Dealing With Your Cabbages

(This guest post written by Friar’s Mom). I finally cleaned out my fridge yesterday.   I want it to be spotless before I leave for out west in a few weeks, and my house-sitter moves in for the winter.  I don’t want her to think I am a real slob. For a long time now, I [...]

Blogging Commenter Stereotypes

The Kleenex-Boxer Take your pick.   These Empaths will burst into tears at the slightest mention of love, spouses, children, life, death, health, sickness, a motivational quote, a poem, chocolate or Oprah.  Makes you wonder how some people handled Real Life before the internet. The Scrappers Like two kids in a schoolyard who don’t get along.   [...]

Ladies and Gentlemen (Mesdames et Messieurs…).

We all know flying can at times be really annoying.   Delays, crowded airports, turbulence, screaming kids, cramped seats, etc…   But those annoyances, I can at least tolerate. But there’s one thing that I have a bee in my bonnet about.  That sets my teeth on edge.  That makes me want to gouge my eyes out. It’s the ANNOUNCEMENTS. Those #$%@ ANNOUNCEMENTS.    Whether it’s [...]

Uncle Friar’s Tips on Dog-Sitting a Duck Toller

What do most of us want, more than anything else in the whole world? A nice house?   To with the lottery?  A fancy car?   Our health?  Happiness?  Fame and Fortune? Well, if you’re like the Duck-Toller I’m babysitting,  THIS is all you want. It’s a ball. Not just any ball.    It’s a rubber ball that [...]

Would you like a Double-Double with that?

Sometimes I get tired of doing landscapes. So I might shake things up and make myself paint different subjects that I don’t normally do. I’m probably not the first person to paint Tim Hortons’ donuts. But it’s probably safe to say that not too many have.

Avoiding Procrastination: How NOT to do it (*)

(*) With apologies to Alex.  If there’s an unpleasant task ahead, ask yourself these questions:  If I don’t do this, will anyone die or get hurt? Will it jeopardize someones  job? Will it ruin a friendship?  Will it bankrupt me? If the answer is “NO”, then chill out, have a beer, and don’t worry about [...]

Some Fringe Benefits of Getting Your PhD.

Your can brag to kids who are still in elementary school that you went up to “Grade 23″ You and your chiropractor can call each other “fake doctor”. Your friends and family can use your degree against you any time you screw up:  “He has a PhD but he can’t even figure out how to program [...]

Six Things about Valentine’s Day that Suck

1.  Drug-store Valentine’s chocolate Ugh.   Have you actually TASTED  that stuff?    Nothing but brown wax flavored with high-fructose corn syrup.   I’m just waiting for there to be a major recall, on account of lead and melanine. 2.  Valentines Day crap in the stores Does anyone remember a time, when the stores WEREN’T decorated with red-ribbonned heart-shaped abominations starting January [...]

Free Fallin’…

I can do this, I tell myself. I’m standing on top of Free Fall, the steepest run on the mountain.   And I’m a bit nervous.   Which dosen’t happen too often. Not that I mean to sound arrogant, but I’m a pretty decent skier.  I’ve been doing this sport for over 40 years.   I can ski down almost [...]

A Wonder of Nature

An interesting…er…”ice column” that formed outside the front door, from a dripping water tap.   No comment.