I'm Thinking…No!

No, not my age.  This is my 100^thblog, unless I’ve miscounted, in which case, it could be 99 or 101.  But I’m pretty sure we’ve reached a milestone.  So, how to celebrate?  How to fully appreciate the moment?  Should I open a bottle of champagne?  Collect them all into a book for those that have been persistent, one might say stubbornly dogged readers that have been with me for three years and are the backbone of my success?  I should mention in all modesty that I also reached a milestone in that 159 people (or robots randomly searching) viewed my blog one day recently – a personal best. On the flip side, I’m off this morning to buy a new computer because this one, my old buddy, has been updated once too many times and the processors are swirling around with the speed of erosion in the Grand Canyon, begging to be retired. Continue reading “A Milestone at 100”

Well, it’s another year since I started these weekly proclamations of joy, and I’d like to again to thank my handfuls of faithful readers that respond just enough to keep me going.  And while I don’t have the readership of, say, Conan Doyle or J. K. Rawling, the new season seems a fine moment to comment on the changes that humans and nature bring, for better or worse.  It’s also a nice time for me to steal bits and pieces of last year’s ode so I don’t have to start from scratch. Continue reading “Ode to Fall 2019 (or Pumpkin Spice and EEE)”

In one of my recent blogs, I mentioned a “dog blogger” that appeared on an episode of House Hunters. This person needed a special “doggie bedroom” where the “doggie beds” could be placed, because we all know that the stereotypical dog sleeping at the foot of its owners’ bed gives the dog a total lack of privacy.  There’s been a steady building of pet independence, leading to wonderful inventions like the “doggie door” that lets all manner of wild animals into your house. Continue reading “Pet Parenting (Going Way Overboard)”

As I hit my stride heading into a third year, it occurred to me that blogs reflect the writer’s interests, unique perspectives, and writing something that will appeal to a niche market. Several bloggers have written to me in the last two years to tell me they have enjoyed my writing, and also inviting me to read theirs, which I have.  That inspired me to describe for you  a few that I’ve read, and honestly, a number that I haven’t but I’ll speculate anyway on what they’re all about. Continue reading “A Blogger’s Take on . . . Blogs”

Well, it’s happened again.  The folks at Publishers Clearing House sent me a message that “A winner has been chosen.” How fantastic.  If it’s not me, I really could not care less.  So, last Friday was the day fated for my big check to arrive, but, get this, it didn’t.  No large vehicle pulled up out front, with crews unloading lights, cameras, and balloons.  I did not even answer the door.  I saw no reason to smile broadly or cry out joyfully. Two years ago, I informed my faithful readers that I felt really, really close to the big payday.  Well, hourly updates were coming in for the last two weeks from PCH.  I’ve been working hard to maintain my Presidential Preferred Status by buying only essentials like cushioned jar openers. It’s all a big mystery because I know they have a map to my house. There it is, on each announcement, surrounded by the lots of happy people in PCH blazers, tossing fistfuls of cash into the air. But, once again, nothing but disappointment.

Continue reading “Another Big Win – Missed”

Yes, there are some issues that capture national interest, particularly in the climate of campaigns and voter interests.  Immigration, healthcare, climate change, education, trade wars, national defense, consumer protection.  So, yes, I’ll concede that those are important.  Sadly lost, however in all of this discussion, and completely overlooked in the presidential debates, are the major dessert issues of our time. Key among those is the debate over ice cream versus gelato. Continue reading “The Great Gelato-Ice Cream Debate”

“I need to send this back.” Words that strike fear in every waitperson’s heart.  It means they need to explain to the chef why the order didn’t fly, and it sometimes means the waiter’s tip just spiraled downward from 20% to “whatever”.  It’s a death sentence for the food.  That entrée has already been on the table.  Once it goes back to the kitchen, no reprieve.  It’s on a one-way ride to the dumpster out back.  Some may survive to be a snack or a take-home for a staff member, but most are garbage. The waitperson therefore feels compelled to ask deeply probing questions about the cause of said return.  There are several possible scenarios at work here. Continue reading “The Art of Returning”

We’ve all watched the Super Bowl commercials, thinking how much creative thinking and imagination has gone into those that we’ll see once or twice, then they go into the vault forever. What we’re left with is often truly forgettable, and to compound the problem, we’ll see them once, twice, three times a half hour.  Here are a few of my nominations for the “You Shouldn’t Have Bothered” Ad Awards. Continue reading “More Commercials (that shouldn’t have been made)”

Last September, I celebrated two years on the air – well, not really on the air but more over whatever the internet is.  I can keep track easily because the host site contacts me for more money.  It’s our symbiotic relationship.  I  keep writing, and they  charge my credit card. Continue reading “Pre-Ode to Fall, or August Lament”

You, my faithful readers, are quite right. This will be one of those blogs that lacks my usual light-hearted, deftly humorous touch, because it’s a serious subject.  It needs to be approached seriously. I debated long and hard – in fact I started this when it first came into print.  I started writing, and then turned back, but now the time feels right. Continue reading “Bullying: Let’s Call It What It Is”