Archive for July 2021

Every month I report the progress of my yearly goals in order to monitor progress (or the lack thereof) and hold myself accountable.   The following are the result from June 2021. Halfway through the year! PERSONAL FITNESS 1. Don’t die. Definitely alive. I had some wax removed from my ears yesterday (an annoyingly regular…

The COVID-19 vaccine has become so polarizing that some people in Missouri are getting inoculated in secret for fear of backlash from their friends and family who oppose vaccination, a doctor told CNN Wednesday. Some are wearing disguises. Others are begging doctors and nurses to keep their vaccination a secret from their loved ones. I’m…

With a month to go before most schools open their doors to students again, our country is facing uncertainty once again. Thanks to low vaccination rates in many parts of our country, as well as the emergence of the Delta variant, we are not out of the pandemic woods yet. I’m not sure what protocols…

American mechanical and chemical engineer  Thomas Midgley was granted more than 100 patents over the course of this life, but he is best remembered for playing a major role in the development of leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons. Both products were later banned, of course. CFC’s resulted in the deterioration of the ozone layer, eventually leading…

The New England Patriots training camp opens today. What a difference a year makes. Last year, right around this time, I purchased a Jarrett Stidham jersey to replace my faded, 20 year-old Tom Brady jersey. After watching Tom Brady leave for Tampa Bay, I decided that our second year quarterback was the future. Still reeling…

My wife, Elysha, received a text from someone we know well but would not categorize as a friend. We had never set foot in the person’s house, never shared a meal, and never purposefully attended an event together. A well known acquaintance for sure, but not exactly a friend. The text message read: I find…

Pro tip: If you or your artistic organization have power or influence over the world in some way, great or small, and you don’t support the artists who produce art, especially when in partnership with you or on your behalf, you suck. Also: If you’re more concerned about your image, reputation, or brand than the…

In case you didn’t hear, a terrible crime has been perpetrated in Australia:   The theft of a Big Bird costume from the Sesame Street Circus Spectacular.   In fairness, the costume is valued at $160,000, so it’s a serious crime, but I bet the three people charged with the theft didn’t know the value…

Elysha and I saw this sign in a shop window while browsing on Martha’s Vineyard last weekend. I know this is going to seem like a tiny thing, but it’s not: The word “Barely” transforms an otherwise innocuous message into something so much more. The word “Barely” accomplishes so much: 1. It makes the sign…

Dr. Brytney Cobia treats Covid-19 patients at the Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, a state that ranks last in the US in fully vaccinated adults. In a recent Facebook post, she shares how willing people are to get vaccinated after watching an unvaccinated member of their family die from COVID-19. She wrote: I’ve made a LOT of…