So, I ran my first 10k race yesterday.  Yes, I know – “Ooh, a whole 10 kilometers?  Well, you just rest those rocket launchers there, Mr. Prefontaine, while I dial the Guinness people for you.”  But it was the first one I’ve done, and only the second race I’ve ever been in.  So it was […]

As anyone who composes a blog discovers, one of the little joys is seeing the Google searches that lead people to your site.  Sometimes it’s just kind of nice (“Wow, they looked specifically for me!”), sometimes it’s illuminating (“Wow, a lot of people want pictures of balloons”), sometimes it makes you shake your head (“Wow, […]

Dear Teachers, Welcome back, staff of Lakeshore High!  I hope you had a terrific summer and that you’re excited for another great year!  Remember how important your job is, and that our community respects and appreciates what you do here.  Some of you may be feeling discouraged after last week’s “Teachers are Lazy, Inept, Leeches […]

So, does everyone have these moments?  These moments where you think “I’m never going to get the hang of this ‘being a grown-up’ thing”?  Moments where the opportunity presents itself to be a responsible, forward-thinking adult and you kindly pass, thank you, I’ll go for juvenile and short-sighted?  I’m talking to a friend and he […]

Recently I went for dinner with a friend to this Thai place. It’s one of those places where you specify how spicy you want the food on a scale of 1 to 25.  Now, I don’t pretend to be all super-spicy food guy (“Yeah, I like my salsa to be cruel!  It should punch me […]

I would carry around a recording of a hawk’s cry, and play it every time I entered a room. I would litter, and when people looked at me funny, say, “Problem?” I would open a casino advertising an “authentic Indian experience.”  Then I would make the games extra hard to win.  If someone did win, […]

I’ve never known how to do magic, but like everyone, wish I could.  I know one card trick. It’s pretty good the first time, but if you see it twice it’s obvious.  I suppose, like most people, I want to be able to do magic tricks, but not enough to, you know, learn. But I […]

Here in the US we have a very little known right called Jury Nullification.  The right is this: a jury has the right to declare someone accused of a crime not guilty, even if they believe he did commit the crime.  Not only can they do so, they don’t have to justify why.  The Judge […]