I didn’t say “the best,” and I didn’t say “my favorite.” — Remember that show “Name That Tune?” The one where the contestant would bid on how few notes of a song a band or orchestra would play until they came up with the song’s name. The fewer notes they could name the tune in, the better the chance of winning against…

Even this old fart can change — The backstory Generally, older people can be resistant to change. We do things the way they’ve always been done. We’re satisfied with the brands we buy, so we’re not a target market — except for things older people buy. …

It’s no accident — Think back on it: most of us have at least tried cigarettes. The lucky ones hacked up a lung upon inhaling their first one and never went back. The rest, due to peer pressure, went on to a second, a third, and then started liking it. Or was it just…

I am finding it impossible to write I’ve not been able to write anything this month. I have so many stories half written or close to being finished. But my so-called writing career has to be prioritized below two of the most important people in my life. I wish there…

We may not have loved the way most couples love, but we loved the kids. — Introduction I turned sixty-six yesterday. Closer to seventy than sixty. Where did the years go? As you age, you become more contemplative. By this time, you should be more comfortable with yourself. Not care what other people think. It’s also a time when you look back and reassess where you succeeded…

The Curve-Billed Thrasher I didn’t know what it could be. As opposed to most other homes in the Albuquerque area, mine has a grass lawn. I live in a single-family home that is part of a duplex, is the best way to explain it. Grass wasn’t my idea — I…

A spooky song by a pop musical storyteller — If you have or have had kids, you know that Halloween challenged Christmas as their favorite holiday. (Even though Halloween isn’t an actual holiday — a day off, that is.) And for good reason. For just one day, you get to pretend to be something you’re not. You get free…

See if your city made the cut! Let’s face it — most of us have lived in pretty shitty towns. First, we didn’t ask to be born. We kicked our way into the world, hoping to land somewhere cool like California, Hawaii, or Florida (when Florida was cool). Unfortunately, most…

Corporate-speak at its finest How many times have you sat through a corporate meeting or listened to the President or CEO of a company say that to its workers or the public in general? Have you ever been laid off or fired from a job? …