My parents bought into the virtual assistant world. Their assistant, Alexa, connects to music, games, or anything cerebral. Alexa answers nearly any question, whether it’s the weather in Missouri or the capitol of Romania.
I challenged Alexa to see how smart she is.
“Alexa, what is the Etc.Guy blog?” Continue reading “Alexa, a Parent’s Assistant” »
She lasted 90 hours over three seasons. Maggie was not an outlier. Not in soccer.
In Outliers author Malcolm Gladwell explains the “10,000 Hour Rule” which claims that the key to success is a matter of practicing a specific task for around 10,000 hours. Consider Bill Gates, Wayne Gretzky or Mozart…former prodigies that hit 10,000 hours by their late teens. Maggie will never become an outlier soccer player. She quit 9,910 hours short. Continue reading “Kid’s Quitting is Father’s Dilemma” »
With my Air Force mom and dad
Just a quick note of appreciation to the men and women I know who’ve served in the military. My dad (a physician) served twice in Vietnam, first in 1970 and again in 1972-73(?). Dr. J.B. Miller (retired colonel, USAF) was stationed in Cameron Bay. In third grade I recall my classmates recording messages on a reel to reel tape recorder to our dads who were sent overseas. Our teacher, Miss De la Cruz, set that up. Continue reading “Happy Memorial Day 2017” »
“The one thing you can be certain of: Nothing in fine print is good news.”
Andy Rooney, American writer and humorist, 1919-2011
Andy Rooney was a real smart guy, but his cranky observations made him a funny guy too. Among my present reads is “Years of Minutes, The Best of Rooney from 60 Minutes.”
Definitely worth your time.
In the meanwhile, catch up with me at the Etc.Guy Facebook page. Lots happening there. That’s all for now, more projects in the works…
(Hockey Player Magazine, April 2017)
“You can’t applaud a referee.” Alex Ferguson, Coach, Manchester United
They are jeered, never cheered. It’s black and white.
Great referees are invisible to the general fan but invincible to the general jerk. Officiating is not for the faint hearted. Hockey refs need thick skin—crocodile skin–beneath the stripes. Continue reading “Young Referee Whistles While He Works” »
Hey folks…coming soon…join me and my friends as we celebrate An Evening with the Authors at Paradise Library on Thursday evening April 13, 2017. We’ll hold workshops, discuss our craft, and have casual conversations. It’s a great opportunity for readers to meet with writers and vice versa. Sponsored by the Paradise Friends of the Library, the event will be held from 6 PM to 9 PM at the Butte County Library-Paradise Branch, 5922 Clark Road. No charge. We’ll bring books to sell too. If Thursday is a slow TV night for you come out and visit.
Until then here are a few casual conversations from the Etc. Guy Facebook page. You can follow me by LIKING it. See you in print. Continue reading “Paradise Author’s Night (and Casual Conversations)” »
“Humorists can never start to take themselves seriously. It’s literary suicide.”
Erma Bomeck, American humorist, writer and columnist (1927-1996)
A lousy marketer I am. If I was smarter, and I wish I was, I’d have written this post last month as a shameless ploy to sell my book Let Me Tell You a Story. Oh, I’ll still plug the book [BUY MY BOOK] but let’s be realistic. Earth is full of funny story tellers whether you’re with friends gathered around a campfire or chatting next to a stranger in coach. For your amusement I’ve listed several of my favorite writers [BUY MY BOOK] who I’ve listed alphabetically by height. I’m sure they’ll still be funny in 2017. Continue reading “‘Tis Always the Season to Read…and Laugh” »
(Hockey Player Magazine, December 2016)
Every team has one. Whether its baseball, basketball or badminton, there’s always that one guy who doesn’t quite enmesh locker room society. Maybe it’s his or her lousy jokes, bad breath, or that they wear turtlenecks year round. For me it was Marvin Smellmoore’s nose. The average length of an adult nose is about 5.8 centimeters, two-thirds the diameter of a hockey puck. Marv’s beak, shy of 8 centimeters, poked outside his helmet’s cage. Migrant birds eyed Marv’s nose as a potential perch. Continue reading “The Dork” »
The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes. Dave Barry
Just experimenting here with this post but as you can tell I’m a huge Dave Barry fan. For more on Dave Barry and my quest to find humor writers see my Humor Project story, published in August 2013. Currently penning two stories…feel free to visit the Etc.Guy Facebook page in the meantime. Over and out. For now.
Recent NorCal Blogs Posts