McDonald’s: I’m Lovin’ It

I saw the video of this French McDonald’s ad more than a week ago, but, alas, my French goes no further than oui oui and silver plate. Now with the subtitles, I find that it’s a mini-French film all of its own.  Were they to do one like it here, the evengenitals and Focus on [...]

Memorial Day: Enjoy It But Don’t Forget What It Means

Memorial Day falls at a time when I can never get more than just the three days off from work, so although I’d like to go back to Kansas and my little hometown of Dorrance every year, the short time and the chunk of change I have to cough up for the airfare just doesn’t [...]

View from the Suburbs: Making Work Pay Tax Credit

You may sit on a different side on the topic of the Stimulus Package, but, personally, I was quite pleased with the unexpected amount in my tax refund from the Make Work Pay tax credit. My little Nikon Coolpix S230 took a little spill onto the hard tile kitchen floor a few months ago, and [...]

View from the Suburbs: Saturday Haircut and Feeling Like an Alien

Driving back into town this morning, I was wondering whether I was ready to give up my regular haircut place.  In fact, I’ve been going to Visible Changes in the Galleria for more than 25 years, with a few detours here and there, when my haircutter had left or I had heard there were greener [...]

I Want My Gay TV: Adam Lambert on Ellen

Reality TV doesn’t really pull me in, unless it’s true reality like college ball games, shows like Forensic Files on TruTV, or yard makeover shows on HGTV or DIY.  That’s why I’ve only watched bits and pieces of American Idol this season, or most of hte previous seasons, for that matter.  I watched more of [...]

View from the Suburbs: “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow” After the Rains Came Through? Check Out the Rainfall Amounts and Other Houston Weather

  During my drive home last evening, the dark clouds only got more ominous on my Friday evening drive to the northwest.  I was hoping to at least pick up my mail and get Annie outside before the rain started, but the first drops started coming down with a couple of miles still to go.  [...]

Mother’s Day: Remembering Mom . . . and Dad

This morning was going so well.  Soon after letting Annie out for her morning “go”, I decided to try out the new sprinkler on the thirsty front yard.  The spray and puddles soon attracted a variety of birds and even a squirrel that wanted to play in the rhythmic splashes on the sidewalk. Then into [...]

Some People Have Kitchen Gardens, Mine Is a “Kitschy” One

The saying is, “A watched pot never boils.”  For me, that “watched pot” is my little garden plot, which has become one of the joys of owning my first home.  (It’s hard to believe it, but next Saturday makes six months that I have actually been living here.) Every morning when I let Annie out, [...]