While I was working in my yard, I saw my neighbor, her daughter, and granddaughter passing. I was struck by how alike the daughter and granddaughter were. They were as similar as Dr. Evil and Mini-Me. I might have stuck with that description, but they were far from the silly, sinister pair in the Austin Powers movies.

“Wow! She’s a carbon copy of you,” I said, instead, to the daughter by way of greeting.

Her response — I won’t include it here — reflected the offense she clearly had taken at such a comment. (Suddenly, the Dr. …

I’m not a big language buff, though I’ve certainly had the opportunity to learn many of them. I’ve traveled all over the world. (Actually, I’ve been around the world several times.) I’ve spent significant time outside the U.S.A. — not just quick trips — in other countries. But I’m ashamed to say I never learned the languages of the countries I’ve visited.

But I did learn the most important words and phrases: hello, more, food, bathroom, please and thank you, and, most important, beer. …

I’m certain you’ve seen those commercials about medications that tout miracle capabilities of the drug, but then say, “side effects may include” nearly everything and anything up to (and including!) death. Yikes! How do I know those “side effects” won’t happen to me? After all, what IS a “side effect” — and why do they occur?

A side effect is usually regarded as an undesirable secondary effect that occurs in addition to the desired therapeutic effect of a drug or medication. Side effects may vary for each individual depending on the person’s disease state, age, weight, gender, ethnicity and general…

There’s a long background to this one, so buckle in.

All my life, I’ve done a little of this and a little of that and maybe more of something else. When I was 8, my father decided I had to play baseball. My father loved baseball. He talked about, he volunteered to coach, he even umpired for several years.

I was always referred to as the “tall, skinny kid,” but, fortunately, I wasn’t too clumsy so I did make a team when I tried out. I guess in the beginning stages (it wasn’t even “Little League”; it was called “Minor…

Greed kills. Actually, the original phrase is “speed kills.” It was attributed to the late Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders football team. The full quote, according to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, is this: “Speed kills. You can’t teach speed. Everything else in the game can be taught, but speed is a gift from God.” Davis knew the value of swift running on the football field; “they can’t tackle you if they can’t catch you.”

Later, this became a byline of the drug culture, as in amphetamines and other stimulants: “Speed kills.” Drugs that increase heart rate make…

“You know what the problem is? The problem is people don’t trust themselves. They truly do not believe in themselves or trust themselves; that’s the root of all this self-help revolution.”

That’s what a good friend of mine recently told me as we were browsing in the “Self-Help” section of a large Barnes & Noble bookstore. We were wading through shelves of sub-categories for self improvement — anger management, anxieties and phobias, art therapy and relaxation, communication and social skills, death and grief, dreams, eating disorders, happiness, memory improvement. The subcategory list is expansive, and it includes categories I would…

I am a person well-acquainted with grief (no biblical reference intended here). My father was a minister for over 55 years, and I worked in a hospital morgue for 7 years. I’ve been to quite a few funerals over my lifetime for people I loved.

I was fortunate to have known my great-grandmother (she didn’t pass away until I was 16, so I spent significant time with her), my grandmothers (on both sides), my great-grandfather and grandfathers (on both sides), etc. However, my mother died fairly young, and my father just passed away recently. …

Since the very beginning of my tenure in my current position, I have encountered a number of obstacles. Some were daunting (like getting a new roof on one of my buildings — only took about 4 years) and some were simple (need a color printer? Buy a color printer!). Each obstacle presented a dynamic opportunity for me to show the boss that I was a problem solver, and that I knew how to do my job. That’s a good thing. It’s always good to face a tough issue and work it out, accomplish the goal.

But some things seem to…