It’s (No Longer) in the Bag So, do you miss them? As of July 1, plastic grocery bags have been officially banned for use in unincorporated Los Angeles County. They join jobs, legal immigration, a prosperous economy and rising home values as things of our once proud past. Bye bye “paper or plastic” at the […]
Now that the smoke has cleared from the sky, the backyard barbecues have cooled and the cobs have been de-corned, what do you remember most about this past Monday’s celebration of our country’s birth? The food? The fireworks? The sales? Or simply a day off work? Personally, I won’t forget the cacophony of car alarms […]
I was reaching in the cabinet to get a coffee mug to begin my morning intake of steamy dark goodness when something occurred to me. Namely, that one of the consequences of parenting four smart, ambitious and capable kids is that – ultimately – they will likely attend a college or university. (The fact that […]
If you own or rent a home, you pay every month for the utilities: gas, water, trash, cable or satellite, electricity, etc. These regular expenses are a necessity and – baring an exceptionally cold winter or hot summer, normal monthly costs are a small but necessary part of overall living expenses. Like most people, I […]
One of the things that my dad and an older brother often did in their spare time was to take an ordinary car or truck, strip it down to its nuts and bolts, pistons and bearings, gaskets and gears – and then rebuild the entire vehicle from the tires to the headliner, turning it into […]
Our world is a place of many wonders – a baby’s birth, a bird in flight, the grandeur of snow-covered mountains, Donald Trump’s hair. Here are some of my personal wonders of late: I wonder … why pants with two legs are called a “pair” and eyeglasses with two lenses are a “pair,” but a […]
This week I must begin with a disclaimer or mea culpa, I’m not sure which is more appropriate. I’ve spent the last twenty-five-plus years writing advertising copy for clients as large and well-known as Nissan, the LA Dodgers, Blue Cross, Carnation Foods, Lockheed Martin, Baskin-Robbins and well, I’ll just say that I can be blamed […]
Looking back two Sunday mornings ago, I’m not sure I rode my bike the entire 26-plus mile length of the 2011 Pasadena Marathon Bike Tour. It felt more like swimming than riding. When I registered for the annual event it was an unseasonably warm March day. When I picked up our swag bags and numbered […]
Last week when we left our tale of the uninvited Mother’s Day visitor (a big rat, in case you missed it), my wife and I continued on with brunch preparations for our human guests – thinking that we had trapped the crafty critter upstairs in our bedroom behind closed doors. But no-o-o-o. As I would […]
by Jim Chase So moms, how was your Mother’s Day? Whether you spent it being pampered by loved ones, or pampering those you love, or a combination of both – I truly hope your day was less exciting and memorable than it was for my dear wife and for both of our mothers who celebrated […]