Here’s my question for this edition: Do you shop on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving)? If not, why not? If so, what is your usual shopping pattern? Are you…
. . . Matthew!
Q1 – Request If you opened your email program and found two messages from a friend or co-worker, one with the subject line “Something You Should Know!!!” and the other with the subject line “DO NOT OPEN PREVIOUS MESSAGE, EVER,” would you open the first message?
A1 – No. I would delete them both.
Appetizer What was your first “real” job? The first job for which I earned money was working in the music department at my high school. I organized and filed music…
A Thirteen Question History Quiz for People Over the Age of 40
This is a history exam for people who want to see how much they remember about what has gone on during their lifetime. Everyone over the age of 40 should find it pretty easy.
1. When you were growing up, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?
a. On the floor shift knob
b. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch
c. Next to the horn
I am not participating in NaNoWriMo this year. The time commitment is simply too much at this point. Additionally, as I have mentioned before, I do not write fiction. Every…
I am delighted by the vigorous debate that my articles have inspired over the past couple of weeks. From such enthusiastic conversation, we all learn a great deal, not to…
My mother (the young girl on the right) and an unidentified friend posed for this photo sitting on a classic vehicle.
Here’s my question for this edition: Honolulu-based “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” the highest-rated reality show on cable television, has been pulled from the airwaves “for the foreseeable future” in light…
Appetizer How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season? Enough. My definition of “enough” is minuscule compared to what a lot of people spend, but I…
Thirteen Observations About Life Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If…
Everyone who knows me or reads my personal blog knows that I am a fanatic for “The Sopranos.” (And yes, I’m still mourning the series and hoping that David Chase…
As we were driving west on Interstate 80 out of Davis, I snapped this photo of the sun setting over the hills because I thought the pink skyline was beautiful.…
Q1 – What is one of your favorite words?
Hope.
Q2 – How do react when you are out in public and approached by someone carrying a clipboard asking for your signature on a petition or requesting that you participate in a survey?
I try to avoid walking by them. If I can’t and they manage to ask me to sign, I politely decline while continuing to walk.
There’s an ongoing discussion among bloggers concerning comments. Every so often, the dialogue intensifies before going to the back burner again, only to be revived periodically. In the process, volumes…
Spelling errors are one of my all-time peeves. Why? Because in a matter of seconds, you can refer to a dictionary to see if you are spelling a word correctly.…
Q1 – Death and Taxes: When a successful business or corporation shows an interest in relocating to a new city, town or municipality, if the business in question employs a…
Appetizer
When was the last time you were surprised?
About five minutes ago when I walked into my house, sat down to read my e-mails, and saw that Ann Coulter once again opened her insensitive, bigoted mouth. You might think that, given my profession, I would not be surprised by such behavior. But the opposite is true: Just when I think I’ve heard it all . . .
Coulter draws fire over remarks about Jews
Conservative author offends CNBC host Donny Deutsch with comment
From CNBC and MSNBC
Oct. 11, 2007
Conservative author Ann Coulter finds herself in the middle of a firestorm once again after remarks on a CNBC television show in which she said Jews need “to be perfected” and suggested the nation would be better off if it were all-Christian.
Appearing on “The Big Idea” with host Donny Deutsch on Monday, she said Christians were tolerant of racial diversity but that it “would be a lot easier” for Jews if they were to become Christians.
To comma or not to comma. That is the question. Whether ’tis nobler and appropriate to place a comma after “and” and “or” when writing a list of three or…
Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?
5.
I have a love-hate relationship with my birthday because it is December 21: So close to Christmas that insensitive friends have often carelessly written “P.S. Happy Birthday” in Christmas cards, it is difficult to plan celebrations because everyone is busy with Christmas parties and events, and as a child, I felt cheated because I never had a classroom party (my birthday was always during what was known in those days as “Christmas break”). Thankfully, by the time my kids started school, teachers had “wised up” and all kids whose birthdays fell during breaks picked another day for an “un-birthday” classroom celebration.
When reviewing a document someone else has written or receiving feedback from others on my own writing, there is one word that I, like most other serious writers, strive never to utter or hear: Comma.
Everyone has an opinion and his/her own writing style vis a vis the use of commas, the most abused and overused item of punctuation in the English language. Want to start a heated debate among writers? Just ask one simple question, duck and run, because there is likely to be vociferous disagreement about the answer to this query:
“Should there be a comma after that word?”
Given my profession and beliefs, this story naturally caught my attention:
Nebraska state senator sues God
Injunction sought against Him for allegedly causing deaths, making threats
More…
LINCOLN, Neb. – The defendant in a state senator’s lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in Douglas County, the legislator claims, because He’s everywhere.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he’s trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody.
As a civil rights attorney, I counsel folks who have been subjected to injustice about their rights and the remedies the legal system can provide them. Frequently, they have suffered…
Kailani tagged me to play the $50,000 Question Meme:
A philanthropist awards you $50,000 with the stipulation that you may use half of it for yourself and the other half you must use for the benefit of others. By “benefit of others” it can mean anything really, buying a gift for a family member or donating to a charity.
How do you spend the money on yourself?