Unwinding in a Salt Cave
I dislike caves. I don’t like going into a place that I can’t quickly get out of. Claustrophobia isn’t as bad as it used to be, but when it comes to a cave, all bets are off.
…Unwinding in a Salt Cave Read More »
Personal Life
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.
…We Plan, Airlines Say “Ha!” Read More »
New Year = New (Travel?) Goals
I’ve always been a goal-setter. Didn’t always attain them, but that wasn’t the point. Striving for something better, something more, propelled me to make goals. Even if the goal was just surviving. Getting old is the ultimate goal.
…New Year = New (Travel?) Goals Read More »
They Called Him The Tall One
The last time I saw Dick Williams, he was watering flowers outside his home here in Port Stanley. Derek and I were out for a walk in late summer and stopped to chat a while. He had lost a lot of weight since the last time we had seen him.
…They Called Him The Tall One Read More »
Our One-Year Birthday Celebration for G & F
How do you celebrate a year of having the most fun you can imagine doing a “job”?
Our One-Year Birthday Celebration for G & F Read More »
Social Media Detox is Coming
Derek has challenged me to go on a 30-day social media detox. I’m going to do it in 2024. That will mean no Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads or LinkedIn for a month. No Randy Rainbow, Holistic Psychologist, Anthony Jeselnik or Michael Rappaport.
…Social Media Detox is Coming Read More »
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!
…My First Annual, Somewhat Biased, Gift Guide Read More »
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?
…When Chips Off the Old Block are Potato Chips Read More »
Retirement Isn’t in Our Vocabulary
…“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Attributed to various sources from Confucius to Mark Twain
Retirement Isn’t in Our Vocabulary Read More »
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.
…What the Dickens is Up With Small Business SaturdayRead More »
What the Dickens is Up With Small Business Saturday Read More »
A Late-Runner Embraces the Early Side of Life
Please meet our friend Kendra. She and her husband Tim live in Arkansas and we’ve been to see them exactly once. (Derek’s been there a few times on motorcycle trips with buddies.) I won’t share her life story here, because it’s not mine to tell. But let me assure you that she has overcome a lot of major obstacles in her life. So has Tim, for that matter.
…A Late-Runner Embraces the Early Side of Life Read More »
Old Friends Acting Our Age
Derek has a weekly breakfast with a bunch of guys he’s known since high school. One of them just had a pacemaker installed. Another, an emergency appendectomy. Still another will have to lie face down for weeks – WEEKS – after eye surgery to repair a detached retina. Four people we know have COVID-19. And all of this happened within the last week.
…Old Friends Acting Our Age Read More »
Henry Winkler and I Have Something in Common (Besides Affection for The Fonz)
I will never share the name of the one of the most important people in my life.
…Henry Winkler and I Have Something in Common (Besides Affection for The Fonz)Read More »
Henry Winkler and I Have Something in Common (Besides Affection for The Fonz) Read More »
The One About A Bunch of Things
It could be weeks before there’s a conclusion about the cause of Matthew Perry’s death on the weekend. Toxicology test results, whether there were any chemicals in his blood, take time. He had prescriptions for medications. But he clearly hadn’t relapsed into the waiting arms of his cruel addiction.
…The One About A Bunch of Things Read More »
How We Spent 22 Days in Italy
My first bite of Italian pasta, in Italy, made by Italian hands, was everything I hoped it would be.
…How We Spent 22 Days in Italy Read More »
Arrivederci or Pasta La Vista, Baby!
We are leaving for Italy next week. This is a bucket list, once-in-a-lifetime trip that’s been in loose planning stages for years.
…Arrivederci or Pasta La Vista, Baby! Read More »
Life Got Lifey This Week
I almost didn’t post a blog today. I had several ideas, all of them bad. And it’s the idea that’s the most difficult part of being a writer. Once an experienced writer gets a great idea, the words spill out like too much water overflowing a cup.
…Life Got Lifey This Week Read More »
Down in the Weed
This is the story of a helpful friend, sleep-deprivation that became a little desperate, and my huge mistake in judgment. I can laugh about it now, a little. But it sure wasn’t funny at the time.
…