To my fellow Bigfooters: Don’t stop believin’!

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OK, I'm gonna come right out with it. I believe in Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Yeti. There you go. I said it. Hello, my name is Mark, and I believe in Bigfoot. (All together:  Hello, Mark!) From the infamous evening back in 1972 when…

Sugar pushes buttons

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Tuesday night, I wrote a post about how America indoctrinates our children into the Sugar Culture from the word go.  I really didn't expect the post to generate much interest. Boy, was I off. Now granted, my blog page is still in its…

I know you’re just trying to be nice. Don’t.

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I know you're just trying to be nice. I know you're just trying to be neighborly. But please keep the candy to yourself.  Don't put me in the position of saying no to my kids after they've displayed good manners at the hair place or…

Consider the Chandlers

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Today is Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving — but despite the mad rush on shopping and advertising, I'm not ready to move on to Christmas just yet. I posted something silly yesterday, but not today.  This is something hopeful.…

10 things for which I’m thankful. No, really.

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Today is Thanksgiving, and here are some things for which I am thankful: I'm thankful that the Titans are so bad this year.  Time normally devoted to watching games is now directed to more educational programming, like "Breaking Amish,"…

“Like wind through my hand”

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I think it's hard to overestimate the emotional power of music. Not all music, mind you.  And not all the time. But given the right circumstance and frame of mind, a particular song or recording can really do a number on us. It's…

How to Journal: 6 Tips to Boost Creativity and Polish Your Writing

I like this article.  I especially dig No. 3: "Capture snippets of overheard conversations to use as prompts for working on writing."  What a great idea in this world of the coffee-shop workplace. How to Journal: 6 Tips to Boost Creativity…

Creativity tip: Become a question mark again

Blind acceptance is the mortal enemy of creative thought. I see it all the time in my day job.  "Because that's the way we've always done it," may possibly be the most irksome, wrong-headed statement ever uttered in a business environment.…

Interview with a semicolon | Tom Gething re: reading

Semicolons are odd things.  I'm fairly certain I use them correctly, but when I do, they almost always get edited out of my prose.  I suspect a prejudice exists against semicolons; Editors are confused by them and therefore don't use them.…

Tip o’ the day: Avoid redundant adverbs

  Adverbs often tell us what we already know. She ran quickly through the woods. He crept quietly through the window. The ship's horn blasted loudly. In each of these cases, the adverb could be omitted from the sentence…