Luv ya honey!

I consider Valentines Day special. Regardless of it's dubious history, it is a wonderful chance to let special people in your life know your care about them.

Now here at home I work up my imagination every year to come up with something that will come as a total surprise to Peggy. This year I opted for the special breakfast in bed cliche, but with a twist.

I had remembered that somewhere in the kitchen Peggy had a heart shaped cookie mold. So I would mix up some pancake batter, put the mold in a frying pan and WHAL LAH!!

Well, there it is, my heart shaped pancake.

Turns out she never did have a heart shaped mold so I did the best I could carving a heart with my spatula. Really looks more like a bad omelet doesn't it? Now if you take our two plates with the boiled eggs aboard....and place them just right?

Kinda, sorta look like a heart, huh?

Could be she was just trying to be loving...but Peggy says of her half of the heart shaped pancake....."Ummmmmm....pretty tasty."
She tells me she never lies, but you know I tasted 'em too.

Happy Valentine's day y'all. It's the thought that counts.

Idle Insanityl

My wife Peggy often wonders about the resulting verbal and written expressions of my brain synapses. It is comfortable to discount her observations as just being around me too much.

But today, after listening to me muse out loud, my piano professor Rosemary declared, "Paul, you need to get a job."

So I feel an obligation to test my sanity on a larger scale. This won't take too much of your time.

First, and I know off the top this is going to sound politically incorrect, but be patient. BLACK is driving me nuts. "Huh," you say?

As I look in front of me at this very moment I see my camera. It is black. I see my glasses case, and it is black. My desk lamp is BLACK. I see my scotch tape dispenser? It is BLACK. My Epson printer? BLACK! Modem? BLACK! The screen, speaker, the desk top tower and mouse? They are all....let's say it together now, "BLACK!"

Moving away from my desk? The TV is BLACK, the TV remote is BLACK, the power cord for my cell phone is BLACK, my cell phone is BLACK, my camera tripod is BLACK, my lens cases are all BLACK, the radio is BLACK, the combination VCR-DVD recorder-player is BLACK. All but three of my 100 VCR file tapes are, may we say BLACK? I am looking at a total of seven bags and cases I use to transport things I need on any given day. You'd think at least one of them would be ecru. NOPE! BLACK.

In many cases I'm sure I have only myself to blame. I must have had some options when I bought these things. But there was no way I could have predicted the resultant dilemma. YOU TRY TO FIND YOUR GLASSES CASE AT MY AGE AT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING IN A SEA OF BLACK!

Okay, subject change here. Boy do I feel sorry for Tiger Woods newly born son. What could he and his wife been thinking. What do they name the child? Charlie???

So the kid gets through pre-school, and heads off to some private academy for his education. Do we think the other progeny at the school are really going to call him CHARLIE? NO! They are going to call him CHUCK, aren't they? Let's see, how does that go now?

"How much Wood(s) could a Wood(s) Chuck, Chuck, if a Wood(s) Chuck could Chuck Wood (s)

Well I guess it'll toughen him up. Remember Johnny Cash, and "A BOY NAMED SUE?"

So come on now, are these the thoughts of a man who needs a job?

Let's Face It

Well I'm elated, frustrated, delighted, excited, nostalgic, laughing, musing, mad, fascinated, encouraged, curious and fully exhausted. Why?

I just jumped into Facebook, that's why.

We are calling it "social networking?" I'm not sure that title even begins to define or describe Facebook.

When a couple of my former students saw my name pop up in the mix they warned me I was about to succumb to a terrible addiction.

I pooh poohed such a notion. But I have to tell you I'm not sure I should have taken the first sip.

Anyway, I'm IN and I've got to have a least three hits a day.

I try to keep myself in the mix with a couple of professional on line networks, but they can't get close to this melting pot. I've seen and heard from people I met last week, and I've seen and heard from people I haven't seen or heard from in 40 years.

AND I get to keep hearing from them every day. And I get to tell them what I'm having for breakfast, and when I'm picking my nose.

I'm still not sure I'm in love with all the short hand. I'm sorry all these tete-a-tetes aren't in person. Is it a path into or out of isolation? I'm going to keep thinking about it. But for now? I'm getting at little itchy. I need a hit.

Talk to you soon!

House Flip

So I'm out of work, looking for things to do. It is kind of a special time to have this happen. You know, the economy and all? After all is said and DONE, I'm not the problem! I'm NOW the solution.

I was watching my friend Ernie Bjorkman on Ellen last week. If you haven't been around my BLOG lately, Ernie is a long time TV anchor person here in Denver.


He was let go partly because of a merger, but more suspiciously because he is in the backside of his 50's.

His reinvention is he is going to be a Vet Tech. Dogs and cats don't ask to see your birth certificate when you fill out your "job ap."

He and I had coffee a bit ago, talking about having to reinvent ourselves in our mature years. Little did I know at the time I'd soon be in for my second re-invent.

In all of his personal appearances since being on 20-20, Ernie keeps talking about trimming the lavishness of his lifestyle. He, for instance, talks about dumping the condo downtown.

Well, we did that in the first go round. But it is not as if we are without alternative income housing. Right now it's empty.

It's a cozy little abode I built with my own two hands back when I could still lift a hammer.

Our renters haven't exactly been keeping the place up.

But I think I can sand it down a bit, and Peggy can put some fresh paint on it and we'll sell it on Craig's list.

In case anyone is out shopping?

It is in a very well kept, diverse community.

The Neighborhood Watch Program is second to none.

Well that's it! Peggy told me to go post something funny. You can judge my success at obeying that order.

Make me an offer, and if it's a deal, you can make your deposit and down payment on pay pal.