I just read a short blurb about Billy Joel’s song “Uptown Girl.” And it said that song was a Number 1 hit for him on the British charts, for five weeks, back in 1983. That started on this day, November 5th. I knew it was popular. And it was even in my playlist for a while, back when I played … The rest of the story…
Category Archives: current events
Exvangelical deconstruction. Now, there’s a term you probably don’t hear every day. I hadn’t heard of it before today. But apparently it’s a “thing” in the ranks of people leaving the Christian “church” these days. And I put quotations around “church” for a reason. Because exvangelical deconstruction is a self-indulgent activity. No surprise there, right? Selfishness was the original sin. … The rest of the story…
If you regularly listen to or watch the morning news, it can give you the impression there’s no such thing as lasting hope. And it can give you the impression that the only way to “beat ’em” is to “join ’em.” So skip the morning news. At least skip all the opinion stuff. All that point, counterpoint, and other synthetic, … The rest of the story…
I remember, learning about Halloween for the first time, as a little kid. And that’s back when we went “trick or treating” for fun and candy. My first few Halloween costumes were your basic innocent kid types. Casper the friendly ghost. Cowboy. Pirate. You get the picture. And I think there’s still a lot of the innocent kid stuff out … The rest of the story…
Ten years ago, this month, I talked about the root of all evil. No, not congress. Although, they come in a close second most of the time. Of course, the root of all evil is money. There I said it. But it needs to be said. Especially right now when Halloween is only a couple of days away. And that’s … The rest of the story…
I don’t live in a safe place. Six years ago, a guy walked down a street, here in Colorado Springs, and randomly murdered people. Yeah, on this the most holiest of days. Halloween. If you heard about it or read about it, you know the story I’m talking about. If you didn’t, go look it up. I don’t wanna waste … The rest of the story…
What do you call someone who uses banal, hackneyed, and overworked phrases to shove their agenda in your face? Cue that Jeopardy music. And we have a winner. Susie said, “A politician.” Tell ’em what she won, Johnny! Yeah, zing ’em with in-your-face clichés. And tell those lies loud and often. And before you know it, bam. The world is … The rest of the story…
It’s an unwavering truth that love is everlasting. And even though I’m typing these words, alone in my office, and you’ll read them in similar circumstances, I can almost see you shaking your head, “No. Love is definitely not everlasting.” But I say yes. And I can prove it’s an unwavering truth. But, here’s a caveat. I absolutely can NOT … The rest of the story…
Do you judge others? What?! You don’t?! Are you kidding me? Because I don’t see how you can get through even one day without judging somebody. Well, maybe if you’re a recluse and have no human contact. Maybe then. But… If you lead a regular life, with human contact, you gotta judge others. Yeah. You read (or heard) me right. … The rest of the story…
Well, it’s that holiest month of the year. Yep, October is here. And the “hallowed evening” fast approaches. Some parts of it are funny. But Halloween (Neewollah, as its known in Independence, Kansas) sure brings out the people who love to live in the dark. And when I say “live in the dark,” I mean it mostly literally. Here in … The rest of the story…
It’s funny (odd, not ha ha) how small comets got me thinking about the old Comet cleanser TV commercials. And you’d have to jump into Professor Peabody’s Wayback machine or hop onto YouTube to see ’em now. (and if you don’t remember Professor Peabody and his Wayback machine, you’re too young to read this). But I’m not talkin’ about those … The rest of the story…
I’m a big fan of rhythm. In the motion of living and non-living creations. And in music. And even down to syllables in words. That’s because rhythm is more than beats. It’s movement. A syncopated representation of life itself. And that’s why it’s unusual for me to write offbeat poetry. But a few years ago, I was inspired to do … The rest of the story…
I wasn’t even a teenager, and rock music, for the most part, wasn’t played in my Dad’s house. How’s that for an icebreaker? Well, that scenario sets up something that happened back in 1966. A band, named Cream made their live debut in Manchester, England. Just three guys. But they put out some heavy, hard-hitting music. And they had the … The rest of the story…
Ten years ago I wrote about how I took some time to read the Declaration of Independence. And I recommended all Americans do that from time to time. Because free people, throughout history, almost always forget how those freedoms came about. And it’s the same (even more important) for this Independence Day 2021. The men who signed the Declaration of … The rest of the story…
Media outlets share climate change facts that are totally unbiased. And they’re 100% accurate. Oops. I skimmed back and re-read what I just wrote. I’ll have to edit out those typos when I get a chance. Because they’re the opposite of true. And you remember what the opposite of true is. Right? False. But who cares if the information presented … The rest of the story…
I just read a headline that said, “Pacific Northwest cities shatter heat records again, life grinds to a halt” And if that could be true, then the Pacific Northwest would certainly be the place for life to grind to a halt. But, somehow, I just can’t see business owners, who actually need to make a living for their families, just … The rest of the story…
Here in the Northern hemisphere, today is the longest day of the year. At least in daylight hours. Yep, that means the days start getting shorter starting tomorrow. It’s funny how some people hate to hear that. So, of course, that means I’ve gotta say it every year. Because I’m designed that way. No gettin’ around it. This longest day … The rest of the story…
Imagine if you wrote a song and it became popular enough to be played on local radio. And then, more and more people liked it. So, it actually made it to the “music charts.” And then, what if your song rose to the Top 10 charts and stayed there for a week or two. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Yeah, I’d … The rest of the story…
I just saw a headline that mentioned how a Cape Cod lobster diver was swallowed by a whale. And then he was “spit back out.” Now, that’s obviously a fish tale. Right? Because that kind of things doesn’t happen. Period. So, that’s why I watched a couple of videos, about the story, online. And the diver certainly looks sincere. He … The rest of the story…
How much is one third of one half? Before you reach for your calculator or do a search on Google, you should know I’m not getting ready to build or bake something. It occurred to me that we’re one third of the way through June. And at the end of June we’re one half of the way through 2021. So…one … The rest of the story…