The intent here was to tell you a heartwarming story of my teenage years, brimming with hopes, dreams, and aspirations. The result is this disjointed collection of pointless memories, filled with junior high school locker room scenes, scowling gym teachers, hairy legs, and blood-soaked bathroom sinks. Anyway, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. For… [Read more…]
August 7, 2010
My wife and I went on a four-day road trip recently. Our destination was less than three hours from home, yet we had never been to this particular part of the country. We set off, armed with the region’s vacation guide, one of those thick books filled with colorful pictures, maps, and dramatic headlines that… [Read more…]
July 14, 2010
There are people who are rarely bothered by anything. They float through life like one of those new car models in the wind tunnel, all aerodynamic and smooth. When something unpleasant happens, they step aside and keep on humming. When someone else is rude or obnoxious, they shrug their shoulders and wish them a good day.… [Read more…]
July 7, 2010
I see articles in magazines and newspapers that speculate about the existence of genes for certain traits. Is there a gene for religious belief? Homosexuality? Intelligence? Alcoholism? These are mildly interesting questions, and I usually read the articles at least halfway through before going off to fold my socks. But what about the sarcasm gene?… [Read more…]
June 28, 2010
If I appear to be obsessed with movies, I’m not. I have a few favorites (maybe fifteen), but I’m really too analytical and picky to just relax and enjoy the show. If one little thing doesn’t make sense, it blows the whole thing for me. Also, my mind wanders, so I have a tendency to… [Read more…]
June 24, 2010
I read a lot. At any given time, I may have four or five books going at once. So when I watch a movie, I want to sit back and be lazy. Having to frantically read subtitles doesn’t seem relaxing. Now I realize that sometimes they may be unavoidable. Foreign films are made in another… [Read more…]
June 23, 2010
In a recent post, Rated C, for Confusing, I mentioned a few film genres I tend to avoid because of my inability to understand the plot. They included spy movies, psychological thrillers, and anything about drug lords, corrupt Supreme Court justices, or the CIA. I listed those because they are the ones that confuse me. But… [Read more…]
June 22, 2010
This is unimportant. I know that. But the unimportant things drive us crazy, I think because there are so many of them, and because we’re supposed to not let them bother us. They all bother me. There’s a book called Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. Well, sorry, but I sweat the small stuff. In fact,… [Read more…]
June 19, 2010
They say the world’s getting smaller. They’ve been saying it for years, but I don’t know. We flew from Rome to New York a few months ago and it took twelve hours. I’ve taken that trip before and don’t remember the flight being that long. I think maybe the world’s getting bigger. I’ll tell you… [Read more…]
June 9, 2010
There are double standards and there are Double Standards. (I suppose there are also DOUBLE STANDARDS, but I don’t feel like thinking that hard right now.) I’m just talking about the small things that indicate we have separate rules for men and women. These are not the equal-pay-for-equal-work issues. These are the things that, in… [Read more…]
September 14, 2010
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