Point Made

All of us suffer from seasonal depression. The lack of sunshine for extended periods of time can cause depression. Last week, we experienced record high temperatures for February. Along with that warm air, we had clear, sun-laden days. Still, I'm depressed. I wonder why? On the warmest of days, Wednesday, February 22, my friends and I ventured to a small park in Dale, Wisconsin. This park has a paved path that is approximately 1 mile in length. Out of some concern for the fact that we hadn't ridden in a couple of months, we rode almost five miles and by mutual agreement stopped. The next day, we all agreed we could have gone further. The ride itself was great just because we could do it. The weather was unusual and stunning. It was a perfect treatment for that yearly scourge of cabin fever. Small observation: If TrunpleThinSkin continues to dominate the news cycle can the Kardashians survive? Equally Small Observation: Tom Turkey continues to visit. I know this because...

In about 1991, my son Todd and I took a trip from Seattle to Mount St Helens. In May of 1980, Mount St. Helens had a volcanic eruption that took 56 lives and affected world atmosphere for years to come. When we got into the blast area, I felt a strange calming quiet. At that time, there was a temporary reception area that told the story of how the authorities sensing an impending eruption told everyone to get off the mountain. It had the radio recording, from an observer from the staff, reporting on the early stages of the eruption. Sadly, the event moved quickly, and that observer died. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens The landscape was otherworldly. Barren at first glance and then immensely busy when we sat, looked and let the life of the place come to us.The small animals had returned. Insects flitted about. Birds came and went. The officials had turned the area into a no man's land so they could study this natural ...

Years ago, Ken Kornacki asked me to help him make a movie for a 48-hour film competition. I am a compulsive Irish storyteller and a former industrial sales representative. In other words, standing in a group and becoming a specific version of myself was not that unfamiliar. We did it. We didn't win. That was it for Ken. Life moved on for all of us. My Apple Genius mentor, Mitch Rasque, asked me to work with him on a film for the next competition. We made a couple of films. In one of them, I was a serial killer. I don't know which version of myself I used for that role. We eventually did two films together. We didn't win. That was it for me. Life moved on for all of us. Life indeed moved on. However, my perception of the film changed a great deal from my toe in the water exposure to the craft. For instance, I performed in front of a green screen in Ken's film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNftmgUv7_w If you look closely, you will find me rowing that boat. I...

Read all about it! The dysfunction of our President isn't because he is incompetent. His apparent incompetence is a diversion, and his mission is controlled chaos. My wife and I traveled to Milwaukee this last weekend. Our mission had three items on the checklist. My wife's favorite hairdresser had set aside time for her. We had tickets to the Rep theater's performance of "Disgraced." We connected with three people on our long list of friends in Milwaukee. I have no comment on the first item other than the stylist does a nice job, and her highness is happy. Happy woman, happy household. I'm cool wit dat. "Disgraced" is by far the best play I've seen since we saw "Doubt" on Broadway. There are five characters in this play. The elevator description sounds like the beginning of a classic joke scene. There's a dinner with Pakistani-American attorney, his Caucasian artist wife, a Jewish museum curator and his African - American, a...

but it seems a weekend at a hotel with three of the kids their spouses and children suffices. Maria treated the family to weekend stay at a hotel with the usual family amenities; spacious rooms, swimming pool, hot tub, and food. It was kind of a Holiday gathering that we couldn't have because of the press of other family commitments In the end, I think we all agreed that just jamming into Maria's and my room, with its spacious common area, and watching the little cousins get acquainted was worth the trip. Not that connecting with the adults wasn't important and rewarding, but kids just seem to trump every other concern you might have. From holding my youngest grandson Felix to a water fight with my older grandson Brogan and his brother Tate, Poppa got a pretty good workout this weekend without having to record reps and sets. We brought a curse to the weather this year. Let me explain it this way since Maria bought us a new snowblower, all the precipita...

Foggy night turns into foggy day. As I look out my window these last few mornings, I see the misty build up of fog. It's as if my windows were covered with a fine dirt that bends and shapes what little light we have in Wisconsin at 6:30 am. It's depressing when we are subjected to this gloom for long periods of time. And we have been experiencing this midwinter event for over a week now. The good news is the temperature is finally above freezing. The ice, that formed after the rain and sleet covered the area, is slowly melting. This weather, with its attendant propensity to depress, comes amongst a continuous stream of bad news that only feeds the funk. My recipe for ascending above this morass of gloom? No TV News. No online news sites. Renew my intentions at writing fiction and honing my Harmonica skills. Oh yeah, and practice playing BlackJack online. (I don't actually gamble). We are watching "Homeland " again. Last night, we finished Se...

Many of you know that I edit two transportation Facebook pages, Metro Go and TSAC (Transportation Services Advisory Committee). Along with providing content for these Pages, I am charged with monitoring Comments, Likes, and the traffic on the sites. Most of the comments are complimentary as the group that follows these issues pretty much agree on the challenges and the solutions. I know many of the people that follow our site. Occasionally, they comment. We received a comment recently that expressed a frustration that I have heard in conversation. The complaint centers around the attitude of the drivers. I'm positive that some drivers are not good salespeople for our bus service. I'm also sure, from personal experience, that some of them great ambassadors and promoters of the system. At the heart of these complaints is one or two bad experiences. I also think it revolves around the individual's expectations. When I think of a bad experience, it doses...