Note: This is an abbreviated edition of RT because alert Gazette readers deserve a break. Today’s edition of the Wall Street Journal has a report about the significant increase in cheating in schools and colleges as a result of…well…many things, including the pandemic-induced shift to online classes. I was struck by the lengths that some… Continue reading Random Thursday
Category: Society & Culture
Adios, 2020. Thanks for trying.
*whispers* 2020 wouldn’t even rank in the top 1000 worst years in human history — Kyle Mann (@The_Kyle_Mann) December 31, 2020 For all its faults — and, yes, there were multitudes — 2020 could have been much worse. For example, the Patriots could have won the Super Bowl. The Walking Dead could have turned out to be… Continue reading Adios, 2020. Thanks for trying.
Missing the HIPPA Mark
I apologize for being unable to come up with my usual pithy yet insightful yet whimsical alliterative title for this post. If you can find a relevant alliteration to go along with “HIPPA,” I’d love to hear it. Here’s an equation that I recently developed while sitting in a medical waiting room. See if you… Continue reading Missing the HIPPA Mark
AMEX Centurion Credit Card? Ha! A mixtape card is way cooler.
My Discover card expired recently and when I popped over to their website to request a new one, I discovered (ha!) that I could choose from about 150 different designs. My initial thought was “well, this is sorta lame,” the same reaction I have to folks who order checks decorated with puppies and hummingbirds (the… Continue reading AMEX Centurion Credit Card? Ha! A mixtape card is way cooler.
You might be a hoarder if…
These are strange times we’re living in, and in recognition of that fact, the Gazette is relaxing its rule against publishing material that might be considered thoughtful and relevant. We apologize in advance. Toilet paper not to scale. Or, maybe the man isn’t. It’s not important. We’re seeing reports that several of the major grocery… Continue reading You might be a hoarder if…
A Life Well-Lived, and an Obituary Well-Written
You are unique…just like everyone else. —Somebody, probably We’d all like to think that when we leave this world, someone would take note. (OK, maybe I’m generalizing inappropriately, but work with me here.) And pretty much all of us mean something to somebody, whether we realize it or not. Nevertheless, for most of us our… Continue reading A Life Well-Lived, and an Obituary Well-Written
The signs are there
A couple of signs have recently caught my eye, both of which are reminders that we live in Texas, and in a not entirely civilized part of the state at that. The first one was on the front door of our post office…which is located about a mile from our house as the crow flies… Continue reading The signs are there
An inauspicious beginning to a new decade
Hey, happy new year/decade! I started to write this post as if I was addressing 2020 as a real person, but I quickly realized that sounded lame, and although I’m not averse to writing lame stuff, that’s not the best way to kick off a new year/decade. Only now I’ve painted myself into a corner,… Continue reading An inauspicious beginning to a new decade
Patriotic Weirdos on Parade
Alert Gazette readers will remember how I teased them with this preview of potential Independence Day bicycle decorations in preparation for our participation in the local (Horseshoe Bay) parade. The final modest result pictured below belies the hour or so of toil in the sauna-like confines of a garage in the middle of a Texas… Continue reading Patriotic Weirdos on Parade
Learning Spanish to Teach English
¿Hablas español? Solo un poco. Pero quiero apender más. MLB and I are volunteering as teachers in an English As A Second Language (ESL) class sponsored by our church. We inherited a class comprised of adult students primarily from Mexico. Since they are all native Spanish speakers, we are trying to improve our fluency in… Continue reading Learning Spanish to Teach English