RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
A Weight Off My Shoulders.
For as long as I remember I have been on the high side of the scale. No, not in smarts or dashing good looks. I'm talking about the real scale, the one in the bathroom. We have a semi-regular arrangement. Every couple days I will jump on the scale. Other times, I will do it every day. Always in the morning. If I'm feeling a little on the chunky side, I will weigh in in my undies, deluding myself that they weigh much more than they actually do. Depending on the day and the numbers on the scale,...
Ah, Nuts!
The people of Sweden really need a national pastime. Well, at least a different one, one that doesn't involve endless studies about things we already know. Sweden seems to be the Study Capital of the World, at least when it's not ski or lutefisk season. Don't believe me? Check the Internet. In between shooshing down black diamond runs and sucking down gallons of fish soaked in lye, the Swedes have completed thousands of studies about the obvious, and just a small smattering of ones that aren't...
In The Spirit.
It's raining outside. The wind and rain awoke me early this morning with a sound that I haven't heard in a while. To those who were born in different parts of the country and lived elsewhere for a time, I'm sure you notice it, too. The weather can sound very different in different parts of the country. While it's not snowing in Seattle right now, it's definitely the cusp of winter. I not only feel it in my bones, but I can hear it as well. Maybe I'm just more attuned to the sound of weather...
In The Den Of Antiquity.
Jimmy Buffett once sang, "The days drift by, they don't have names." I only think of this now that I posted a photo I've always liked of me and came to the conclusion that it was taken exactly 27 years ago when I was 27. That seems such a long time ago, and yet, it seems like yesterday. My, so much has happened since that day. Let's see, if I jump into the old WayBackMachine.... The year would have been 1985. I had just become the PR Specialist for Associated Grocers, my first real job in...
The Pirates of Kumbaya.
This is by far the hardest RobZerrvation I've tried to write. I have four different drafts in the hold, three never to see the light of day. When I was in Florida, I came upon a really strange phenomenon, one I hadn't seen before. I can only refer to it as the Pirates of Kumbaya. Here's how it works. A bunch of ordinary people come together at a Civil War fort in Key West every December. There, they pretend they are living back in the times of pirates (pre-civil war). For four days they live...
Trying Times They Were.
Somewhere in the dim recesses of my mind as well as the storage cabinet to my left are remnants of a fairly creative past. Yes, I have a fairly creative present, too, but I have to laugh at some of the things I used to get away with in school, things that would never be allowed today, as they would be considered a total waste of time, getting in the way of "real learning." And yet, I learned an awful lot in high school and college, even though I occasionally indulged in pure antics and...
The Big Plan.
A friend of mine died a couple days ago. Well, I'm not sure we were ever friends, but we were pirates together oh, so many years ago, and it's tradition that we mark the passing or all pirates who go on account before us. Even though we didn't always get along, I will still miss him. The pirating world back then was a very small one. As far as we knew 30 years ago, the Seafair Pirates were the only full-time pirate group in the country, and we were, whether we got along or not, mates. There...
Fatal Flaw.
I am told I am a pretty smart guy. Some people who know me even say I am a very, very smart guy. It's taken me years to even consider that this was a possibility. I have a hard time believing what most people say about me. I'm not really sure why. It's not that I think they are lying to me and I am certainly gratified by their confidence in my smarts. I guess I just have a hard time believing that everyone isn't just as smart as I am, that's all. In fact, I think there are people who are far...
The Walk Of Shame.
I have only done the walk of shame once. I know how unpleasant it can be and it's not exactly something I want to do again. I suppose it was only made more embarrassing because it was entirely unexpected. I thought things were going great. We were getting along, I was really doing a magnificent job, I was getting great feedback, but in the end, well, it just wasn't enough. It all came down to money. I was supposed to get paid for putting out all this effort, but there was resistance on their...
Well, Son Of A Gun.
Ever one to be on the pulse of society, I came upon an interesting tidbit in Zite. If you don't have the app Zite, you should. It's like having your own magazine, containing only the topics you're interested in. My own Zite "digizine" on my iPad is set up for Food and Cooking, Gadgets, Science News, Social Media, and of course, Seattle and Washington. Ah, Washington, one of the most divided states in the nation, a state where the eastern side consistently votes Republican, only to be outvoted...
Roomies.
My daughter has always had a way of being an absolute "truth teller" with me. While she tries to avoid it as much as possible when it's not required, she has a way of leveling me with a broadside whenever it suits the moment and she thinks I need an intervention. Surprisingly, this is a good thing. My daughter and I have always had a hot and cold relationship, largely of my own doing. Sure, I can blame being a pirate for much of it. You see, her birthday was during Seafair and in my younger...
Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful?
Oh, the wilds of fall are upon us, and winter is not far behind. Just as I remembered it, fall is a delightful time of the year here. You can't help but get excited about the coming of the holidays as the weather tells you in very clear terms that yes, it's time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As an early holiday gift, I finally got around to looking up my benefits at work online. I couldn't really use most of them for the first six months, so there was really no point in checking out how much...