Some years back, I wrote extensively on the expansion of coffee. Yes, that wonderful brew that we started to drink to show our resistance to the tea that King George III was mandating that Americans buy and drink tea. I guess we showed him, when colonists, cleverly disguised as Native Americans, tossed teabag after teabag into what we hear in New England call “Boston Hahbah”. Since then, we’ve been a nation of proud, devoted coffee drinkers.
Continue reading “Coffee In Crisis”Tag: blog
When to Stop Worrying?
When, as a parent, do you stop worrying about your children? If you chose “never”, that’s the correct answer. The only exceptions would be advanced dementia or death. Other than that, you never stop worrying. Even when they’re settled, it doesn’t stop. Are they ok? Are they happy? A great line from “Law and Order”, from the character Lt. Anita Van Buren, states “A parent is only as happy as their unhappiest child.” Yup, that sums it up.
Continue reading “When to Stop Worrying?”Post-Holiday Anxiety – What Are the Signs?
As I’ve written before, there are a cluster of lesser-known psychological conditions related to the holidays, not perhaps even diagnosed by mental health experts, that have gone undetected and untreated. I have taken it upon myself, therefore, to identify them and describe the most recognizable symptoms for my faithful legion of readers. The “umbrella” condition, under which the others fall, is what I call Post-Holiday Anxiety, or PHA. I don’t believe there are any effective treatments yet, as the professionals concentrate on long-term, chronic situations. Besides, these conditions are usually temporary. By mid-January, most victims will see their angst begin to subside, and they are on the road to recovery.
Continue reading “Post-Holiday Anxiety – What Are the Signs?”Holiday Traditions – Did you know?
In a television ad a couple of weeks ago, there it was. “Deck the Halls”. Sleigh bells jangling along. Do we really need to start the Christmas music weeks before we’ve reached Thanksgiving? I know that the marketing wants to get the season underway, and they’ve virtually blurred the season. But still? “Deck the Halls” in mid-November? Let’s wait a bit longer on the boughs of holly.
Continue reading “Holiday Traditions – Did you know?”Expanding Her Inheritance
How much really is too much? Can you have enough wealth? Most of us, and our immediate circle of friends, are what we used to call “comfortable”. Our immediate needs are met – we don’t face “food insecurity” or being homeless, at least I don’t think we do. As many of my readers know, I’m still chasing that illusive lottery payoff. My big check from Publishers Clearing House has not arrived, despite them telling me it’s on the way. They even have my address for delivery.
Continue reading “Expanding Her Inheritance”A Commercial “Coda”
Yes, I know. I’ve written about them before, so this may be my last on the subject, until more truly awful ones come along. They’re a fact of life. They sell products and services, and generate income. And they’re more and more pervasive. You will notice that there are no commercial messages or pop-up sales on this blog. I keep it strictly professional. In full disclosure, though, if somebody wanted to fling cash at me to advertise and monetize “I’m thinking . . .No”, I would succumb in a heartbeat. Oh, offers do come in, but they typically are offers to “upgrade”, which will increase readership, and those come with a price. Should I spend the money? Would you, my faithful readers, pay to subscribe, or be annoyed to see an ad for wrinkle cream or a gutter protection seminar pop onto your computer screen? I’m thinking . . . . .
Continue reading “A Commercial “Coda””After-Holiday Anxiety – A Belated Update
I wrote much of this over a couple of years, and I’m late posting it this year. Typically, it would go up on New Year’s Day, although it does take time for many of these conditions to settle in. We’re looking at the holidays in the rear-view mirror, as the cold, snowy “bleak mid-winter” has really set in. It started snowing yesterday, continued all night, and is still going today. They – the folks paid to do this – haven’t come to shovel out yet, but that’s ok. I don’t really have anywhere to go. The giddy joy of New Year’s Resolutions has dropped off because, well, it’s the end of January and it’s not that I have tapered off. The truth is, I never started. Added to the winter doldrums, there may be a number of “flying-under-the-radar” psychological issues that have gone undetected, as we hope they’ll go away too, like the resolutions and grand intentions. Primary among these psychological disorders is what I call After-Holiday Anxiety, or AHA. Advice columnists will advise seeking therapeutical assistance as, to my knowledge, the pharmaceutical people are still a few years away from a medical cure – tablets, a vaccine, scented candles, a special lightbulb perhaps. If something were available, I’d surely have seen it advertised by someone turned annoyingly perky on the nightly news.
Continue reading “After-Holiday Anxiety – A Belated Update”
I'm Thinking...No! 