(re-run, pre-pandemic) It started with a koala bear. A bunch of them. Some musicians were having a fundraiser for Australia, the fires, and the koalas. It was a donation at the door. Two and a half hours of music, and I knew three of the performers. We got there early and sat in the third… Continue reading Spring Cleaning in February
Why Do We Hide Mental Issues in America?
It has come to my attention that if a person tells you that he has Asperger’s* and you tell another person that the guy has Asperger’s, that is a bad thing. If the guy had a broken leg or a bad heart, and you tell others of those things, it’s okay. Mental health and mental… Continue reading Why Do We Hide Mental Issues in America?
Dance with Me, Young Jeremy
(re-run) Every dance bar in Omaha ended the night with its signature song. One bar closed with Last Dance by Donna Summer, another used Shout from the Blues Brothers movie (by the Isley Brothers) as its sign-off song. But my fave dance bar closed with the song New York, New York. It seemed an odd… Continue reading Dance with Me, Young Jeremy
West Side Story, Then and Now
After seeing the new movie, West Side Story, I needed to watch the 1961 version. Steven Spielberg made a bunch of changes in the new movie, and I wanted to see what they were. The biggest change was making Doc, originally a man, into a female character so that Rita Moreno could play the part.… Continue reading West Side Story, Then and Now
Off the Power Grid
(re-run) The power is out. I was in the middle of a movie when everything shut off. Soon my neighbors texted me, asking me to report the outage to PG& E. The more the better, they said. A few minutes after that, I received a robocall. The outage was affecting 5000 customers. The power also… Continue reading Off the Power Grid
It’s Never Too Late
(re-run) Three weeks ago, I made a summer playlist. Does that seem silly? The last day of summer is the day after tomorrow. I included songs with summer in the title, like Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly and the Family Stone, Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft, Summer in the City by the… Continue reading It’s Never Too Late
It’s a Small World
Today was a meet-up hike, my third time with Randy as our fearless leader. It was sunny with little to no mud and lots of cows. About twenty of us, plus four small dogs, walked five miles in two and a half hours. The great part is that the meet-up hikers go to places I’d… Continue reading It’s a Small World
Apple Tree
(re-run) When I bought the house, I inherited the apple tree. I didn’t realize how prolific it was until one day, after the gardeners left, I noticed a line of fat apples sitting on my side fence. One of the gardeners had picked them with the intention of taking them home, but he must’ve forgotten.… Continue reading Apple Tree
Grizzly Bear!
(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account as told to me at a holiday party by a friend’s daughter’s boyfriend’s father figure named Bob. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska.… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!
A Good Dog Neighbor
(re-run) Yesterday my son and I had lunch at the local sandwich shop. He brought his little dog, half Chihuahua, half terrier. I fed Violet scraps of lettuce under the table while we ate. She thinks she’s a vegetarian. Afterward, we followed the usual routine and came back to my house, where Violet could run… Continue reading A Good Dog Neighbor
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 