I know it’s hard, but I also know that it’s never been easy. So how about we drop the “in this economy” comment, which just sounds to me like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You might be surprised at how well a sentence without “in this economy” still works.

Here’s an example of something I heard today: “The Wisconsin band might not be able to attend the UNLV game because of a lack of funding available in this economy.”

And here is the exact same sentence, without the last three words:  ”The Wisconsin band might not be able to attend the UNLV game because of a lack of funding available.”

See, it still works, even in this economy! In fact, whatever the state of the economy, that sentence is perfectly understandable and carries no Eeyore-like connotation.

So whaddya say? Can we just drop it already?

Why is it that, in order to take one week of vacation from work, so many of us feel the need to get two weeks’ worth of work done before we go? You know, you have to do this week’s work and next week’s work done, then you take your vacation.

Is it because the world would end if you didn’t do those two weeks’s worth of work, or is it because there’s an inner insecurity that says “do it, so you’ll have a job to come back to?”

Or, is it because you (perhaps) selfishly believe that nobody else can do what you do, while you’re gone?

Or, is it because you take so much pride in your work that you can’t stand to see it go undone?

Or is it something else?

As I was about to taste some sweet homemade pie, somebody came running out of the house saying that my father was locked inside the upstairs bathroom, and couldn’t get out. The lock was stuck.

This has happened before, but only once or twice, and since we don’t usually use the lock on the bathroom door, I have neglected doing anything to fix it. Guilt strikes.

When I got upstairs I assessed the situation. Dad was inside the locked bathroom and had already used his Swiss Army knife to disassemble the inside of the knob and lock hardware, to no avail. So I instructed him to knock the pins out of the hinges, so we could push the door off of them.

Pins came out, but still couldn’t open the door.

Next move came when I decided to crawl out a nearby window, cross a small flat roof, and climb into the locked bathroom. Now there are two of us in there.

I reassembled the knob and lock hardware, thinking that it just needed the right “jiggle” to get it to open from the inside. None of my jiggles did the trick.

So then my oldest son, Max, crawled across the roof and made it three of us inside the locked bathroom- PARTY! But it wouldn’t last long.

Max was able to execute the “jiggle” on his first try, opening the balky lock, and making my dad swear that he would never lock a bathroom door again (this was not the first time he had suffered such a fate).

Have you ever had a lock-in experience?

Why?

 Because my morning partners, friends, goofballs- Heather and Adam- delivered some of the funniest gag gifts I’ve ever seen.

In the picture you can see the “official” Entercom Senior Citizen Identification Card, which I never knew existed, conveniently printed extra large for visibility and hung on a lanyard so it can’t be forgetfully set down and forgotten.

Nice.

And then there was the Official Old Guy Handbook, which contains important can’t-live-without information like how to apply for AARP, directions to the scooter store, and a gift certificate for a free walker.

Finally, the birthday card says it all. Forty years too soon.

Extra nice.

I gotta say that it all got me laughing really hard because it was so well done, so personally intended, and so much appreciated.

Here’s hoping that the older I get, the funnier it all seems.

Fletch N Heather | Create Your Badge

I’m a dog person, and I love my dog, Pip, as much as anybody else loves their own dog. But I don’t think I have ever once wished that I could take her out to a restaurant with me. Pip dines with us enough at home in her usual spot under the dining room table, or on the floor next to the island in the kitchen.

When we go out for dinner I love to leave my cares at home (the dog, among them). I prefer not to have to wonder about whom Pip might be eyeing up for  a good sniff or lick, or whether we’ll have to excuse ourselves for a trip to the doggie restroom. And I’m sure she’s not being deprived by having never been to a restaurant in her life.

I suppose there are some folks who, for whatever reasons, have to bring their dogs with them wherever they go, and for them a dog restaurant would certainly be a good thing, since the alternatives are limited to leaving the dog in the car or tied up outside.

But I’m good with leaving the dog at home when I want to go out to eat. That’s why we have doggie bags, right?

What do you think about restaurants that welcome dogs?

I know better than to express my shock with my wife. Rather, I (intelligently, I think) express my appreciation for my wife’s beauty, which is always enhanced by a fresh new ‘do. But I’m still shocked by the sticker price.

How much do you think Hillary had to pay for this new ‘do? And, do you think it’s more of a don’t?

So, when Favre was traded from Green Bay, Judy was outraged. She wanted Ted Thompson’s head (and probably other parts) on a platter. It was hard even just to talk to Judy about her BFBFF, because she was so emotionally involved with the man.

Throughout his season with the Jets, Judy held onto her love for BF while the rest of us began to forget. Even when he signed with the Vikings, Judy still clung to her fading green #4 jersey.

And then came the e-mail I received from Judy this week, mostly about other stuff- real stuff- but included a brief inquiry from me about Judy’s lover-boy:

“How you feeling as the Favre-watch begins again?” I asked.

Judy’s shocking response: “I’m so over that guy.”

My reaction: crickets.

Never saw it coming, but so glad to see, so now Judy can get back to what’s really important in life- Harry Potter fantasies.

Are you “so over that guy,” or not?

It was pretty sappy, but conveyed the feeling I have about raising kids and being with others’ kids. To me, the most pleasure in parenting comes from watching each kid develop over days, months, and years, with all the surprises, mishaps, disappointments, and victories. It’s one of nature’s greatest adventures!

So I really enjoyed the past week on a church group trip to Kentucky, part of the Appalachian Service Project. I got to spend the week with my son, Will, and 5 other youth in our crew and just loved seeing them discover skills they didn’t know they had, friendships that hadn’t existed before, and real growth over a short 7-day trip.

Is there anything cooler than “watching Scotty grow?”