Ian was a portrait painter of some local renown, he’s also crazy. Well, maybe “crazy like a fox.”
In most people’s view “like a fox” wouldn’t be added to the description.
He makes good money in a very small niche. Golfers send him a picture of their favorite hole; possibly the hole where they may have had a lucky shot, a hole in one (chances — 1 in 25,000 rounds); or maybe a double eagle:or an eagle; or where they found a bird’s nest built, complete with eggs.
Any damn reason.
Ian’s clients would send him a picture of the…
Put the interest back in your life!
I number of years ago, I felt caught in a rut. You guys know what I’m talking about. Seems like everyone starts out with a spark that the world does it’s best to extinguish little by little, worse because you don’t see it coming. You only feel it after it has arrived.
I was feeling it.
I did what I normally do in this kind of situation — I called my cousin Sue, the smartest person in the world. …
Ever feel that the person with whom you have a relationship responds more negatively to criticism than positively to complements?
Humans are forever trying to unlock the mystery of how to endear themselves to each other.
The mystery of how to become intellectually attractive to someone usually remains locked until we discover the right key. Often we’re too old by then to take advantage of our newly acquired knowledge..
Oh, I know — there are books written about such things.
People, go out and invest hard earned money in a life long study of what to say and when to…
When my artist friend said that he had a wedding present for me, I was suitably grateful. I should have seen the red flag when he said that he shouldn’t give it to me at the wedding.
In a bit of madness, my ex wife and I decided to get married; me nearing retirement; she just getting started. It lasted less than 7 years.
We hadn’t made many mutual acquaintances before we got joined in holy matrimony, coming from different states.
How this marriage came to be is a story in itself.
Maybe to be told at a different time.
…
If there was one certainty in my life as a 7-year old, it was that I would attend my father’s day camp every day of every summer. Not that I minded — I knew it was expected of me.
Not only that, I knew that when I reached the age of 12, I’d become a junior counselor and at the age of 14 I’d be a full-fledged counselor.
At the time, it seemed to me that my summers were booked for the rest of my life.
That bothered me!
Another problem — I was expected to be a model camper…
I’m not an overly zealous alumnus like some of the guys I know.
Oh sure, I root for the football team and take in a couple of games every year.
I usually don’t answer those seemingly endless solititations for money though!
They really bug my ass.
Barely missing my wallet!
I figure; sending 2 boys to my alma mater and paying the full load in addition to helping pay for a grandchild’ s 4 years of video games, coed twister, beer and occasionally yak shaving in a classroom — was enough.
The one thing that I do to help support…
Let’s please establish — by nature and nurture, I’m a law abiding man. The following anomaly about which I’m prepared to relate to you should not be construed as lawlessness; just ignorance.
You must understand, my office is in the Fairmont section of Philadelphia. That section is more commonly referred to as the Art Museum area. It proudly boasts of being home to many of the history’s great masterworks displayed in the largest Greek revival building in the world; the Philadelphia Art Museum.
None larger, even in Greece.
And possibly none more beautiful!
My office is only 4 blocks away…
If you received a letter that promised you $1.00 if you remitted $3.00 to the sender, would you go out and buy stamps? Plenty of people do apparently.
I think the whole thing started in 1989 with Blessed Bucks. A money spell based on the Reiki belief that whatever you do returns to you three fold.
For the uninitated:
Reiki is a physical and philosophical discipline that teaches its practitioners to embrace a life filled with grace, harmony and lasting peace.
Reiki started as primarialy a method of healing that’s been around for thousands of years. Its current form was…
Unfortunately, scams and fraud are a part of life in today’s America. No one is immune. Watch out! Protect yourself!
There are so many scams out there that it’s a blessing that a day goes by without giving you the opportunity to participate in one.
According to the web site of the US Government some of the common scams are:
COVID-19 related
Telephones Scams
Banking Scams
Census-Related Frauds
Government Grant Scams
Investment Scams
Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams
Charity Scams
Pyramid Schemes
Ponzi Schemes
Ticket Scams
🎼 “Mary had a little scam,
a little scam, a little scam
Mary had a…
I’m pretty old but my oldest grandchild is 13 and a girl. That’s why it was strange and mildly amusing to pick up the phone last week to hear a young male voice urgently say, “ Grandpa, you know who this is!”
I said I was,”Sorry, I didn’t” — the person on the other end hung up.
I innocently thought it was a young guy who had dialed the wrong number.
Little did I know that I had unwittingly escaped from what’s referred to as the “grandparents scam”
According to the AARP, the scam works like this:
The victim gets…
A lifetime of philosophical, psychological, physical and fiscal involvement. Above all, a storyteller. brianbarrabee@aol.com