I have a serious worry. I joke about being a curmudgeon and stuck in my ways. I've never really been serious, but I'm starting to really wonder if I'm not becoming a crusty, ill-tempered, old man. I've noticed a few signs. I seem to complain about more things than usual, telling young kids whenever I... Continue Reading →

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve been blogging now for eight years. I was thinking about why I’ve enjoyed it so much. The answer has been an interesting one for me to analyze. On one hand, I love having a blog because I enjoy the constant need to come up with a new idea... Continue Reading →

I saw an interview a few years ago where Tom Hanks, the actor of Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, and many other movies, talked about his hobby of collecting vintage typewriters. He appreciates the craftsmanship and history behind them. His personal collection numbers about 250 machines. I'm nothing like Hanks. No Academy Awards in... Continue Reading →

When we were kids, we lived off the beaten path, about a five-minute drive out of town. Of course, this was before the days of 500 channels and on-demand streaming. Our choices for evening entertainment were limited. We got two of the Big Three Networks — NBC and a very blurry CBS — and that... Continue Reading →

When I was a kid, we had the same white phone hanging on the wall in our kitchen. I vaguely remember that we had a traditional black rotary dial phone early in my childhood, but for the most of my youth, we had the small rotary one with a long cord that always seemed to... Continue Reading →

One of the best lessons I continue to learn throughout my life is the power of failure. We all want to be successful. We want to get things right, but when we fail or make a mistake, we learn how to do things right the next time. If there's one thing about society that I... Continue Reading →

Statistics lie. I've always had a tough time with numbers. How do you tell the difference between 50,000 and 50,000,000? I look at them and I see two big numbers. It's like a Fun House of Mirrors. I look at one number and it looks huge. I look at the other and it looks the... Continue Reading →

The sweat dripped down my face. I had to take a break. I had been working in the yard, first helping my wife pull weeds and then pruning our bushes and had moved onto mowing and the work was kicking my butt. I bent over to take a quick break and cursed my youngest son... Continue Reading →

When I was a young boy, I was scared of the dark. We lived along a rural lane and I was convinced that ghosts and goblins and other scary things came out to play at night. It didn't help that a large walnut tree right outside my window would creak and saunter back and forth... Continue Reading →