In the midst of this madness, I try to remember how fortunate I am. I'm employed and can work from home. I have Joe and SonnyeBoy. We have plenty of food. We can make our rent, car payment, bills. Entertainment galore. I'm two weeks out from the last time I was around lots of people and three weeks out from the last time I was in a big crowd and so far I'm not sick.... Read more →
I stumbled out to get some breakfast this morning and our favorite area radio station was playing Frank Zappa's 1966 song "Trouble Every Day." The chorus is "And there's no way to delay that trouble comin' every day." How appropriate. Tuesday, March 10. I got a phone call and text informing me that the King of Prussia office was closed on the 10th and 11th due to an abundance of caution et cetera et cetera.... Read more →
Well, the power just went out. Dang, I thought we'd escape that particular eventuality, but no. Anyway, I'm connected to the interwebz courtesy of my iPhone personal hotspot - thank God for unlimited data! - but that's not going to last long given my iPhone was only at 70% when the lights crashed. So, to recap. This is one bad nasty storm. It wasn't supposed to snow this far south, but the storm had other... Read more →
I've been stewing about this since I first read about it on the Clown College Graduates Facebook page. Big Apple Circus Clown Grandma Resigns A lot of wonderful people are very good friends with Barry Lubin, and they were understandably shocked and saddened by the news. I get this, I really do. It's a terrible thing to wrap your mind around - that your dear friend could do this heinous thing. Sarah Silverman discussed this... Read more →
Well. Once again, a deranged man with an arsenal has murdered people. How many will it take before we stop sending thoughts and prayers and start determining how we can stop these terrorists? And yes, I believe that these people are terrorists. They cause terror; their sole purpose is to kill as many people -- men, women, children -- as they can. I do not give a shit whether they are affiliated with a radical... Read more →
So, here's an interesting article from the Washington Post, on driving while high on reefer. Evidently there's no breathalyzer equivalent for pot; to determine how much THC is roaming around in a person, you have to do a blood test. I would like to modestly propose some additions to the standard field sobriety tests that might help police officers decide if a person is too high to drive without having to resort to a blood... Read more →
I've been stewing over this article from the New York Times for a whole damn week. Go ahead and read it; it's short. I'll wait. Here's the gist: When elders -- Boomers in particular, but also Gen-Xers -- use social media, they become stupid and childish. Or, maybe it's that they remain stupid and childish, like the young people who use social media. Apparently we are supposed to be wise and serious, as opposed to... Read more →
When I was 10 or so, Pop took my sister and me to a baseball game. Somewhere in the middle of the game, I had to go to the bathroom. When I came back out or the ladies room, I got turned around and went the wrong way, so instead of heading back to my seat, I found myself walking in a deserted part of the stadium. Out of nowhere, a gang of four or... Read more →
I've only been to one presidential inauguration, that of John F. Kennedy. I was nine years old. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic president, so all of us Catlicks were beyond thrilled. (In my Catlick school classroom were two portraits: the Pope and John F. Kennedy.) The only thing I remember about that day is that it was freezing cold. I don't remember the parade; I don't remember seeing the presidential motorcade. I just remember... Read more →
When I saw this photo on my Facebook feed, I got very depressed. Then when I saw this picture, I got more depressed. That lake in front of my house is actually a yard and two intersecting streets. I thought, "Well, that's that. At least we have flood insurance." I wondered if we would be able to salvage any of the furniture -- maybe the TV sets and the stuff in the kitchen cabinets. If... Read more →