How Russell Crowe reminds me to be calm in traffic
I sure love a good Russell Crowe movie. And that means pretty much every Russell Crowe movie. The Australian actor has been in some great ones: “L.A. Confidential,” “Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Cinderella Man.” The list goes on and on.... more
How about we don't bring back the mullet
I could only sit and try not to stare. If I had made eye contact with the guy, he would have seen the look of utter shock and horror on my face. I was sitting in the salon where I get my hair cut every three weeks without fail. Sure, it is white and a little thin these days, but I still want my hair to look good. So, as I wait for the woman who cuts my hair to be ready for me (I am always early), I see a guy getting a perm.... more
Not so easy to say what makes a man a man
I think some men are very, very confused about what a “man” is or is supposed to be. Last week, Tucker Carlson of Fox News, a person I have never watch in my life, made the news for a documentary on men, or the end of men and manhood. Or something like that, it was hard to follow while I was laughing.... more
Seems anything can become a TV show
When I work during the day, I have the television on in the background. It is easy to ignore and doesn’t distract me like music can. But every now and then something will catch my ear. Either on a show or, more usually, a commercial.... more
We continue to focus on the wrong things
“Woke” is a word that gets tossed around a lot these days. A lot. I had not heard of the word until a couple of years ago, but now it gets used all the time, generally as a put down of a segment of society that is fighting against what is sees as injustice.... more
Slap a symptom of larger societal problem
Seems I missed the slap heard around the world. As usual, I did not watch the Academy Awards ceremony last week. Watching a bunch of entitled people handing out awards to each other doesn’t do much for me. And since I haven’t even been to a theater for years, I am not exactly up on the “best” movies out there.... more
No matter how old, we are who we are
I was just standing there, minding my own business. The music was loud – very loud. My wife and I had gone to see some local metal bands in Rockford and these guys were trying to compete with a nuclear explosion when it came to volume.... more
Early Shorts Guy jumps the gun again
It never fails. People always jump the gun when the weather gets even a little nicer. Let’s face it – last week was nice. It was nice enough to walk around without a sweatshirt. It was even nice enough to open a few windows and turn the heat off. For me that is always a joyous occasion.... more
We need total energy independence
One thing these days that seems true to me is that people need to have something to blame on politicians. Look, I understand that, as politicians are often to blame for the horrible discourse in the country and various pains we all feel. Name calling, taxes, gridlock, inaction on issues that need immediate action – there are plenty of reasons for us to get mad at elected officials.... more
Putin is a murderous thug
We had a saying when I was younger: “I would rather be dead than Red.” Sure, this was back in the Cold War days, but we didn’t like the Russians. In fact, we would rather be dead than be a Russian.... more
'Live PD' shows the best, and the worst
I love the TV show “Cops.” It is an adrenaline rush of a show, and one that highlights some of the best police officers and some of the dumbest criminals on the planet.... more