Social Marketing

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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Close-up of Kendra smiling. She has long blond hair and is wearing pink

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.

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person injecting a red apple by using a syringe

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.

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cover of Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse features a picture of Stewart Reynolds looking dad-like

Review: Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse – Survival Tips for the Dumbageddon

You’ve probably read a funny post or watched a viral video by Brittlestar, aka Stewart Reynolds. He’s all over social media as Canada’s Dad, nailing Canadianisms and other isms including polarizing subjects with wit, humour, and just the right tone. His comedy hits a narrow sweet spot between “if you do this, you’re stupid” and, “stupid doesn’t mean worthless – let me give you a hug!”

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Cover of Sarah Cooper's book features a photo of her in front of a light blue background

Review: Foolish – Tales of Assimilation, Determination, and Humiliation, by Sarah Cooper

So many comedy and comedy-adjacent people have released books in recent weeks. It’s been paradise for me, a voracious reader of memoirs who would rather watch stand-up than any other form of live performance. If I had my career to do all over again…but I digress!

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