RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
I Think I Got A Code.
A new movie called First Man is about the Apollo 11 mission as seen through the eyes of Neil Armstrong. Before the movie even made it to theaters, flag-waving crazy people have been up in arms about the fact that the moment when Neil plants the flag on the moon isn't shown. Of course, in the trailer itself, you see the flag all over the place. On the back walls of NASA, on the sleeves of the astronauts, on the side of the rocket. But these don't seem to matter to the fervent flag crazies. It's...
President Thin Skin. Again.
Bob Woodward is at it again. His new book is shaking Washington to its very core, leaving a standing president to whine and moan about how he is being treated unfairly and how the libel laws of the land should be changed to rein in all this bad publicity and hateful words. Now, I happen to be a fan of Woodward. He's one of the reasons I got a degree in journalism and have my profession today. His reporting has mostly been well researched and well presented without personal opinions. He checks...
In Bed With The Devil.
No, this isn't about my Florida days. No dishing dirt on that chapter on my life, though the headline, I must admit, would have been a good one for that. Rather, I am dealing with the harsh reality that I don't think I am invincible any longer. Now, this invincibility thing has been central to my life, allowing me to make famously bad decisions with no fear of repercussions or lasting damage, either emotionally or physically. But lately, it's been failing me. Well, lots of things have been...
Fame Or Fortune. Pick One.
A couple posts went looping around last week on Facebook asking others to share a story about someone famous they had met. There was plenty of namedropping, of course, some names more well known than others. I didn't post a reply, largely because I'm not really all that impressed. Growing up, I was never starstruck. I'm not sure why, either. I do, however, remember asking my oldest brother once if he wanted to be famous or rich. He said famous, because then you are remembered, because you...
Liars, Tigers And Bears, Oh, My!
I'm not quite sure when things in our society went so askew. Maybe I'm just getting old, but it seems that as of late, we have shifted our scale or what is right and wrong to fit whatever moment we are in. There seems to be no absolutes anymore. And that is scary. When I was a kid, I remember going with my mom to the Market Basket in the Renton Highlands. As she labored over her choice of fish on a Friday, I roamed the aisles. At the end of one was a barrel of peanuts. I can still remember to...
The Zzaj Singer.
I often wonder what normal people do with their weekends. Some of my friends display their lovingly restored rides at car shows, others go boating, still others have family picnics or hike to the top of mountains just to see what there is to see. Me? I go pirating. When I was still in the dating world, this was always hard to explain. On a date, the object of my temporary affection would inevitably ask what I did for a living, and then what I did for fun. For a living, my standard answer was,...
A Pirate Looks at 60.
One of my favorite songs to perform is A Pirate Looks at 40. It's about a guy in Key West who never really found his calling in his lifetime. Eventually, his biggest wish came true, for when he died he was cremated and was kept on top of the cash register at his favorite bar. When I was much younger, I used to introduce the song this way. I would tell everyone that the song was about my buddy Waterrat and I. He was the way over 40 part of our band and I was the way under 40 part. If you...
Damned Failures!
I am a Boomer. I used to be proud to be part of this generation. I mean, we are the majority of the country, or at least we were until those upstart Millennials came along. We were the generation that marched against an unjust war, fought for racial equality, embraced the women's movement, got rid of our gas guzzlers and watched man walk on the moon. We had so much potential. As a kid, I thought we would be the ones that finally got our arms around pollution and rid ourselves of our dependence...
Next Time. Maybe.
My son turned 20 a couple days ago. For his birthday, we decided to take him to one of his favorite local restaurants. He was running a bit late, it was happy hour, and well, the beer finally got to me. Not in a drunk kind of way, mind you, but in a bladder kind of way. Excusing myself, I sauntered off to the restroom. On the way, I made a note about one of my many imperfections, then dismissed it with a nonchalant utterance, "I'll fix it the next time around." To some, that would be a very...
Party of One, Please!
Life has been something of a red carpet ride over the last couple months. No, I haven't been binge-watching Aladdin. I'm talking about the red carpet that stars walk down, the one where all the flashes of light are happening to the point where you almost go blind. I've been having these flashes lately - no, not hot flashes. I'm talking about flashes of clarity, flashes of brilliance, and downright profundity. Why, oh why doesn't all of this happen earlier in life? It's been so freeing, these...
Good Grief.
I have finally reached the age when funerals are more common than births in my circle of friends. O.K., so I've been at this age for some time, but I so love being in denial. It keeps me young. When I was 30, I even made light of the whole death thing. The theme of the party was Grim Reaper, inviting people to watch me put my first foot in the grave. If I use my limited math skills, that would mean that I'm supposed to put my other foot in this year. Ain't gonna happen. At least I like to...
It’s Not That Simple.
There's a lot of experts in this world of ours these days. I see them on TV, on LinkedIn, and of course, our favorite soapbox, Facebook. They seem to have all the answers. Some even pretend to be thought leaders, whatever the hell that means! Lately, everyone seems to be an expert on gun violence. Those on the right think more guns in more hands is the answer, including arming teachers. Those on the left think we have too many guns and that's why we're violent. The right fires back (pardon the...