It’s time once again for me to dive onto the Oriental Trading Company’s spring catalog to check out their weird and wonderful selection of Easter-themed religious toys and games! If you’re new to this blog, this is an annual pilgrimage for me, as you never know just what wild and wacky ways the lads and lasses at OTC think their products will strike a chord with today’s youth. Let’s get started, shall we? Personalized Bendable Jesus Well, so much for…
Baseball has the World Series, Football has the Superbowl, but one of golf’s crown jewels takes place this coming week. The Masters. The first major of the season, it is, in my humble opinion, the greatest golf tournament of the entire year (sorry, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship, but it’s true). That haunting piano theme and the smooth tones of announcer Jim Nantz will soon fill my office as the tournament kicks off this Thursday and I dutifully…
There are two types of people in this world – early birds and night owls. I am a card-carrying member of the first club. Oh, in my younger years, I was well-versed with all of the trappings of the second group, living my 20’s and 30’s like some sort of Eastern European vampire. Back in those days we never even left the house to go out to a bar until 11:00 PM, and I had had many unfortunate instances where…
Although it doesn’t quite feel like it all the time just yet, we have seen some glimpses of spring temperatures sneak into the weather these last two weeks. The crocuses have already come and gone, the daffodils are starting to bloom, and the flowering cherry trees in front of my house are just about at their peak perfection, which is always a sign that the weather has turned. Soon, the redbuds will appear, along with magnolias and Bradford pears (which…
Ahh, St. Patrick’s Day. A day when everyone thinks they’re just a little Irish, but like most people who believe anything they see on Facebook or Tik-Tok, the holiday (and the country of Ireland for that matter) is full of falsehoods and things that are taken as truths – but really aren’t. Here’s a brief rundown on some of them. St. Patrick drove all of the snakes out of Ireland Supposedly, the good reverend stood on a hill, gave a…
No real topic today – just some screaming into the air for some much-needed therapy: <Exhale> Thanks for that. I feel much better.
Sure, we have a few more weeks left of Ol’ Man Winter, but this past week, the temps finally broke out of the nightly teens and daytime highs hit the 50’s for a few days. That means it’s time for the annual yard clean-up. Now, if you’ve read past blogs, you know that I like yard work about as much as I like passing a kidney stone or suffering through a bout of shingles, but surprisingly – this year it’s…
One of the many things that no one tells you growing up is how the weather not only impacts your mental state, but also your physical one. No, I’m not talking about doing something stupid, like standing out in the rain with no umbrella or walking the dog on a brisk February morning with no coat on, I’m talking about something that sort of sneaks up on you, but once it hits, it’s devastating. Dry skin. Now, I don’t want…
This coming Friday is Valentine’s Day. A day for lovers. Yes, I’m talking to you, Romeo (or Juliet, but now that I’m thinking about how they turned out, maybe that’s a bad example). The greeting card and gift industry will tell you that’s it’s time to splurge on that special someone. Buy them flowers, candy, a card, or something else dripped in hearts, chocolate, or blazing red. Maybe take them out for an expensive dinner or weekend getaway – got…
This past week, I received word that an old friend of mine from back in my Florida days had passed away at the relatively young age of 58. His name was John Caylor. I know that name probably means nothing to you, but it did to me. Apparently, he had been suffering from a brain injury over the past five years and finally succumbed to his condition. I hadn’t seen or spoken with John for over fifteen years. I had…