We are a judgmental species — especially about topics about which we know little or nothing. As you almost certainly must know, actor/comedian Robin Williams recently committed suicide. Upon the news of his death, social media Web sites (as well as the mainstream media) were rife with people bemoaning the loss of this beloved celebrity while…
Dear Jon and Zack, Maybe it’s because Father’s Day is approaching, but recently I’ve been thinking a little more than usual about your Grandpa, my father. This coming New Year’s Eve will mark the tenth anniversary of his death, and parts of that day are burned into my memory banks as indelibly as a branding…
“Why don’t you climb down off the cross, take the wood to build a bridge, and get over it!” ~ Christopher Titus It seems to me there’s a lot of self-righteous martyrdom going around. Let me rephrase that: It seems to me there’s a lot of undeserved self-righteous martyrdom going around. And with it, somewhat…
One extra word can make a difference. A couple more can alter an attitude. A few more might change a life. Confession time: I like making people happy. It’s something I know I’m pretty good at (and those who know me well know I rarely pat myself on the back), and has certainly been a…
A very good friend of mine recently posted an entry on his blog dealing with elements of the digital world. An admitted and extremely knowledgeable audiophile, he can easily wax poetic about analog versus digital recordings and why analog is superior; something he touched on in the blog. (Incidentally, he isn’t an analog snob and would be…
When it comes to language, humans are an interesting species. And when it comes to English, we’re very interesting. One source claims English contains over one million words (according to the Global Language Monitor: 1,025,109.8 words as of January 1, 2014, with approximately 14.7 being added every day; other sources put English as containing as…
In September of 2006, I had the privilege and pleasure to being an escort for Judy Collins. Yes, that Judy Collins. At the time, I was working for an organization that holds an annual conference. Each year the location is different and in 2006 the venue was San Diego. Judy Collins was a keynote speaker…
A friend recently opined in a public forum that people in general need to reassess their perspectives about complaining. Her position was based, in part, on so many of us in Connecticut bemoaning the particularly colder-than-usual and much, much snowier-than-usual winter we’re experiencing (and, to be fair, what the majority of the country has been…
she is smart, ambitious, cute as the proverbial button, and has a smile that could melt ice. But, first, the background — I’ve made a lot of correct decisions in my life, decisions that have proven beneficial in both the short- and long-term, but, like most people I know, seem more often to remember the…
My life, as yours, has its ups and downs. Needless to say, this is not going to be the lead story tonight on CNN, nor is it a BFO (Blazing Flash of the Obvious); it’s just a simple fact. The extreme positives and negatives of our day-to-day existence often merely reflect somewhat momentary glitches in…