The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Social media is a fascinating entity. It's allowed us to connect friends and family, no matter where they may reside. It's allowed us to interact with complete strangers on the other side of the world. It's helped limit total control of what would otherwise be dictatorial governments. It's helped bring people together to fight for equality and progress in other areas. Where there are pros, there are cons, however, and one of the most frustrating aspects of social media has been a certain mob mentality, which has infected both sides of the political spectrum. For as much as I hate to say it, the left is just as guilty as the right (if not more so) on this issue. If one person, typically of the celebrity variety, makes a controversial comment on a social media site, there seems to be an instant horde of people condemning him/her. There have been times when the original poster has been able to ignore such vitriol, but other times when said vitriol has led them to close t...

As I've mentioned previously, I, unfortunately, am one of the millions who have been sexually abused, assaulted, or harassed (all three in my case). Understandably so, I'm a proud member and supporter of the #MeToo movement. I want victims to feel they have voice, have power, and aren't silenced via fear of their perpetrators. I only wish I felt such securities when I was abused close to 30 years ago. In any case, I couldn't be happier that this movement is progressing as it is, and hopefully, in the long run, it does a world of good to help greatly condense the number of sexual improprieties we experience and observe. Having said all that, though, I think we need to be careful to not unintentionally diminish the significance of traumatic, life-altering experiences such as rape, sexual abuse, and the like, by lending as much airtime to people referring to one another as a pet name; providing them with a gift which may be deemed as inappropriate; or even attempt to pro...

Through my 35 years, I've owned four dogs, one cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) and three Siberian Huskies. My current dog, Lexi, is a 3-year-old husky (rescue dog). In case you or someone you know is thinking about buying a husky, here are some things you should probably know: Pros - Friendly : No matter what you've heard about huskies in the past, they are some of the friendliest dogs you could ever meet. If they're not running around and looking to play, you know something's wrong. My dog, Lexi, will play with anyone or anything. There are nights I have to remind her it's 2 o'clock in the morning and time to sleep. If she could play 24 hours a day, she would, and even then, that still wouldn't be enough. - Energetic : Until they reach older age, huskies tend to act like puppies. This is why they're fairly common "therapy" dogs. Even on the worst of days, my dog just has a way of cheering me up. They require a lot of exercise, so wit...

As mentioned in recent posts, I've unfortunately had to battle some health issues in recent weeks, which landed me in a pair of hospitals on four separate occasions. For those who reside in the area, I thought I'd provide brief reviews of the two hospitals. Grady Memorial Hospital 561 W. Central Ave. Delaware, OH 43015 (740) 615-1000 https://www.ohiohealth.com/grady/ Experience Summary: This is the hospital closest to me, so from a convenience standpoint, this is my best option in case of a medical emergency. I was rushed there via an ambulance on December 26th and had to be driven there on January 10th and 12th. When I went here in 2011 for a gallbladder surgery, my experience was mostly positive. However, the three times I've needed help at this facility in the past few weeks has left a bad taste in my mouth. As I was rushed here on the 26th, I was enduring a serious panic attack - the first of my life. My pulse was between 150 and 155, my blood pressure was eleva...

As long-time readers would know, I don't get personal very often, but in light of some recent headlines, events, and chatter, I felt the need to do so. More than any other, I think a majority of writers despise the following questions and comments:  - "Writing isn't a real job; anyone can write." - "When will you finally go out into the real world and get a real job?" No, I don't know what constitutes a real job from an imaginary one or what separates real work from fantasy work, but almost nothing riles a writer more than comments and questions like these.  Like most jobs, there are definite pros and cons to writing. A major pair of pros are convenience and flexibility. Most days, one can get out of bed, make a cup of coffee, and start working at the computer having not showered nor changed. Whether one is a morning or a night person, he or she can typically work during the time they feel most alert and productive (this of course vari...

From the outset, I admit to having been quite leery about Twitter. An old friend of mine suggested I give it a gander 4 years ago, so I tentatively did, but once I created an account, I kind of shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Okay, now what?" I had just recovered from a 2 year health battle, had started getting into writing again, but had no real plan of what my next steps were going to be. So I simply tweeted random humorous thoughts of mine, kept in touch with friends and their seeming need to show me everything they ate and regularly update me on their sleep schedules. I finally reached a point where I thought there was really no point to tweeting and I'd be better off not condensing my thoughts and writings to 140 characters, and instead writing on a blog and Tumblr. Three years later, after appearing on a radio show to promote my written work, being mentioned on another, and writing like a madman who's been given a lifetime supply of speed and only one year t...

As long-time readers would know, my life has been anything but an easy one on the health front. Not long after the recession started, I fell ill for most of 2009 and 2010. No doctor nor specialist could seem to fully conclude on what the problem was, so I became like a pinball, being passed around from clinic to clinic between Columbus and Cleveland. I then suffered a gallstone attack in 2011, underwent surgery a week later, and hurting financially from both the recession and health setbacks, I was unable to pay a month's worth of my insurance, and was abruptly dropped from the plan. I attempted to contact other insurance companies to receive coverage, but was rejected due to the Affordable Care Act not being fully implemented at that point and having "preexisting conditions." At the start of 2014, however, I was able to finally attain health insurance coverage again, due to the Affordable Care Act prohibiting the rejection of customers due to preexisting conditions. Stil...

I'm curious to see a study which compares and contrasts the pros and cons of tips (as far as tipping waiters, bartenders, etc.). When many Europeans visit the States, they're often times confused by the concept of tipping. In their native countries, the "tips" are already built in to the overall salary, which makes for a more consistent annual wage. When they hear how much waiters and bartenders make per hour here, they're often times shocked and ask how they live off that. That's when the waiter or bartender explains the concept of tipping. I guess my question is, which is the better method overall? I think the theory in this country is that people will work harder for the extra tip - the "bonus" at the end of his/her job. If he or she doesn't excel, they deservedly won't be tipped well and if they do excel, the tip will reflect that and continue to inspire them to excel day in and day out. However, how often is that the case? Regardless...