RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
Parallel Universes? I Knew I Was Misplaced!
Like I needed to fill my head with more information, I tuned into the Science Channel last night. After watching a great piece on the Tank on the Moon (about a Russian rover three decades before we had the ones on Mars), one of my favorite documentaries popped on about Parallel Universes. If you're not current on physics, M-theory or Multiverses, let me see if I can explain some of the show. Basically, they have found a way to explain the Big Bang. It wasn't a really a bang, but a lot of...
Giving Up The Ghost.
My girlfriend and I were watching Celebrity Ghost Stories last night. She wondered if any of these stories were true. I looked at her aghast, reminding her of my own experiences. I have seen ghosts. And I've had some pretty close encounters with them, including two incidences that others have witnessed, too. But I'll get around to them in due time. When I was a little kid, I think around 8, my family went on vacation on the Oregon Coast. We would spend a week there at Surftides in Lincoln...
Life After Debt
I was doing some writing for a client recently. Basically, I'm writing 570 100-word biographies for a quote site. It's been an amazing project, mostly because I've gotten to learn about a lot of very accomplished people. One of them is John Maynard Keynes. If you don't know who he is, let me refresh your memory. He is one of the most well known economists in history, creating an entirely new line of thought known as Keynesian economics. Espousing a mixed economy, Keynes advocated an...
Thank God For That Speck.
I should have really known better than to marry an agnostic. It's not that I am into organized religion, but I certainly believe in a higher power more now than at any time in my life. I used to be Catholic, or should I say, Roman Catholic. Though I have drifted away from this faith (divorce does that to a guy), I have not found another religion that fits me well. I really liked the mysticism of the Catholic mass. And I'm talking pre Vatican II when they changed everything around to make it a...
The Robb Effect
There's a dirty little secret that is often shared behind my back. Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I am going to blow the lid off this little secret and share it with you, my faithful readers. It's called the Robb Effect. Right now, there is a fair portion of you out there laughing. You already know about this issue and may have even had a history with it. In a nutshell, the Robb Effect occurs whenever I am in a relationship with a woman. To have its full effect, it has to be a...
Drunk Calling Is Amateur Stuff.
My good friend Mike and I went to a local bar last week. The place, the Boozgeois Saloon has been in continuous operation since 1995. It's just the kind of place the two of us like... a bit on the divey side but with lots of character. We took a place at the end of the bar and ordered up some drinks. Nothing fancy, just some Ice House that was on tap. Soon, more drinks were arriving and before you knew it, we were long past the "Drunk Calling" stage and had entered what I call the "Drunk...
The Gambler And The Whore.
I was reminiscing yesterday about the past. Well, I guess that makes sense since it’s hard to reminisce about the present or future. Anyway, my mind drifted back to August 1993. I was working in the best corporate job I ever had. I was doing PR for Egghead Software. It was the only place I ever worked where everybody seemed to love being there. There were no bitchers or whiners – a rarity to be sure. And I was working some really great people, including my cohorts in crime, Heidi, Tamese and...
An Amazing Cast Of Characters
The recent rumors about Charlie Sheen being replaced by John Stamos on Three and a Half Men got me thinking recently. What's the big deal here? Remember back during Bewitched when Samantha's husband was Dick York one season and then Dick Sargent the next? They didn't even have her remarry. Darrin just became an entirely different actor and we accepted it willingly. I think there's a reason for this. It only dawned on me the other day when I was talking to my girlfriend about all the people...
I Think I’m Dead On Here!
I don't really remember when the thought first occurred to me that I'm not long for this world. Not that I'm going to kick the proverbial bucket anytime soon. Blessedly, I, like many of us, have no idea when the exact time will be that I will need to check out from the Still Living Hotel. I do know that I will be leaving the room a mess. Strewn about on the bed will be some failed dreams, on the sink I will leave few rings of regret, and perhaps, a little dirty laundry on the floor that no...
An Eternity In The Waiting Room
I know that someday, the time will come when I meet my maker. I also know that I won't have an appointment. I realized this recently when I went to the doctor. I had an appointment with him, mind you, and it was for 10 a.m. I arrived a couple minutes early, just in case he was running ahead of schedule. He wasn't. In fact, he had gone totally rogue on the schedule, getting caught up in some nonsense at the hospital -- something about a saving a person's life. As I cooled my heels in the...
Frankly, I Prefer The Buffet
I had an ex once who didn't eat fish. She said it was too cannibalistic, since she was a Pisces. She would only eat meat. Self-limiting I thought, especially when it really makes it pointless to order a Surf & Turf for a special occasion. She could only have Turf. There could only be, forever, Turf. To me, that's a lot like saying, I only eat vanilla. Sure, I might go a little out of my comfort zone and eat French vanilla on occasion. But forget chocolate, and certainly I'll never try...
I-I-I Don’t Love A Parade!
A few days ago I mentioned my loathing of parades. It may make me appear to be something of a curmudgeon. While this is certainly deserved in some other cases, my lack of love for parades comes from a lifetime of experience. I was six when I was in my first parade. It wasn't so bad, I thought. I got to ride in a car. I had won a model building contest. Everyone in my family did, actually, because the judge was the owner of Maryann's Toy Store, a friend of the family. Fast forward to high...