I almost quit any number of times. I didn’t smoke a lot. Less than a pack a day and eventually I got it down to five or six a day and sometimes less. The problem with cigarettes is that one… Read More ›
Personal
SUMMER FRIENDS – BY ELLIN CURLEY
I recently wrote a blog about old friends; people who knew you when you were a lot younger and who shared a part of your life that doesn’t exist anymore. That got me thinking. Why do some people become ‘old… Read More ›
THE BIGGEST GLITCH – Marilyn Armstrong
Little things defeat me. An electrical blip — so brief as to go otherwise unnoticed — knocked out the time and date on the clocks and telephones in my house. It was so brief I didn’t realize it had happened until… Read More ›
EXTRACTION FROM THE MIRE OF THE PAST – Marilyn Armstrong
The endless recitation of woes on blogs I used to enjoy is giving me a headache. It’s not a lack of personal sympathy. It’s more like emotional exhaustion. So many people seem to be stuck in the mire of misery… Read More ›
AT THIS MOMENT – RICH PASCHALL
Karaoke Night, by Rich Paschall From the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, we spent a lot of time in adult drinking establishments singing various tunes to varying degrees of success. You did not have to be any good at it. You… Read More ›
WORLD SHARING, EXTENDED EDITION, 2-10-2020 – Marilyn Armstrong
SHARE YOUR WORLD BY MELANIE THIS STRANGE AND WONDERFUL MONDAY by Melanie B Cee Questions: Do you snore? How do you know it, if you do? I did but I no longer do. It turned out as soon as I… Read More ›
THE REAL BEGINNING – GARRY ARMSTRONG
As much as I hate telephones, I loathed pagers. I was, admittedly, spoiled by years of minimal interference in the field. We did the usual schtick on the 2-way. Hand over mouth responding, “We can’t hear you. You’re breaking up…. Read More ›
SMILING FACES, SOUR CHERRIES – Marilyn Armstrong
Bad days are like sour cherries. Even in a great batch of fruit, you hit some duds. As you munch, you’re going to get some berries that are overripe, sour, or bitter. You bite into them, make a face, and put them… Read More ›
PEOPLE SAY THE NICEST THINGS! – Marilyn Armstrong
How often have you wondered whether you should say “thank you” or punch that person in the mouth? Insults I understand, but the compliments that really aren’t, baffle me. Is it personal ambivalence? Is it possible they don’t understand the… Read More ›
ONCE IN A LIFETIME – Marilyn Armstrong
I don’t envy much. I’ve never needed the biggest house or the fastest car. Fashion doesn’t tempt me and success for me has always meant having enough. Spare would be nice, but enough will do. I don’t need popularity. A… Read More ›
FEARLESS – Marilyn Armstrong
Just as pain warns our bodies that something is wrong, fear warns our brains to be cautious. Excessive or unreasoning fear can cripple us, make us unable to do anything at all. Phobias can eliminate some activities entirely. If you… Read More ›
A NOSE JOB FOR MOM – Marilyn Armstrong
I don’t remember how many times my mother told me this story, or how many times I have told it to you. It bears retelling. My mother, like many young women of her generation, had wanted to attend high school…. Read More ›
I AM THE APPLE – Marilyn Armstrong
It occurred to me I needed to see my spine specialist. When you deal with chronic pain, you learn to ignore it most of the time. Unless you want to wind up addicted to pain killers, it’s your only option…. Read More ›
I REGRET NOTHING – Rich Paschall
We all have regrets, that’s for sure. You can not lead a life without them. You may regret your first stumble and fall — if you remember it. You may regret dropping that toy or that cell phone. You may… Read More ›
I’M STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT – Marilyn Armstrong
One of the many things I learned while working for a living was “never let them know how good you really are.” It sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. Moreover, I’ve always been more fond of family and friends… Read More ›
FIRST, FORGIVE YOURSELF AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW – Marilyn Armstrong
One Sunday in church, Pastor’s sermon was about forgiveness. He asked everyone in the church to stand up. Then he asked those who had any enemies to sit down. Everyone sat down but one very old woman. “You have no enemies at… Read More ›
REGRETS, I’VE HAD A FEW – Rich Paschall
But Then Again, Why Mention? by Rich Paschall We all have regrets, that’s for sure. You can not lead a life without them. You may regret that first stumble and fall, if you remember it at all. You may regret… Read More ›
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS – Marilyn Armstrong
Israel was in turmoil. Years of bad blood between Arabs and Jews, a disastrous economic situation, and an intense heatwave which had everyone cranky and ill-tempered. It’s no wonder that most riots take place in the heat of summer. The… Read More ›
NCIS AND MY PACEMAKER – Marilyn Armstrong
EPISODE: Need to Know (2012) Alan Katzenbach, a lawyer, waits for Gibbs with his client, a chief petty officer named Leland Wiley. Wiley was busted for drugs and wants to trade his info — which he says is about national security…. Read More ›
OLD TIMEY RELIGIOUS MUSIC – Marilyn Armstrong
For a woman who is essentially religiously neutral, firmly clinging to my position of “no opinion” like a limpet on a wet rock with the tide coming in — I really love church music. I cannot help myself. Play me… Read More ›
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 