The single sweetest thing about unemployment is never being awakened by an alarm clock.

The next best thing, though, is the morning silence that follows. I don’t have to turn on the local news to check the weather and traffic. I don’t have to watch the clock, rush to the shower, feed the cat or fly out the door.

Okay, …[MORE]

I have to buy groceries today. I’ve been putting it off for days because it’s one of the chores I hate most.

It’s so tiresome:
• Choosing from a wide variety of fresh produce without bending over a hoe or stooping to reap
• Selecting any cut of any meat without having to slaughter, dress and butcher the beast
• Picking up milk and butter, …[MORE]

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not much of a poetry buff. I’ve read very little, and know even less about it as an art form. Still, I’m a sucker for a rigid format, and poetry often stimulates that little itch.

I learned a new (for me) rigid format recently when a friend sent me a villanelle to …[MORE]

Slowly, slowly, some sense of humanity reinstates itself. The symptoms abate, the energy tide turns. Once again, I can summon the strength to walk into the sun. Damn, it’s bright out there.

Yesterday my appetite started serving up notice. I wasn’t out of provisions completely, but after a week of cocooning I was bored with the contents …[MORE]

During my recent cold, I remembered an old home remedy I’d heard of, but never tried. I had a persistent, croupy cough and folklore has it that Vick’s VapoRub® slathered on the soles of the feet is an effective cough suppressant.

I was desperate.

I sacrificed an old pair of heavy knit socks and dug the VapoRub out …[MORE]

I regularly challenge my Toastmasters members to face down their fears, and I do my best to model that behavior as well. At least that’s what I like to think.

Early in life, I struggled a lot with procrastination. This situation didn’t begin to improve until I encountered some insight one day in an article I read. Procrastination, …[MORE]

• DOA
• Inside Daisy Clover
• Chicago
• The Quiet Man
• Forbidden Planet
• Friendly Persuasion
• Cool Hand Luke

• A good bed
• A good book
• Plenty of tissues
• A comfy chair
• A comfy plush throw
• A comfy cat
• VapoRub

Here it comes…The croupy cough, the stuffed up head, all the joys of oncoming respiratory infection.

Time to lock the door, stop the world and crawl into bed. It’s nice to have that luxury.

Excuse me while I sleep around the clock, force water and the occasional bite to eat, and build truly impressive piles of wadded tissues.

Livin’ the dream.