tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28048302217061262982024-02-21T03:21:04.899-05:00ScribbleSticksCreatively driven, strategically focused writer. I think outside, inside and on the box. (Recycled, of course!) Humor, tenacity, bravado, humility — you get it all from me.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-56939879027660758372012-05-26T20:53:00.001-04:002012-05-27T07:44:30.645-04:00Comeback PostI am deeply agitated with my behavior. It has been nearly one year since I posted my last misguided thought. To all those who used read my blog on a daily basis and wish to forgive me for my delinquency, I have this to say: If you can't carry a grudge, it's time to hit the gym.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-89527485222592256422011-06-04T21:54:00.008-04:002011-06-20T22:48:59.066-04:00Po-Boys' DinnerSo I used my first Groupon tonight. Paid $5 for what I thought would be $35 worth of N'awlins tastiness at the French Quarter Bar & Grill in Pompano Beach, Florida. My son ordered the cajun trio. I had the jambalaya. The trio was an unappetizing amalgamation of creole shrimp, jambalaya and crawfish etouffee — at least that's what the menu said was in there. The jambalaya was a heaping plate of overly al dente spaghetti with four pieces of sausage and three minuscule slices of chicken. Luckily, our meal did include cornbread as a lagniappe. <br /><br />My Groupon deal was <span style="font-weight:bold;">Big</span>. But our meals were not at all <span style="font-weight:bold;">Easy</span> to enjoy.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-14324793237699784592011-04-10T22:13:00.027-04:002011-05-08T07:29:37.961-04:00Conch Fritters, Hold the PurseA year ago today I conched out. I let the grease from a frittery basket of Hurricane Hams blow a purse right into my hands. It wasn't on the menu and I certainly didn't order it. But I did eat the whole thing up! A true beauty — designer all the way, the kind of accessory that looked great hanging from my arm. And I got a lot of looks. I just pursed my lips and smiled.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-28758912566946999232011-04-09T21:25:00.009-04:002011-05-15T08:48:52.171-04:00Scaring A Ghost Out of ExistenceBack when I was a kid my family and I used to spend a week each summer with our friends who owned a farmhouse in Pennsylvania. There were hayfields to play in, horses to ride, 18th century graveyards to explore, electric fences to grab and ghosts to shock you — if you wanted to believe. <br /><br />Those who believed (my brother, nieces and nephew of our friends, neighborhood kids, adults) claimed that the upstairs room in the eastern most part of the house was haunted. Things happened that just couldn't be explained. The room was always cold and the smell of lilacs filled the air. A chair rocked back and forth on its own. Of course, there was the ever present "presence" that just happened to put pressure on the bed when "it" decided to sit down next to them. <br /><br />A ghost? Yep, they could feel it. That's what they told me. <br /><br />I wasn't even skeptical. In fact, I was a committed nonbeliever. <br /><br />When I came into the room there was no sweet smell of lilacs wafting through the air, no chairs rocking, no chill in the air. And definitely no ghost. The only thing I felt was the embarrassment coming from the people hiding under the sheets — plus a little bit of anger. They blamed me for not believing and scaring off the ghost. <br /><br />Guess every disembody is afraid of something.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-9543606385836649302011-04-07T21:25:00.005-04:002011-04-07T23:36:53.176-04:00Happy Birthday BroThroughout the years we gave each other a lot of bumps and bruises as birthday gifts. This year I'm giving you a blog post instead. Great present, huh?!?! <br /><br />Happy Birthday! All the best!ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-51001136547140448722011-04-04T22:49:00.010-04:002011-04-08T21:28:59.356-04:00Not-So-Typical TeenagerI'm proud of my son just because he's my son. But he recently did something that made me even more proud to be his dad. Something no other teenager would probably even consider. I'm not sure most adults would either. He orchestrated a trip to Michigan all on his own to help his grandfather who is recovering from brain tumor surgery. He squared things with his school so he could take the day off. He told his mom this was something he really wanted and needed to do. He brought a tear to his grandmother's eye when he told her his plans. He told me this was something he had to do on his own. He searched out flights and made the reservation — for one. <br /><br />I don't think I have ever felt so proud.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-46522688390654482642011-04-03T20:45:00.014-04:002011-04-05T11:05:32.579-04:00Get Swampy With ItMy new favorite show is <span style="font-style:italic;">Swamp People</span>. There's something oddly captivating about watching a bunch of rubes from the Louisiana bayou hunting down and rasslin' alligators before they kill them. The cast of characters includes a team of brothers with beards that would make ZZ Top jealous and still live in their grandparent's house. Quite a feat considering they are likely great grandparents themselves. At 6'4'' and 240 pounds, Terral Evans is certainly unimposing. He works at night, grabbing alligators and tagging them with his bare hands. Poor gators can't get a chomp in edgewise. Then there's Liz Cavalier (of course she is) who likes to think of herself as just one of the boys. She fires the same type of gun as sharpshooter Annie Oakley and can throw a knife with the precision of a hitwoman. <br /><br />Their cajun drawl is almost unintelligible at times, but that's alright — the History Channel provides subtitles for those us who don't speak swamp. I'm surprised the animal rights activists haven't tried to stomp out this series with their faux alligator boots. <br /><br />At least the censors haven't scaled it back.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-76405951138191628042011-04-02T19:26:00.008-04:002011-04-03T17:46:42.532-04:00Save the Last Dance for Someone ElseSo, the Butler Bulldogs are the first to go dancing. The U Conn Huskies advance too. They move on after beating my alma mater, the University of Kentucky. Both teams can double dribble and foul out for all I care. But if I had to choose, I'd pick U Conn — to lose, of course. Since the game is played in Texas, and things are bigger there, I hope those dogs choke on a ginormous bone. So much for being a good sport.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-64511983255603255072011-04-01T19:16:00.010-04:002011-04-09T11:02:03.078-04:00Fools Rush InSouth Florida is full of meshuggeners. Most of them can be seen driving 23 MPH in the fast lane of I-95. The others can be found in the aisles and behind the registers at Walmart. Lacking common sense is just standard operating procedure for those folks. And a definite prerequisite for daily survival. But I keep driving and shopping among them because I'm convinced that this is all just a bad dream and when I wake up I'll be back in la la land. <br /><br />As P. T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute."ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-63065653696114991712011-03-31T22:21:00.003-04:002011-03-31T23:08:42.264-04:00March MadnessThe month is almost over and I haven't posted a single entry on my blog. Time to take a shot from way outside. Swoosh! Nothing but net.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-36458397740748607982011-01-01T16:40:00.004-05:002011-01-01T16:49:49.757-05:00Ring It and Bring ItI've written my resolutions and I'm ready to break them. I just hope the New Year is ready to cooperate. C'mon, 2011 — let's see what ya got!ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-18302306945606917012010-12-27T16:35:00.012-05:002012-07-30T16:34:47.077-04:002010 — Year in ReviewAt the beginning of the year 2010 gave me 525,600 minutes to use anyway I pleased. Here's what I did:<br />
<br />
• Melted a cold front<br />
• Got bit by a snake<br />
• Downloaded songs (Legally, of course)<br />
• Withdrew dollar weeds<br />
• Sang in the shower<br />
• Got chewed out<br />
• Shrugged my shoulders<br />
• Gave a damn<br />
• Protected the innocent<br />
• Burned a bridge<br />
• Made turkey loaf<br />
• Ate turkey loaf<br />
• Let someone off the hook<br />
• Drove over the speed limit<br />
• Bumped my head<br />
• Won an award (then more)<br />
• Pushed my luck<br />
• Trained a tree to grow in a different direction<br />
• Spilled coffee<br />
• Changed my password<br />
• Tweeted<br />
• Blogged<br />
• Stumbled upon<br />
• Tightened my belt<br />
• Played the drums<br />
• Annoyed a pitbull <br />
• Dropped a call<br />
• Caught a ball<br />
• Dove in head first<br />
• Struck out<br />
• Talked to a stranger<br />
• Gave in<br />
• Refused to budge<br />
• Sewed my knee<br />
• Pulled a fast one<br />
• Rolled the dice<br />
• Maintained eye contact<br />
<br />ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-52414193858057140412010-11-16T15:59:00.006-05:002010-11-16T18:40:55.514-05:00National Fast Food Day: Celebrating the UnhealthyI celebrated National Fast Food Day in gluttonous fashion by quadruple sizing every deep fried and greasy morsel I ordered. I'm pretty sure I'll need more than the the finger lickin' good digits of both hands to accurately count all the calories I ingested today. When the pimply-faced kid behind the counter said, "Have it your way," I did — and then some. Maybe I should make a run for the border and keep on running until I burn off ... hey look: there's a drive-thru. I'm lovin' it!ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-23487342784066305922010-10-14T14:20:00.003-04:002010-10-14T14:39:44.736-04:00Just DessertToday is National Dessert Day and I'm going to celebrate with a big slice of cherry pie smothered in whipped cream. Throw in a few Hershey Kisses and a MoonPie and I'll be headed for a lovely sugar-induced coma. Might as well build up my resistance for Halloween night — I'm sure I'll have lots of devilish treats tempting me then ...ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-386564327231361922010-10-11T08:34:00.002-04:002012-07-30T16:35:11.100-04:00Not Seaworthy@#&%!! Ferdinand and Isabella just pulled the funding for my cruise. Guess the only thing I'll discover is a pile of work on my desk in the office. Definitely not going to bow down the next time I'm in front of them. But I will have some stern words for the royal couple when I get back to Spain.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-80692220647808592442010-10-07T14:42:00.004-04:002010-10-07T15:00:06.078-04:00Witchy WomenJust finished making out my Halloween party guest list. Made sure to include Witch Hazel and her sisters Hunt and Craft — but only because I have some macabre word games planned and they're good spellers.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-27892962035552684252010-10-05T14:23:00.008-04:002011-03-14T20:56:04.878-04:00Skeleton in My Closet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcQRBa9K-FHhi1Pg9I7E69UMYAKg3yH5pnoxflcA8DzDgPPvrtruY97smiJ03bDwxb3jAPZnVJI-y5GKThV-Lv5Q4eARxPduA43ssnJOAP_MtACuaPQ9B5gfUSjKVwRVwOnK6zKb4V-qC/s1600/IMG_2102.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcQRBa9K-FHhi1Pg9I7E69UMYAKg3yH5pnoxflcA8DzDgPPvrtruY97smiJ03bDwxb3jAPZnVJI-y5GKThV-Lv5Q4eARxPduA43ssnJOAP_MtACuaPQ9B5gfUSjKVwRVwOnK6zKb4V-qC/s200/IMG_2102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524694839205189602" /></a>Everybody has at least one skeleton in their closet — and I'm no exception. Thing is, I'm proud of mine. Probably because I made it out of old milk jugs instead of bad decisions I'm trying to keep hidden. As you can see, I did a pretty good job connecting the thigh bone to the hip bone. No shame in that.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-69530309712657393612010-10-01T10:14:00.006-04:002012-07-31T20:29:22.187-04:00The Not-So-Great PumpkinWhen I lived up in Michigan I could drag Linus out of the pumpkin patch by his blanket and have my choice of great pumpkins to carve the first weekend in October. The air was cool and crisp and conducive to big orange gourds with gaping holes sitting out on the porch for weeks at a time. But now I live in Florida and have only about a two hour window of opportunity before my creation begins to fester and rot into a big moldy blob due to the heat. My pumpkin will never see the darkness of Halloween night if I start carving today. Boo!ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-85319516154601663262010-09-29T15:49:00.004-04:002012-07-30T16:32:19.269-04:00Sear and Burning in Las VegasYou can get hot in<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1096067677"> </a>Las Vegas and roll the dice all the way to the high rollers suite. Or you can check into the Vdara Hotel and let the "Death Ray" come in through the windows and heat up your vacation. One guest returned home with singed hair and burned skin. <br />
<br />
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Apparently not ...ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-19282870239300624892010-09-29T15:32:00.002-04:002010-09-29T15:34:14.292-04:00Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!I'm so glad my son doesn't find the Fab Four so fabulous anymore. I was never a fan and felt more comfortable squishing said insects rather than listening to them. Now I can go back to doing just that.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-54876237225866563842010-09-29T14:19:00.006-04:002012-07-31T20:26:54.623-04:00Sugar and Spice and Everything DeadlyA message to moms and dads in Battlecreek, Michigan with teenage boys: <br />
<br />
Just read an article about a 17-year-old girl who killed a 448 lb. bear with a bow and arrow on a recent hunting trip. If she can keep those paws off of her imagine what she could do to your son. By the way — she gutted it, too.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-12625865346527575832010-09-27T15:14:00.009-04:002012-07-30T16:47:24.664-04:00Zip ItFly like the wind. Soar like an eagle. Float like a butterfly jacked up on caffeine. <br />
<br />
These are just some of the adrenaline surging effects you'll experience when you strap on the zipline harness and jump at the chance to prove your nerves are made of high-flying steel. Think you've got what it takes to dance with the treetops? Prove it during your Bluegreen vacation at Mountain Run at Boyne. <br />
<br />
Of course it's all just talk until you try it ...ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-37661072449129147422010-08-01T09:02:00.003-04:002010-08-02T10:09:07.344-04:00In an Ivy League of Their ownWilliam and Mary is the second oldest college in the nation. Priding itself on making education available to everyone, in and out of the Commonwealth of Virginia, it is one of only eight “Public Ivy” institutions of higher learning.ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-30956125918022215052010-07-28T20:13:00.017-04:002012-07-31T20:28:15.778-04:00No Can DoIf I was living in the temperate grasslands of the prairie with my little prairie family, I'm sure I'd be a fan of canning fruits and vegetables. But I'm far removed from that biome down here in the sweltering swamps of south Florida. So instead of hitching up the team for a ride across the savanna, I'm firing up my mechanized horses for a trip over the asphalt. Going to pick up something I can stick in the microwave — think I'll go for a tasty box of muffin tops with fruit filling and no vegetation!ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804830221706126298.post-39675988347249687082010-07-26T21:38:00.004-04:002012-07-31T20:29:43.723-04:00Howl at the MoonFull moon tonight. Takes me back to a classic poem from the 1941 horror flick <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wolfman</span> starring Lon Chaney, Jr: <br />
<br />
Even a man who is pure at heart<br />
And says his prayers by night<br />
Can become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms<br />
And the moon is full and bright<br />
<br />
If you believe in curses and folklore, grab a handful of silver bullets then call animal control ...ScribbleStickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699812623181930575noreply@blogger.com0