Stop the Madness

Posted inColumns, Food

Sometimes, I don’t know what to make of what goes on in this crazy world of ours. Things just keep heading in the wrong direction.

This has nothing to do with the economy or pig flu or anything like that. I’m talking about chicken here.

Did you hear that KFC has come out with a new ad campaign? They have a new product and want everyone to know about it.

They don’t just want you to know about their new chicken, they want you to know that it’s good for you. Yep, they are advertising Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

I don’t know how to process that information, especially when they have an ad campaign built around the word “unthink.”

Keep Your Ear Open

Posted inColumns

I don’t know how I ended up as an eavesdropper. Maybe growing up with seven older siblings who liked to keep secrets from me had something to do with it.

Some of my earliest memories come from receiving bribes to sneak into our living room to spy on my oldest sister and her boyfriend. I think I got a quarter for each recon mission I undertook.

She ended up marrying him so maybe I didn’t do as much damage as the rest of the family hoped. Who knows?

Because I’m a big wimp, I never turned this skill into something really cool. I had no intention of becoming a spy or anything like that.

I did use the skill as a reporter, but that doesn’t really impress everyone. So now I just entertain myself with my ability to home in on a funny conversation somewhere around me.

That’s exactly how I entertained myself on a recent errand. I didn’t feel the greatest, and I had to drop Bridget off at one of her activities. Maria asked me if I would get her some ice cream from our favorite place for cold treats.

Saving the Children

Posted inColumns, Video Games

I feel like I have saved the youth of Hanover single-handedly. All it took was a trip to the library.

Everything started when I read an item in the newspaper. The library wanted to expand their collection and put out a call for used video games.

A small stack of those just happen to sit in my basement at the time. I had tried to sell them on eBay, but came up empty. That bummed me out because I had raised a little extra spending cash that way in the past.

I wouldn’t get a ton of money when I sold things like video games online, but I would always enjoy making five or 10 bucks off of something I didn’t need anymore.

I don’t buy a ton of video games, but I do have a few favorites. That means I like to get the new version every year. I have also bought a few on sale and received a few as presents.

Now that I really didn’t need a bunch, I really enjoyed the opportunity to donate them so maybe some kid could get some enjoyment out of them.

Before I gave them to my wife to drop off – you didn’t really expect me to take them to the library myself, did you? – I stood there with the games in my hand. One feeling came over me.

Jealousy.

ITEOTWAWKI: Eating Crow

Posted inUncategorized
OK, the last time I did one of these updates, I expressed disappointment that the re-release of "Reckoning" would be paired with a disc from the Dublin rehearsals prior to…