|
|
August
27, 2020 |
|
The
oldest restaurant in the United States is the White
Horse Tavern. Want to guess where it is? Yup… Rhode
Island. Opened in 1673, it just so happens to also qualify
as the oldest bar and tavern in America. The amazing
thing is, even though many sources list it as the oldest
“restaurant” in the United States, the oldest restaurant
in the world is generally regarded and accepted as being…
|
|
August
27, 2020 |
|
You
know the North Star? More officially it’s called Polaris.
(Ready? Sit down.) Some sources say it takes six-hundred
and eighty years for light from Polaris to reach earth.
The War of the Roses began in 1455… Canterbury Tales
from Chaucer, that’s usually marked around 1387… Henry
VIII executed Anne Boleyn in 1536. The North Star you
saw tonight? All of those things happened after
the light you saw left Polaris.
|
|
August
25, 2020 |
|
For
many years—many, many, many years—I’ve been putting
aside stories and more for a book themed around a subject
I call Neapolitan Management.
It
is not a perfect theory. But I believe in the theory
of threes, because it can simplify things when it comes
to discussion and more. And, I think there is something
in the idea that just needs to be cleaned up and sorted
out.
Have
you ever seen a container of Neapolitan ice cream? Three
flavors, one box. The idea for my book has a foundation
that divides any one set of people into three groups:
chocolates, vanillas and strawberries.
|
|
August
25, 2020 |
|
I
have some bananas on the counter, perfect for baking
a couple of different delicious options. I’m thinking
banana pancakes for breakfast, and since I have several
bananas I don’t want to lose, some banana chocolate
chip muffins to save for later.
|
|
August
25, 2020 |
|
Most
people will tell you to follow it as written. At least
the first time you make something. And, of course, depending
on what you are attempting there are reasons for sticking
as close as possible to the play-by-play on the card…
a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fluff swapped
in reacts much more smoothly to changes than a cake
recipe where you go willy-nilly with the type of flour
being used and decisions on how much baking powder or
unsweetened cocoa to add are made with shrugs of shoulders
or estimating what’s left in the package rather than
exact measurements.
|
|
August
25, 2020 |
|
I’ve
seen articles that attempt to offer proof that it’s
true, and frankly I have zero doubt that it is. (That
said, I admire and respect Dwayne Johnson, but I doubt
if I could make a phone call that gets a referral to
the next and ultimately leads me to him in under six
numbers. Still, he has an open invitation to come over
any time. We’ll fire up the barbecue, play some cards,
and have a great afternoon. He can bring a few friends.
Do you think The Rock likes s’mores? I’ll bet he does.
(Umm… sorry… got a bit carried away. Back to it…))
|
|
August
25, 2020 |
|
Well…
his comments were not just swagger, but increasingly
were including some personal attacks. So, I decided
to just unload everything. The bulk of my army was sent
toward the area of my attacked settlement. About twenty-seven
dragons were teamed up in three groups and dispatched
across the map to seek and destroy. I added some barracks
and shifted my main focus to adding troops upon troops
upon troops along with farms to feed them.
|
|
August
23, 2020 |
|
Current
relationships with people you love and want in your
life do not always mingle that well with the skeletons
in our historical closets. That’s a big one. (And a
given.)
People
also tend to have a protective personality that kicks
in, meaning we often believe we are the ones right in
any given situation. As the saying goes, the villain
of a story never sees themself as the villain. And in
the end, such a revisiting of history could reveal items
we don’t want to see or hear or consider.
|
|
August
23, 2020 |
|
Make
no mistake, it’s not clean. It’s something like a warm
animal, mixed with hay and dirt. A bit horse, a bit
barn, a bit hard day of work. And, I’ll be darned if
there isn’t something soothing about it. Same way a
gardener might tell you about the smells of different
plants, or someone doing yardwork might find fresh cut
grass appealing, there is something about that horse
and cow and hay and dirt in the air that for some reason
I kind of like.
|
|
August
23, 2020 |
|
Maybe
that’s not being fair. Sunsets would likely be a part
of many of those moments of nothing. Beautiful sunsets,
especially surrounded by people you care about in amazing
locations, are fantastic (even when you’re just standing
there in silence taking it all in). Not sure that nothing
really works when given some deep thought.
|
|
August
23, 2020 |
|
Many
years ago, a protest was launched against an episode.
The specifics aren’t important. It could have been because
of a joke. Could have been because of some storyline
or character or something you’re not even considering.
Could have simply been Peter’s naked behind on the screen.
And, as the saying goes, when it came to the protest,
it was in all the papers.
|
|
August
23, 2020 |
|
On
the other side, the entire house goes dark when they
head off to bed. I’m guessing they’ve ended the day
and headed to sleep. I don’t watch them every evening.
They could be off to the basement to play cards for
several hours and shut things down to save energy for
all I really know. But if the light is on in the backyard,
you can usually see a light or two on and a television-like
glow coming from the area of their living room. If the
light is off in the backyard, all of the lights in their
house are off. I’m going with things closed down for
the night.
|
|
August
22, 2020 |
|
I
suppose she’s not wrong. I do have clothes that I have
dedicated for certain things, such as yardwork or painting.
And those torn sweatshirts are things I wear because:
(1) I like them, and, (2) it’s cold and I don’t want
to turn the heat up in the house. All this and more
means she doesn’t have to worry about me grabbing them
for an evening out with friends at a decent restaurant.
We’re good there.
|
|
August
22, 2020 |
|
My
grandparents were very rarely in the kitchen together.
I mean, they never cooked at the same time. With one
exception.
French
pork pies.
They
made a pork pie that was… well… a slice is Heaven on
Earth to me.
|
|
August
22, 2020 |
|
One
morning on the way to work, the fuel indicator caught
my eye. Pressed for time, I knew I had just enough to
make it to work and back, and decided to fill the tank
later in the day. As I sat reflecting on this decision
a few hours later, in a parking lot of traffic on the
highway caused by some unknown circumstances, I considered
the next exit still five miles ahead and the low fuel
light that had come on some twenty miles of driving
earlier, and it occurred to me I hadn’t thought of everything.
I might be walking. A lot. I might not be in a position
to even pull to the side of the road. This could get
fun.
|
|
August
22, 2020 |
|
About
six years ago, on one of the first days of July, I was
driving on the highway to meet up with my wife. Long
drive. Started well before 5pm. Arrival would be around
10. It was well after 9 before I turned on the headlights
of my car. And I didn’t turn them on because they were
needed. In fact, the vast majority of the cars on the
road had their lights off as well. Skies were clear,
visibility great, lighting good. Instead, I glanced
at the dashboard and saw it was approaching 9:30, and
for some reason it just kind of clicked that I should
turn on my headlights.
|
|
August
22, 2020 |
|
So,
I’m doing the dishes the other night, and I pick up
a meat tenderizer.
And
it hits me as a bit strange. I mean, come on, a meat
tenderizer. Who would buy one of these things for their
kitchen? It’s a hammer. (Well, a hammer on one side,
and a spiked weapon on the other. Speaking of which,
side note, have any of you ever used the spikey side?
Neither have I. Anyway…)
|
|
June
24, 2020 |
|
Orangutan
and dog becoming friends? Great stuff. To date, however,
I have never needed to know any information about how
to introduce an orangutan to a dog for personal use.
But
I find these moments to be heartwarming in a way. Real
and authentic might be good adjectives for them. Individualized
moments that capture and convey something necessary
for the larger whole to have true meaning.
|
|
June
24, 2020 |
|
Some
of you may be laughing right now. For the others, I
simply hope you will kindly understand the intended
absurdity of my description. I get that a clothes dryer
has a bit more going on than a belt spinning a bucket
while hot air blows in. But the idea is sound… there
hasn’t exactly been a massive development in new clothes
dryer technologies or designs over the years. It’s the
same darn thing. Drum, belt and a lot of hot air.
|
|
June
21, 2020 |
|
Only
time I even notice them is perhaps once every two or
three years, when I glance toward one particular cabinet
while climbing up the stairs from the basement. I get
to see the bottoms of the cabinets from that view. In
fact, as I think about it, I’ve seen them twice. Both
times coming to the same thought: “Hey, those look like
battery powered lights. How come I never saw those before?”
|
|
June
21, 2020 |
|
For
those of you that may be wondering, the best way to
end this essay is letting you know that national cake
day is November 26th according to most sites that track
and list such unofficially official dates. And because…
well, yes, cake… January 27th is national chocolate
cake day.
|
|
June
30, 2020 |
|
I
have zero clue where this came from for me. Probably
nothing more complicated than playing a game against
my sister or nephew, one match ended and there was no
question another would be started, and it just made
sense that whoever wrapped up one should carry out the
effort to move along to the next.
For
whatever reason, that has become what I consider the
way to do things.
|
|
May
18, 2020 |
|
My
askew thoughts? I started hearing from friends that
had children at home they needed to entertain, so they
were spending an hour or two in the driveway, running
a car so they could recharge the batteries for their
phones and tablets.
A
tad out of the box? Cell phone service had been knocked
out completely. If you didn’t have a landline to use,
you were cut off. No calls going out. No calls coming
in. No social media.
|
|
May
15, 2020 |
|
Your
grandparents and parents never would have guessed when
they were children that a wireless phone would not only
be portable, affordable, and easily available… and they
certainly wouldn’t have guessed fifty years ago that
such a phone would also serve as a camera, encyclopedia,
wallet, and all-encompassing entertainment platform.
(In color. And maybe stereo. (Never mind. Stereo idea
is far from important.))
|
|
May
12, 2020 |
|
And
I think that’s close to what all of us are thinking.
We don’t want to get back to normal… at least not for
what any stretch of normal can be… we want to get back
to comfort. Our comfort. We want our routines back.
We want our family and friends back. We want, in an
attempt at a two-word definition, our
normal back.
|
|
May
8, 2020 |
|
One
thing about this prepare for death response is that
I always have a similar reaction to it. (It’s pretty
close to: “Damn, that’s some good advice. Direct, no
nonsense, honest, chances are good no one else is going
to bother to pass this along and yet it might be the
most valuable of all advice.”) This swings me off onto
another path, thinking about guidance and lessons and
more I get from time to time, or watch shared with others,
and a recognition of just how lacking it can be.
|
|
May
2, 2020 |
|
Over
the years—to continue with such an example—I’ve been
trying to find a place where I might be able to see,
look over, and perhaps play a Rickenbacker electric
guitar or a Maton acoustic guitar. Neither is commonly
available to see, however. And because of the… if you
well… combination of scarcity and cost, even places
that are able to offer these instruments to the public
don’t like to make them available to the public. At
least they don’t like making them available to the general,
unsupervised, not really a serious buyer public. And
so, many times they have viewings by appointment only.
|
|
April
26, 2020 |
|
If
you run a hair salon from home… are an independent contractor
that relies on small projects, word of mouth referrals
and repeat customers for the next job… design large
portions of your life around school schedules and other
programs for children… the immediacy and twists taking
place provide obstacles and hardships that are likely
unfathomable to anyone that isn’t facing the same.
|
|
April
21, 2020 |
|
It’s
subtle. I don’t really believe that if I wake up at
6am that I’m intentionally moving more slowly because
I know I have more time. I’m not consciously allowing
longer stretches to watch additional news segments on
a television that normally is on only for background
noise and perhaps a weather forecast. It’s not an opportunity
to make a more elaborate breakfast. I’m definitely not
suddenly more productive with household chores.
|
|
April
18, 2020 |
|
The
claims there became that it was so different, forward
thinking, and ambitious that audiences couldn’t appreciate
it. In essence, the film was so good in so many ways
that everyone else was the problem. Heck, they even
went so far as to develop and stand upon an argument
that moviegoers as a whole had been spoiled by Marvel
and couldn’t recognize something special when it was
offered.
|
|
April
13, 2020 |
|
For
that $25,000, however, you could not buy an Aston Martin
DBS Superleggera. Those run more than $300,000. But
do you need the DBS Superleggera? (Do you really need
it? And, do you even in your wildest dreams believe
you’ll reach half the lifetime miles of a Corolla or
Impreza?)
|
|
April
7, 2020 |
|
There
are people that call me Rob. Some only once. Some repeatedly.
I usually end up blocking it out. I can recall more
than a handful of times when people said Rob and I never
reacted. (Which is funny, because “hey you” wasn’t all
that much of a joke, and I’ve responded to that quite
often as well as several obscenities, while Rob regularly
flies right on by.)
End
result, Rob is a fine name, though I don’t like being
called Rob.
|
|
April
5, 2020 |
|
There’s
a ride called the Tomorrowland Speedway. Bunch of motorized
carts. Shells serving as bodies that create the idea
of race cars. All guided around a track by a metal rail.
Just hit the gas and eventually, even ignoring the steering
wheel entirely, you’ll finish your lap and wind up back
where you started.
|
|
April
5, 2020 |
|
Imagine
if I asked you where 5000 Pleasant View Road was located,
and you lived at 4999 Pleasant View Road. Even if you
don’t know the street numbers, well, duh… it should
be on the other side of the road (the whole odd-even-numbering
thing), and, with one number differing, the darn location
is really close.
|
|
April
5, 2020 |
|
They
haven’t stung me, and there’s zero sign of anything
being built on/around/inside the house, so I’m not overwhelmingly
concerned. But their presence means I see them, and
that means I think about it. Think about it when I’m
sitting on the deck. Think about it when I’m walking
in the yard. Think about it when I look out the window.
|
|
April
5, 2020 |
|
They
arrived about ten minutes ahead of the ceremony, walked
to where the chairs had been set up, and sat down. And
it was here, at this moment, that she realized it wasn’t
going to be funny and laughable. It was obvious now
that there were going to be problems.
There was
no one else seated yet.
Not a single
person. Ten minutes before the start.
|
|
|