Category Archives: Musings

weekly column of general observations

Welcome to My Phobia

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Just about everyone has a phobia, or pretty close to one. For some it’s a fear of flying, like for my friend Annette. We have to sedate her into a stupor before she’ll set foot anywhere near an airport.fear of flying

For some, their fears focus more on crawly things. My ex, Jim, would yell my name from the other side of the house in such a way I thought our home was on fire. Or maybe he found one of our dogs dead under the bed. But no; a spider was in the house and it needed not to be. I had a small window of time to scoop up said spider and run it outside before panic forced Jim to smash the arachnid to smithereens.

Let's get you outside, little one Let’s get you outside, little one

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Dirty Little Secrets

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Okay, some of this will be gross so maybe hold off eating that tuna sandwich until you’re finished reading. Unless, of course, you don’t mind losing your appetite because you over-indulged during the holidays and would be happy to shed a couple pounds. In that case, read on!

So I came across an article from a tech columnist for Yahoo who wrote about germs. It featured cell phones and how disgustingly filthy they are. And let me tell you, they are foul little buggers. Who knew cell phones had so many dirty little secrets?cell phone germs

Turns out there’s a bunch of stuff I learned about our phones I sort of wish I hadn’t. Be prepared to be revolted, say experts in the field of studying dirty things. Yes, there’s actually a field devoted to that. I call them Crud Finders. Boy am I grateful not to be in that profession.  Continue reading →

New Year’s Resolutions Worth Keeping

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mark twain quoteI hate New Year’s resolutions.

Why? Because they’re like diets; just about impossible to follow through with. Who do you know who has ever stayed true to their resolutions past February? Therefore, you begin the year with a bunch of lies. Right out of the gate you’re a liar. I prefer to begin the new year with truths I know to be self evident. These are mine:

1) I will not go to the gym every other day and work out with 87 other people who promised themselves the very same thing. These resolution-makers flood the gym the first month of the year, making it nearly impossible to find an open machine or unoccupied weights.crowded gym

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With Eyes Wide Open

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And in case you wondered, he’s a she. And she doesn’t live at the North Pole. No, she resides along with 13 amazing elves Down Under in Cottesloe, a beach-side suburb of Perth, Australia.

Cottesloe beach

Cottesloe beach

So the story goes…my friends Sharon and Jim will be living in Australia three more years. They’re transplants from California by way of Texas. When they moved to Perth last year, they were strangers in a strange land. But that’s never been a problem for Sharon. She’s the person you might meet in the grocery store as you’re both reaching for the frozen diced potatoes. Next thing you know you’re chatting about her delectable recipe for that bag of spuds.

You leave the store with each other’s phone number, cook the dish together the following week, and before long it’s as if you’ve been friends forever. That’s when you thank your lucky stars you ran out of frozen diced potatoes the very day Sharon did. Continue reading →

You’re a Stinker

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Years ago I read that during the filming of Gone with the Wind, Vivien Leigh was quoted saying Clark Gable had atrociously bad breath, making intimate scenes with him extremely unpleasant. To this day I can’t watch a Clark Gable movie without thinking about that and wondering if his female costars held their breath in his presence. His response? “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Just a guess…

Looks to me like she's holding her breath, don't you think?

Yep, definitely holding her breath

Movie stars have a certain image they portray on screen and it sometimes crosses over into real life. Many are glamorized and idolized — all those words ending with “ized.” But the truth often contradicts our impression of them, don’t you think?

Now don’t get me wrong; we all know the persona is an illusion the movie industry created. Still, nobody wants to hear the awful truth, like Bradley Cooper stinks. Yep, you read that right. He’s a…stinker

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