RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
Alone Again, Naturally?
As some of you know, I've been on something of a junket for the past 17 days. A 10 day trip to Washington State became a longer trip than anticipated, for some reasons that I would rather not disclose, but suffice it to say I was exploring revenue generating possibilities. I have never been away from home for this long. Well, check that, without moving somewhere. Obviously, at two junctures in my life, I moved to San Francisco and Florida in search of love everlasting, only to discover love...
I Spent A Lot Of Time In The Dark.
When I was a kid I enjoyed shooting pictures with my camera. My first love was a Kodak camera, one that required you to thread your own film onto the spools. Then came along the Instamatic lines, which had the convenient cartridges so you couldn't make the mistake of not threading the film correctly. This culminated in the 110 line with negatives so small that enlargements were impossible and even a 4 x 6 was grainy and people's faces almost indistinguishable. So it was with some sadness I...
Thanks, But I Don’t Want A Tribute.
Many years ago, I went to see a band called the Landsharks in concert. I loved Jimmy Buffett music a lot at the time, and had been sucked into the Parrothead vortex of grass skirts, blended drinks and palm trees. When I found out the band was coming to town, I was ecstatic because Buffett himself rarely came to the Pacific Northwest, and the only time he ever did an outdoor concert there it was 40 degrees and everyone on stage and in the audience was freezing to death. I was really looking...
A Sad Day For Many… Yeah, Right!
Dark days are ahead for the Republican Party. Sorry, but not a single candidate being fielded jazzes the Independents of this country, the people who actually put a president in the office. First, let me say that I feel your pain. As an Independent, I faced an almost identical situation as you are now. As with you, I didn't care for the standing President of the United States. He was a dolt, a lackluster leader, a fear monger, and dare I say, a liar. It may have not been his fault entirely,...
We’re All Going To Die Someday.
I try not to live life with much regret. I don't want to be one of those people who are a lying in their death bed, the bright light drawing them away from their earthly body, gasping for air in order to utter their last thoughts. It's just not me. In fact, I had always dreamed of having a slot machine next to me. I would have all my last savings changed out into quarters and keep putting them in the slot. As the pile dwindled, so would I, until that last quarter is put in the slot. In my...
Speaking Of A May To December Wedding…
You have to love Seattle. Some parts of it have never moved on beyond the hippy era, including all of Fremont, parts of Capital Hill and definitely Baylonia. No, that's not an unknown neighborhood tucked away in the corners somewhere. It's a woman. A pretty audacious one at that. You see, Baylonia Aivaz, a young waif of a woman, married a 107 year old this week. Talk about your May to December weddings, this one is certainly one for the record books. While the bride looked beautiful in her...
The Eternal Optimism Of Northwesterners.
As some of you know, I have been on the lam in Seattle for the better part of a week, and there's still a couple days to go before I wrap up all my business here and head back to Florida from whence I came. This has been a long journey back to the homeland, one that allowed me to soak up the Pacific Northwest existence once again, which I find to be in stark contrast to that of Florida. This is not a slight to Florida by any means. I'm sure others who have relocated to the Northwest could also...
I Need An Adjustment.
I decided to hit the sack a little early last night. It had been a long day and this bicoastal life can play havoc with your internal clock where you pop up at 4 a.m. and there's nothing to do, but by the time there is something to do, around 7 p.m.-ish, you're already beat and ready for bed because your brain and body think it's 10. I curled up into bed and turned on the TV. I have two HBO channels, so it's always hit and miss as to whether or not anything interesting is showing at the...
Running For Office.
Like many Boomers, I came of age in a time when the political climate in America was in a state of flux. Well, I guess that's an understatement. A couple of our best people had been gunned down in their prime and the first real president I was aware of, Richard Nixon, was a crook and resigned in disgrace. It was a cynical time for sure, creating an equally cynical base of voters. I was to turn 18 in 1976, a major election year. I was very excited to have the privilege to cast my first vote in...
It’s Not The First Nor Last Revolution, Folks!
I know times are tough. The economy has experienced a fundamental shift. Almost overnight, entire sectors of jobs have disappeared, never to return. Technology and automation have made many positions obsolete. For the lectors, pinsetters, icemen, copyboys and typesetters out there, prospects for employment are bleak. If you’re wondering what a lector is or a pinsetter, they were the victims of the last revolution, the industrial one. During a span of years that extended from roughly 1790 to...
My Kingdom For A Kidney.
I was reading a blog post my cohort in crime Denise had written, and it set my mind on a course to consider friendships this morning. I guess it helped that I was surrounded by some of my very dearest friends during the weekend at my book release party, so I've been in a bit of a nostalgic mode the last few days. I am one lucky guy. I have two sets of very good friends, plus a few stragglers who fall outside the line. I suppose I should explain this. Growing up in Washington State, I forged...
No Newts Is Good Newts.
If I had been dead, I would have rolled over in my grave Sunday, for I found myself and psycho right winger Ann Coulter actually agreeing that Newt can't possibly be elected president. As a hard line conservative, I was astounded that she admitted this on a Fox News show (the voice of Republicanism), that Gingrich couldn't get the support of Independents, which we all know are essential to getting anyone in the White House. I still stand in awe that anyone in the Republican party is supporting...