Me and Erin Davis at the top of the Palm Springs tramway, close to 10,000 feet above sea level.

We Plan, Airlines Say “Ha!”

It’s tempting to just let go of my recent travel blips. They’re long over and I had a wonderful time with Erin Davis in Palm Springs & Palm Desert. Plenty of people have all sorts of frustrations with air travel that are much worse. But I will pursue refunds and there are a couple of parts of the adventure that still puzzle me.

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An ornament featuring a cat wearing a Santa hat.

Merry Christmas to All – My Christmas Poem

I published my take on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in 2012. As we head into a short holiday break, I decided to rerun it because a) I still believe in the message (LOL) and b) when I was a kid, I wrote poetry all the time. Family and friends got poems in their Christmas and Birthday cards. I think I could have been Weird Alina if I’d put my mind to it. Anyway, please enjoy and we shall reconvene here in 2024!

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A round, black, cheese with the name, Snowdonia, Black Bomber, on a label on the front.

My First Annual, Somewhat Biased, Gift Guide

We have few people to buy gifts for this Christmas. No parents. The honorary grandkids want gift cards. I made a deal with my brother. We told each other about something we want but haven’t bought for ourselves. That’s how I know I’m getting a bonsai tree and a growing kit!

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30-pack of Old Dutch potato chips

When Chips Off the Old Block are Potato Chips

My general disdain for billionaires who stay billionaires is well documented on this site. It’s not the accumulation of wealth that bothers me. It’s hanging onto that wealth while so many suffer. We’re all spinning on this big blue ball together. If we have the means, and don’t bother to help each other, then what’s it all about?

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black meme with writing that reads: How to support small businesses after Black Friday? Small Business Saturday.

What the Dickens is Up With Small Business Saturday

We sometimes buy things from Amazon. I shop at a couple of online grocers who carry specialty items I can’t get from anyone near me. We are not perfect beings and I despise helping a billionaire like Jeff Bezos get richer. But Amazon didn’t become the monolith it is without doing a few things right.

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