Isn’t This Why We Fought the Commies?

We didn’t know we had it bad. When there is little or no point of reference, you don’t know what you’re missing. This is true of pretty much everything in the world, ever. Did people in the thirties know how hot they were without air conditioning? No, because they never experienced air conditioning. I still

Behind the Music

Don’t you love it when you hear the story behind a good song? I realize that there are some songs that were just hammered out, or written against a tight deadline with little or no thought to what was being written. Even songwriting giants have resorted to it from time to time. “She love you

Sometimes I See Deer

I’ve gained a little weight in the off season. Winter. Yuk. I usually ride a lot in the winter. But this year I’ve gotten lazy. Or old. Or both. Anyway, I decided that I need to get back on the bike more consistently, so here I go, riding to work today. The bonus is that

Vertical Connection

“It was my first Christmas in sixty-two years without her. I don’t know how to act.” That was the first thing he said as we sat down to lunch. Arby’s. It was his idea. His wife had died about two months earlier, one day after her eighty-first birthday. At her memorial service, their pastor encouraged

We Live in an Age of Electronal Marvels

This quote comes from none other than the great Barney Fife. He was right, and that was decades ago. This is the twenty-first century. Everything has a battery in it. I have what seems like an abnormal number of things requiring batteries that require charging. Safety isn’t easy. Ever since I was hit by a

Helmet Hair: a Coiffure Odyssey

Anyone who has ever participated in an athletic activity understands the trials associated with keeping one’s coiffure in order. That’s not completely true, I guess. Golfers don’t have to wear a hat. But pretty much everyone else does. We just called it “hat hair” when wearing a ball cap. Cycling is unique among activities that

Are You Excited to See Me?

I was walking Woody and Ruth this morning, and saw a neighbor who was walking his dog. From about a block away, maybe two, the man’s dog spotted us. He was excited. He started jumping up and down, and spinning in circles. He was pulling on the lead, but his owner would not give in.

I’m the Student

Looks like I’m going to owe some money to the school district for which I work. Yeah. When you’re going to school, you pay. Learning costs money. When you become a teacher, you get paid to facilitate learning for others. Learning costs. Teaching pays. I am a teacher, and I get paid for my services.

Let’s Ride!

I’m not sure how many times I’ve ridden in the annual bicycle ride benefitting MS research. More than ten. I think. Maybe. I just know that I rode MS150 for the first time in 2001. Maybe. Could have been ‘02 or ‘03. I don’t remember. But there are things I do remember. I remember not

Student Loans

When I went back to college in my early twenties, I borrowed the money via student loans. I can’t remember the amount that I borrowed, but I do remember that I borrowed the absolute maximum I could. Like an idiot. Thankfully, it only took me a year and a half to graduate, so it wasn’t