RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
Baby It’s Cold Outside.
I admit it. I am temperature challenged. I can't ever seem to get the temperature right. Like Goldilocks and her porridge, it's always a case of too cold or too hot, and never right. When I lived in Seattle, I thought I had it right. That's not to say, perfect. I never once lived in any home or apartment that seemed to understand that even the great Northwest should have air conditioning. Cars do. Offices do. But not homes. As anyone up there knows, it gets unbearably hot at times in Seattle....
Sis Boom Bah Humbug!
In my list of "to dos and did thats" I have never dated a cheerleader. At least I am pretty sure I haven't. I would think that the subject would come up early on, since the conversation always seems to go quickly into why I am a pirate, which leads me back to my marching band days in high school and the thrill of performing in public. And that is where "never the twains shall meet," as Kipling would say. While we regularly passed like ships in the night at the various events at Hazen that...
What A Pain!
As with many people my age, I have a lot of pain. Some of it is self-inflicted, other pain is from injuries over the years. My knees hurt because of the years of doing parades with the Seafair Pirates. A word to younger pirates out there, do not run full tilt down an asphalt street in pirate boots more than 20 times a year. It will eventually kill you knees. Right now, my left elbow is in excruciating pain. It is self-inflicted. I am told it is tennis elbow, though I don't play tennis. I do,...
Quitcher Bitchin’.
On Christmas Day here at the old housienda on North Hutchinson Island, the usual glad tidings of the holiday took a back seat to the drama that was unfolding on the beach just beyond us. What started out as a casual day beachside became disrupted by the sounds of choppers filling the air, first the sheriff, then the coast guard. Soon, they were joined by boats out on the water. Initially, we thought they were looking for sharks, a not uncommon activity out here... seems these critters have a...
All The World Is No Longer A Stage.
The news has not been good for actors and actresses recently. This week Forbes and MSNBC both listed acting as a pursuit that is going the way of typesetters and elevator operators. Their days, according to these media outlets and the raw statistics, are numbered. Will the curtain actually fall on this industry? Only time will tell. But new technologies are beginning to make an actor unnecessary in films. And local and regional productions of films, commercials and even plays are on the...
Forget The Bath. It Will Hurt The Resale.
I was watching Antiques Roadshow again last night, one of my not-so-guilty pleasures these days. I wasn't always able to watch it, at least not in the last few years because my ex-whatever always wanted to watch something else, so she would just berate me for wanting to watch a show about appraising a bunch of old stuff. I guess she was too young to get what antiques are all about. Either that or she thought I was an antique, fascinated by stuff she would rather just send off to a thrift...
What Don’t You Do For A Living?
I am very blessed in my life to have several really good friends and many acquaintances. Some I have known for more than 30 years, while others have only recently come into my circle of "know 'ems." I tend to talk a lot about my friends to others. I find the people in my life to be pretty interesting these days, as is the stuff we talk about on a regular basis. There always seems to be something new to share that my friends either said, are doing now or have done in the past. I after all, make...
Majority Rules. Get Over It.
Before I get too far into today's RobZerrvation, let me start by saying I am a huge protector and defender of everyone's rights. To each his own. If you believe in a higher power, great. If you're godless, that's OK, too. If you worship the sheep that lies next to you in bed every night, cool. But in California and in other parts of the world, the very concept of democracy is crumbling all around us. The basic rule of democracy is that while every vote has equal weight in the end, it's...
Woe To The Status Quo.
Last month I finally finished my book, Memoirs of a Buccaneer: 30 Years Before the Mast. It was extremely cathartic. As my friend Cassie and I poured over the pages and I made the numerous revisions, I suddenly began to understand that I have lived a fairly remarkable life up to now. Granted, these were only my memoirs as a pirate entertainer. If I was to write a second book about just my personal experiences it would be another barn burner. However, it began to become clear to me that I am...
The Story Of A Saint Who Flew The Coop.
As I alluded to on Facebook yesterday, St. Chickalaus Day is upon us. Over the last 23 years, this somewhat fowl patron saint of over-commercialized holidays has rocketed to stardom, certainly on a par with the train with the square wheels in the Land of Misfit Toys. I have often been asked, on this plucky little holiday that lives in the shadows of Christmas, to recount the humble beginnings of St. Chickalaus Day, something I've been anxious to get off my breast chest for a long time now. It...
Let’s Go To The Toy Store!
When I was a kid, there was no such thing as a mall. The closest thing we had in Renton where I grew up was Sears. There, you could not only shop at Sears, but several smaller retailers and Newberrys. As a kid, that was pretty cool. Two big stores without even getting back into the car. But neither of these could hold a candle to Mary Ann's toy store downtown. Small by today's Toys R Us standards, Mary Ann's was the place to go for the coolest toys around. I remember going there as a kid. In...
Take That Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
I saw on the news today that Michelle Duggar, the star of "19 and Counting" (haven't seen it? I don't think anyone has), had a miscarriage and won't have #20 for this season's show. Now, this RobZerrvation isn't really about Michelle and I wish her and Jim Bob all the best in having enough children to field their own football team. To each his own. But it started me thinking about my own children. True, I only have two biologicals - a daughter and a son. But I have other children, too, ones...