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Monday, September 29, 2014

You Never Know

 
Recently while shopping at our local grocery store, I was reminded of someone I hadn’t thought of in years, someone who’d inadvertently changed my outlook on life. It happened shortly after I got married and moved to Oxnard, California. Read about it (here).


Friday, September 26, 2014

Really, I'm Not a Terrorist!

 
Three days ago I received an e-mail from one of my favorite bloggers, Catalyst/Taylor at Oddball Observations. His e-mail was succinct: Say it isn’t so!!! A link was attached. When I clicked on it, I was connected to a news story about a journalist who’d discovered he was on Homeland Security’s Terrorist Watchlist. The journalist’s name was Stephen F. Hayes. Read about it (here).


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Late Night Intruder

Mrs. Chatterbox and I enjoy watching HGTV, especially programs where designers compete to remodel older properties. Lately I’ve noticed that wallpaper, which had all but disappeared as a home fashion statement, is making a comeback. I'm not happy. Read about it (here).

 

Monday, September 22, 2014

Moosh-vega

 
Do you have special words in your family that aren’t found in the dictionary, words only those who share DNA with you can understand? In our family we have a special word that's quite useful. Read about it (here).


Friday, September 19, 2014

Picture of the Week #5

Years ago I was challenged by a famous artist to create "ugly" art. The challenge was harder than I thought. Read about it (here).


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Bugs and Bistros

In 1976 while backpacking through Europe, Mrs. C. and I stopped for dinner at a bistro in Athens. We were enjoying our wine and waiting for our meal when something caught my eye on the wall behind my wife. Inching down from behind a picture on the wall behind Mrs. C. was a cockroach. Read about it (here).

 

Monday, September 15, 2014

The Night Watch

 
I enjoy sharing my love of art history and recently asked for suggestions for topics readers might want discussed. This post was prompted by someone suggesting Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. Essays on art can be rather dry but consider yourself warned; you’re about to see a man having his brains blown out. Check it out (here).

 

Friday, September 12, 2014

The Mrs. Urbanick Experience

 
I’d had a crush on Helen Delgado ever since I was five years old, but in grade school someone briefly eclipsed her--Mrs. Urbanick, my sixth grade teacher. Back then, I had no idea how quickly, or tragically, my new infatuation would end. Read about it (here).


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

I'm being Published!

 
I know many of you have been published, but I’ve been writing nonstop for a decade without seeing a single word in print outside the Blogosphere. I recently learned that a California publisher has accepted my work for an upcoming collection of true stories titled Working for a Living. The collection is being published by Not Your Mother’s Books and is tentatively scheduled to come out in November. Read about it (here).


Monday, September 8, 2014

Bogie

In 1985 The Portland Golf Club needed someone to paint a portrait of a celebrity who'd played their course. I was selected to create the portrait. Check it out (here).


Friday, September 5, 2014

Who Killed the Pig?

My grandmother finally told me the truth about who killed the pigs during the Depression when my mother was a little girl. Or did she? Read about it (here).


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The Ultimate Rice Cooker

 My only sibling, an older brother who happens to be a partner for a major Wall Street bank, has always been status conscious. He married the high school prom queen, owns homes in prestigious neighborhoods, drives highly touted luxury cars and only reserves tables at trendy restaurants. When time came for him to acquire a dog he researched the subject and paid top dollar for a golden lab from a well-known breeder. My nieces and nephew named the dog Wilsy. Read about her (here). 

 

Monday, September 1, 2014

Mother and the King



 
My mother wasn’t content keeping house and drinking coffee with the other housewives. In 1962 when I was ten years old she shocked the neighborhood by setting her sights on finding a job. Back then gas was cheap and Sunday drives were a popular pastime. Mom, Dad and I piled into our Packard and drove into the foothills near Los Gatos. We ended up at the bottling plant for Almadén Vineyards and noticed a sign offering free tours of the facility. Read about mother's interesting encounter (here).