Kitchen Sink

Drive time.

Driving a car on the road is a little too impersonal. We know, in theory, that there are people in the other cars, but it is a little too abstract for our own good. We drive around in shells of our personality. The model, general upkeep, and decoration all speak to how we view ourselves. Yet to others on the road it is still just another car; little more than an obstacle between us and where we…
Read more
Wellbeing

Did you take your antihistamine today?

Those entry headings still don’t necessarily mean anything. Just so you know, I am the peak flow champion! That’s right baby. Makes me feel kind of silly, talking about feeling a little short of breath. What is a peak flow? Do you really want to know? Take a deep breath and exhale as quickly and completely as possible. Now measure the flow of air at the peak of your blow. Fascinating stuff…
Read more
Going for Broke

Can I play too?

Whence the death watch concludes, I’m on my way to nail down tack strips. You too can enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from hammering a wood strip into concrete. Think of the aggression you can work out. Think of the cathartic value. Think of how many more ways I can think of to say the exact same thing. If you missed the trimming of wet carpet you won’t want to miss tack…
Read more
Kitchen Sink

Fash from the past.

Quirky is a word that describes one of my sisters friends from high school. Come to think of it, quirky describes most of her friends from high school. It’s difficult to see your little sisters as serious people, let alone their friends. So I was on the death watch at my allergist when one of her friends came in with his daughter. Imagine my surprise, seeing this young turk from my past doing…
Read more
Going for Broke

The kid car.

It was necessary to drive my newish car to work this morning. I haven’t driven it for the better part of two weeks, so it was quite the event. My enthusiasm was tempered by the good natured ribbing I got from my coworkers. “John, your daughter’s too young to drive. Why did you buy her a car already?” “John, you’ve got a car just like my neighbor’s sixteen year old.” I was driving…
Read more
Kitchen Sink

Drying off.

One of my last entries has prompted a small discussion about inherited genes. Maybe discussion is the wrong word… that is, if you can call two email messages a discussion (one for each participant). This led to my own musing. (When was the last time you used “muse” as a verb?) I feel that I provide an important service to my readers: pointing out the obvious. In that light, here’s my…
Read more
Going for Broke

What costs more than a stick of gum and less than five boxes of laminate tile?

Post plumbing woe life in the Kauffman household (version 2.2) continues. The fan is still blowing on a wall. What, don’t you have a fan blowing on your walls? A single sample of tile is resting in a large space where there used to be wet carpet. Four boxes of laminate, self adhesive tile are waiting patiently in our family room. I have garnered just about as much respect from my previous…
Read more
Bicycling

Say, is that really a bicycle?

I was waiting in the lobby of my office building, waiting for the elevator after riding into the office one cold Florida morning, when a complete stranger walked up to me and asked if I really rode my bike into work that morning. My nose is red, my eyes are watering, I’m wearing tights, bicycling gloves and a helmet, and oh yeah… I’m holding a bicycle. “Why yes I did. I am not an…
Read more
Kitchen Sink

Where has all the time gone?

No one has asked me where I get the entry titles from. This would be a surprise, but for the fact that this could be the least viewed page of all the internet. Hey, someone has to come in last. So where do they come from? I’m glad I asked. The are the first thing that comes to mind. Wether or not they have anything to do with the entry is of little consequence. Consider it a kind of…
Read more