A Christmas Greeting
To all my friends, family, co-workers, assorted acquaintances and good people of earth – I hope you are having a lovely and fulfilling Christmas! (You know, if you’re into that kinda thing.)
Some Christmas Day advice: if you’re hungry, Sonic is open. However, they will forget your $4 popcorn chicken. And your fries. And you’ll be too distracted by holiday cheer to check the bag before driving home. And it’s a bit too nasty out to go back for it. And you’ll be left with mediocre burgers (but tasty tater tots…). So maybe don’t do that.
And may God/Goddess/Xenu/Flying Spaghetti Monster bless us, every one.
Read MoreAnother Flooding
It’s been a rainy Fall here in the midwest, and when the St. Louis metro gets saturated, basements start flooding. Ours is no exception. Friday night, we returned from work to find the unfinished portion of our basement with standing water, and our bedroom (which is the finished portion of the downstairs) a humid, carpety-bog.
The last time this happened, some 18 months back during a particularly nasty Spring, the rising tide destroyed our carpet and stained some baseboards. But, through fortunate timing and an hours long struggle to contain the wellspring, we managed to keep our property damage to a minimum.
This time was a reversal – the carpet survives, but the walls are soaked. And we say goodbye to two nice drawer-nightstands and a chifferobe.
Read MoreKindness and Generosity at Red Robin
This afternoon, my wife (@wendybuske) and I were dining with my sister, Cathy, and her husband, Jack, at the Red Robin restaurant in Edwardsville, IL. We don’t often get a chance to see Jack and Cathy outside of holiday gatherings, and they don’t get a chance to escape from our hometown very often.
We were celebrating Jack’s 25th year of living with a kidney transplant (he is the longest living kidney transplant survivor in America). They don’t dine out often, so we thought a burger place with a fun twist would be a good destination. Our server, Gentry (cool name!), asked if we were celebrating an occasion, so we told her about Jack.
Read MoreCarts Gone Wild
This article was originally published a few years ago as a guest column in the Edwardsville Intelligencer’s “Edge” weekend insert.
The savage beast.
There is a creature unique to the bounds of civilization, growing overpopulated and more prevalent. It inconveniences us, endangers our vehicles and, perhaps worst of all, takes up all the good parking spaces. It affects all but the most dedicated e-commerce consumer, and it’s an epidemic of our own making: shopping cart abandonment.
Read MoreFashion, Victimized
This article was originally published a few years ago as a guest column in the Edwardsville Intelligencer’s “Edge” weekend insert.
Remember these? Yuck.
While out shopping with a female friend, we stop to examine a kiosk selling trendy purses and belts made entirely of big, dangly sequins in bold, fluorescent colors. I fear someone has accosted a figure skater and stolen their outfit for raw materials.
“I should get one of those,” my friend says, her face a canvas for disco-ball refractions cast by sparkling handbags. I raise an eyebrow. This young woman, characterized by her classy, subdued taste, must be in thrall, mesmerized by the magnificent gaudiness.
Read MoreLearning to Love Spam
This article was originally published a few years ago as a guest column in the Edwardsville Intelligencer’s “Edge” weekend insert.
Like this, but digital.
What’s the big deal with spam?
I’m referring to the unwanted email, mind you, not the highly dubious canned meat product (it deserves an entire column to itself).
Sure, spam clogs up our inboxes. Yes, we waste many minutes of precious surfing time deleting undesired messages and appending mail filters. And, technically speaking, this electronic junk mail absorbs precious bandwidth and slows the entire internet down. But what about the positive side of spam?
Everyday, I’m gratified to open my email and discover 15-35 unsolicited expressions of hope and reassurance. My future sure looks brighter now that I can eliminate my credit card debt, increase my ability to please my lady and start a great career working from home. Those email subject lines inform me that I can get brand name software cheap, cleanse my colon and receive a complimentary gift, all without leaving my keyboard. Now that’s a pep talk!
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