The Place for Baby Boomers to Share Memories
Charles Dickens visited me in my dreams last night.
Dickens: “hey, kid, I have an idea for one of your blog posts.”
Me: “uh, aren’t you, like, dead?”
Dickens: “yeah so what?No one is going to believe that you really dreamed this anyway.”
Me: “okay, so wazzup?” Continue reading “A Tale of Two Countries”
By Larry Teren
A famous television actress wrote in her autobiography that she learned the best way to get what she wanted was to lean in on someone, talk in a calm voice and act vulnerable. She then proceeded to give a sketchy example of one time when it worked to her benefit.
She did say that until she got that advice, she would usually come on like a female bull (if that was possible) in a china shop. Sometimes it would work out but she would be in such an aggravated condition she would not enjoy her victory. I’d be the first person to admit that I have too often used the “take no prisoners” method to get the outcome I hoped for.
Continue reading “Catch a Bee With Honey”
By Larry Teren
Come August 2013 no more Saturday delivery of first class mail and magazines from the U.S. Post Office. Or at least, so they say. After hearing this pronouncement the other day, I happened to catch a substitute letter carrier in front of my condominium. I asked him how this change in service affects his job. He said his regular work is to deliver small packages, a service that will continue on Saturdays. But, he did think that the stoppage of regular mail delivery will not pass union approval since many jobs will be lost.
Supposedly, the US Postal Service lost $8.5 billion in 2010. In the 2012 budget year, it suffered almost double the loss- $15.9 billion. Dropping mail delivery one extra day will save $2 billion a year. Others predict it will save even more- up to $3 billion including reduction in energy use.
Continue reading “Saturday Delivery Goes Postal”
By Larry Teren
Hasbro Gaming Company recently decided to replace the least popular token in their Monopoly board game,
probably to jump start new interest in the game. (Similar to when M&M’s made a big deal about adding a new color to the candy mix.) They conducted a contest to replace the least favorite game piece or token with a new creation. Results: the iron was voted off the island and replaced by a cat.
Continue reading “Monopoly’s Permanent Press Solution”
By Larry Teren
There we were, the three of us- Ma, cousin Carl and I- sitting in his private room at a rehab facility. Three people in search of a method acting coach to supply us with the lines to speak in a too often repeated scenario. Carl fell down in his house and broke his leg. Surgery pieced back together the broken shards and now they had to heal. The surgeon told him he would stay at the facility for three months until his leg was strong enough so that he could stand on his own two feet without someone monitoring his every movement.
This scene was somewhat a rerun from an earlier time. Two years prior Carl had heart issues. The doctor back then gutted him like a halibut in order to clean out his arteries. At least this time he was on the first floor. The second floor was an inconvenience to traverse to at the facility. You couldn’t take the stairs unless escorted by a worker who knew the pass code. There was no service elevator. Even when either of the two elevators would finally show up half the time it was filled with rolling carts.
Continue reading “Method Acting at the Rehab”