Bragging About Nothing
I have to admit, I used to do this. I still might do it on occasion, but I try to avoid this particular annoyance as much as possible these days.…
Up All Night
Sometimes, life gets in the way of some pretty important experiences. Take the recent television marathon of every episode of “The Simpsons” ever produced. I admit that I don’t have…
In Defense of ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Sometimes, I feel like I should address this subject as if I am attending a recovery meeting. “Hi, my name is Brian.” “Hi, Brian.” “I think The Big Bang Theory…
The VCR Connection
As I looked through an advertising circular recently, something caught my eye. I didn’t particularly need the item, but knew I had to share the information with the rest of…
Saving America
I know what America needs. I don’t mean I can solve our myriad political and social problems. That’s an impossible task for anyone to challenge. But I know what to…
Do the Olympics Have Sports Anymore?
I’m sure everyone has heard the news by now. Due to a knee injury, marketing plans for NBC’s coverage of the upcoming Winter Olympics are up in the air. This…
Shelf the Elf
One of the guiding principles for writers is the “rule of three.” Basically, using three examples for something tends to work better, especially in comedy. But as Mike, my oldest…
Who Am I?
Sometimes I wonder what I have become. I still think I have my usual fun outlook on life most of the time, but come across moments where I don’t recognize myself.
That happened recently when I had one of those special opportunities I get a few times each year. My wife and daughter went away for a few days, and I had the house to myself.
I miss them terribly when this happens, but I also enjoy playing “single guy” in the house for 48 hours or so.
They left to visit friends on Monday morning, and the entire work day consisted of me looking at the clock and wondering what kind of fun I would create when I got home.
But when I got there, nothing happened.
Well, not nothing, but nothing of consequence. I exercised, had a nice dinner and then pretty much just chilled out before going to bed at a decent hour. I even resisted one of the siren songs of being home alone and slept without the TV on all night.
I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Halloween Back on Track
I knew the look in her eye. I have seen it a lot in recent years as I found myself more involved in community events.
The look told me that the brain was saying, “I know I can do this, but I have so many other things to do, but I really know I can handle this, but I also like to relax once in a while, but if I don’t do it, there’s a chance no one else will step up.”
I won’t say who I’m describing because, in reality, I saw the look in a lot of people’s eyes earlier this week when a bunch of people got together to discuss planning for this year’s Hanover Halloween parade. Don’t let the pronoun confuse you – men and women alike got this look in their eyes, including me.
In the end, we managed to divvy up a bunch of tasks and generate a lot of enthusiasm to keep one of the area’s best traditions going and, hopefully, avoid the rush we find ourselves in right now.
Feeling Quite at Home
I felt right at home inside the bar. Now that might sound like old news to people who know me well, but this situation had a different element.
The bar in question was in Cambridge, Mass., and I had never visited the place before. When I exited the subway station, I had to walk down the block a bit to make sure I was in the right place. But things felt familiar once I stepped inside.
This had nothing to do with the décor or the beer selection, although I found the latter quite impressive. I felt at home because I hadn’t seen the bartender in close to 20 years.