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John and his Ajax
Is it a euphemism or slang? I think it is both. We are naturally averse to talking about bodily functions in polite company. So we employ euphemisms that say what we need to say without coming right out and saying it. Nowhere is this more true than with #1 and #2, or “wee wee” and…
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The Reichstag is on fire!
February 27, 1933. Monday. It is exactly four weeks since the leader of Germany’s majority political party in the Reichstag (parliament), a man by the name of Adolf Hitler, was sworn in as Chancellor (prime minister) of Germany. It is important to remember Hitler was elected. In the beginning. And it’s not like his campaign…
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The Penguin Lessons
Last March, I wrote a movie review here. I mentioned how I tend to steer clear of recommending movies (or tv shows, or albums, or books) because I realize that tastes vary and what I think is good you might regard as rubbish, and vice versa. I could tell you my favorite tv show right…
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Hundred
Strike up the band. Cue the fireworks. This is the 100th post of my blog. Sunday, when I posted about ICE, I noticed it was the 99th post to my blog. The wheels in my head started turning. My first thought was the next post had better be something really special to mark this milestone. …
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It’s déjà vu, all over again
This is a sobering moment. And where you come down on what happened yesterday, and over the last week in Iran, depends on how willing you are to suspend your disbelief and accept the narrative fed to you by the administration in Washington DC. One only has to look to recent history. A regime in…
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109 Miles
When my health dictated I resign from Technicolor and retire, I had many options. I had spent all of my life up to that point around Hollywood and Burbank because I worked there, and before that I grew up near there. But now I could go anywhere, literally, and at 41, depending on how I…
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Portmanteau
As a boy, I thought Star Trek was real. And by that I mean the original series. Not “The Next Generation” with young Wesley Crusher, upon whom I had a crush. Crusher-crush. Nah, too easy! Before you call me a dirty old man, or something worse, remember, when we first meet Wesley, in the pilot…
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What Dreams May Come
“…and then a whole bunch of us were gathered in what looked like a laundry room and it was weird, but I could stand up on my own, without a walker or a wheelchair. And my sister was standing next to me, but she wasn’t really my sister. She kind of looked like that girl…
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Potato Meetings
I’d like to start today by talking about the potato. It is most often associated with Ireland. The Irish were first to adopt it as a staple of their diet in the 18th century, and by the mid-19th century, “reports describing the appearance of a mysterious disease on the potato crops in various parts of…
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Tacos
Now I’m all about a good steak, and pairing it with a lobster tail for surf and turf is delicious. If I’m feeling like pasta, it’s gotta be carbonara, and I’ll jump at anything with peanut sauce on a Thai menu. I have made my affection for the French Dip sandwich known, as well as…
Your mileage may vary.