Summer gave way to Fall last week, Brad and Angelina are no more, and heck, there's even a new Dos Equis man. Yes folks, change is in the air. But isn't it always? Aren't we constantly evolving? No, I don't necessarily mean in a Darwin kind of way, but I am talking about our thoughts, our likes, our opinions, our wants, desires, dreams and fears. Sure some of those things stick with us forever, like a bad hairdo from the 80's. Come on dude that permed mullet just ain't cool a

Things are crazy around the mall during Christmas time, and they get even crazier when you can count the number of shopping days left without having to unzip your pants. (i.e. - less than ten days for those who geniuses and don't have to count things out on your fingers or for those of a gender that unzipping your pants doesn't not help) That's the time frame for this story. I believe it was the last Saturday before Christmas and the mall was staying open until midnight. Ok

The shopping days are dwindling, Jack Frost is nipping right along, and credit card CEOs are grinning. Yep, we're smack in the middle of Christmas season so here is a new edition of my Santa tales. I'm the kind of guy who tries to have fun regardless of the situation. You can call it what you will - finding the silver lining, making lemonade out of lemons, believing there might be a diamond inside that lump of coal in my stocking. So even though playing Santa wasn't all Ho,

I don't want this blog to become All Christmas ... All the Time, but I did say I would get another Second-Rate Santa Saga up this weekend. But this will be the last one until late next week or even the weekend, because I'd hate for my readers to require insulin after too many tales of sugar plum fairies. In another couple of weeks we'll all be so sick of hearing Jingle Bells and All I Want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus that the only way to make our spirits bright is to moun

When you mention mall Santa's, most people think of kids, and probably 90% of the people who stood in line and came to sit on my lap were under the age of twelve. Then you had the older kids who hated to be there, but their parents still wanted that yearly picture so they forced them to shuffle up and plop down beside Santa in the over-sized chair. There was no way those 'tweens and teenagers were about to sit on my, or any other Santa's lap. Then there were the older people,

That's right folks, that is me lurking beneath those snow-white whiskers and red hat. And here is the story of how I became a mall Santa and happened to have a six foot plus two hundred and something pound red-headed man sitting on my lap. The year was 2001. I was just shy of my 29th birthday, far too young to make a good Santa but then again I never claimed I was a good Santa. The previous spring I'd agreed to play the Easter Bunny at the mall so the Santa gig was my secon

How long has it been since you ate a hot juicy steak right off the grill? Well pardner, that's too long. You know those ads right? The ones where Sam Elliott proudly proclaims ... Beef, It's What's For Dinner I tried to get him to guest blog and say this ... How Long has it been since you read a post on here about writing. Well pardner, that's too long. But Sam was busy, so it is solely up to me to deliver a meaty post on the subject of writing fiction. However, there is one

Come on admit it, you're humming that song right now aren't you? Especially, you WordVixen since you love all things Disney. Since Purdue Boilermaker ultra-fan, Phats was wondering about a new edition of the Yellow Flag Tales and several people have suggested I need to blog about the good Ol' United States Postal Service I'm going to do both today. All in one glorious story. Okay, glorious might be getting carried away. How about mildly interesting story? Now I'm a pretty big

I have a couple of personal motto's that I steadfastly follow ... Lettuce is the Devil. (Actually lettuce is merely the ringleader. I eat no vegetables unless they are fried a deep delicious golden brown) Never do today, what you can put off until tomorrow. Yes, my friends, I am a procrastinator. Ever hear someone say, everyone is good at something - they just need to find their niche? I believe that to be true and I am hear to say luckily I have settled in quite nicely with

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a simple guy. I like very basic things, especially in the food department. Meat. That is my specialty. I'm one step shy of being a carnivore. Beef, pork, chicken, seafood, a wide variety of wild game. All of it is fine , long as you cook it. Raw fish is bait not food and meat that is still bleeding is merely wounded, not ready to serve. Name a meat, and there's a good chance I've eaten it. Maybe even made jerky from it, but don't ruin good meat