Attention class! It’s time to vote. I know you’d rather do other things, like watch TV or surf the Internet, but this is important. So let’s take a quick trip back in time to the 1950’s, with an excerpt from Irene McDermott’s Living for Young Moderns. Though the exact numbers are a bit different than they […]
Month: September 2010
What is Finance?
Ever the procrastinator, I’ve just now finished my taxes ~ April 14th at 10:00pm. During this traditionally painful event, I pondered why parents don’t just take care of their kids and do things like taxes and pay the bills throughout their lives. Wouldn’t it be great? Sigh. Since that’ll never happen, I guess it’s about […]
Be Sure The Ice Is Strong
I can’t get skating out of my mind, thanks to recent news of drama and corruption on the ice. Here’s a little reminder to those who don’t have the comfort of a Zamboni-treated ice rink. It’s from an important text titled Everyday Safety, which was written by William A. Evans. Watch yourselves while skating on the […]
Carelessness
This selection was found while looking for some tips on blisters and burns. Earlier today, after hiking along a river, my friends and I were peering over the edge of a dam when my nutty dog decided she’d like to see what was on the other side of the ledge. She went flying over the […]
Who Do Men Turn To?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Why do all of your questions seem to be directed at the female perspective? Who do men who need answers turn to? Signed, Charles A Dear Charles: Yes, it does seem to be true that the majority of my questions are geared toward females. But many of the dating and love problems do […]
Making Conversation
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I’ve noticed lately that I have a problem talking about things when I get introduced. I never know the proper response, and end up saying something dumb that doesn’t make any sense. Could you give me some advice on making conversation? Signed, Michelle A Dear Michelle: You are not alone, my […]
When and How to Tell Jokes
That Estelle Hunter. She sure is a crack-up in her Personality Development, Unit Three: Voice and Expression. I mean, that salesman joke ~ hilarious! 1939: When and How to Tell Jokes It is not unusual for a group to spend an hour or more in exchanging jokes or stories, but such conversation soon becomes wearisome and […]
Building a Fire
I admit it. I’m a camping snob. Thanks to trips as a youngster to a favorite spot by a pond near the Finger Lakes in New York State, I prefer real camping: the Grotke family tent, the roaring fire, wading in the creek, peeing against the trees. Alas, many urbanites are a bit fearful of the […]
Gardening
Pink geraniums, orange marigolds, sonata mix cosmos, sunscape daisy nasinga white, snow crystals alyssium, brachycomb, a tomato plant, and some herbs. They should be outside enjoying the spring, but tonight they sit in my living room waiting for the season’s last frost to pass us by. I’m certainly an amateur gardener, only filling a few […]
Worry-Monger Identifier
A little worry is not harmful, as author David Seabury reminds us in the preface to How to Worry Successfully: “It is only when apprehension is ruled by nervous anxiety, and imagination distorted by fear, that worry injures us.” And that’s why I’m worried ~ it sure seems like people are just freaking out these days. […]