Make me

There’s a guy up in Maine named Aaron.

He doesn’t seem to be the most-social guy in the world, but he has a best friend named Holly who thinks he personally hangs the moon every night.

I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual, but there’s something about the way Holly feels that’s … different.

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The year (mostly) gone by — 2020

I spent a lot of time in 2020 … walking.

Almost every day it wasn’t raining or snowing or freezing cold, Suzi and I walked.

The week gone by — Jan. 26

Suzi was out with friends, which meant I was on my own for dinner.

I was in the mood for Chinese, and since it was just me, I got all three fortune cookies.

Where all the best stuff comes from

“Ex nihilo nihil fit.”

Of all the Latin expressions my sixth-grade teacher dropped into his lessons, that’s the only one I remember.

”Ex nihilo nihil fit.”

From nothing, nothing comes.

The week gone by — Jan. 5

We left the Christmas lights up ’til January, but they’re down now. So are the cards and the tree.

If the holiday season wasn’t already over — since I don’t wait for Epiphany — not only did my friend Bob’s family holiday note arrive telling the tales of their madcap adventures from the previous year, but I finished the last of the egg nog.

See you next November.

Reaching back into the archives

I’ve been writing this version of the blog for about two years, but I’ve been sharing my thoughts on the world in various ways for almost eight years.

And I have to tell you, as I look back, most of it has been absolutely tragic.

Seriously, I read some of it and wonder, “What in the actual hell was I thinking?”

Screwing up my own revenge

Who doesn’t have someone from their past, or present, that they can’t stand?

Maybe it’s the high school or college classmate who was a bully.

Maybe it’s the obnoxious boss who made work a nightmare.

Maybe it’s someone who was a friend before a falling-out.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get revenge on them, somehow?

Sunshine Blogger 🥇

Even though I’m usually the type to find a dark cloud in every silver lining, Girl on the Fly was kind enough to nominate me for the Sunshine Blogger Award (thanks much!), which means I’ll be answering 11 questions she asked about travel below.

But first, there are rules to be followed, and so I will follow those rules.

The words of our times

Voltaire’s “If you wish to converse with me, define your terms,” or a variation thereof, has been one of my favorite sayings since my freshman history teacher in college wrote in on the board the first day of class.

I usually think of it in terms of debate — the maneuvering done to ensure it is contested on one’s own terms.

I had a pair of frustrating debates online over the weekend — although given their arguments were the same and they had other similar characteristics, I can’t guarantee it was two different people — because they refused to address the question I presented.

Instead, they wanted to converse on different terms, probably because they knew they’d lose on mine.

Various, random stuff about … me

How often do you get to read someone’s thoughts on psycho killers on TV and mascots at a baseball game?

After that, you know you want to keep reading, right?