Back in June I wrote about my two dogs and their ongoing health concerns. If you didn’t read the original post, this probably won’t make much sense. Since that time, Grover has suffered another nearly fatal bout of pancreatitis and endured several more grand mal seizures. His massive daily dose of Phenobarbital is gradually becoming [...]
I’ve taken to walking recently, in part to counteract the inevitable weight gain and the mind numbing boredom that come along with months of unemployment. I try to walk anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours each day, and I’ve developed a favorite route that I take at least 3 times per week. From my [...]
I started this blog in March, primarily to occupy my time while I was unemployed. My original intention was to focus on local economic development issues, but over time I’ve strayed from that path and written about everything from healthcare to introversion. It has provided me with an opportunity to carefully formulate my thoughts on [...]
Even though I have been unemployed for the past six months, the idea of leaving Roanoke to seek opportunities elsewhere has rarely entered my mind. In my younger days I was always prepared to pack up and relocate to take advantage of an opportunity for career advancement. This quest led me to a number of [...]
I took my son to play golf on Saturday, something I’ve been looking forward to since the day he was born. This was a big deal to me for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I truly love the game and I hope that Robert will one day share my enthusiasm. It was also [...]
One of the challenging aspects of my personality type is the fact that my mind bombards me with a constant stream of new ideas. Some are big, some are small, and they are rarely related to one another. I might have an idea for an entirely new product or service one day, and a unique [...]
Even though I started this blog purely as a means of self-expression, I’ve begun to feel guilty whenever I go for more than a couple of days without posting. It’s not as if I’m getting paid for doing this, or anyone out there is just dying to know what I’ll have to say next. I [...]
I’ve always defended Bill Gates whenever anyone criticized Microsoft for it’s virtual monopoly in PC operating systems and desktop applications. I remember the days before MS-DOS and Microsoft Office, and the total lack of standards made it virtually impossible to share documents with anyone who wasn’t on the same system. One of the major reasons [...]
Recently I’ve become fascinated observing the way my son interacts with other children. At the age of three, he is developing distinctive personality traits that remind me of myself, and it leaves me wondering whether personality types can be inherited. Thanks to Mr. Mendel and his peas, we have a pretty complete understanding of the [...]
During all of the years that my wife and I tried unsuccessfully to have a child, we were one of those couples who lavished all their attention on dogs. My sister once told me I wouldn’t love them the same way once we had a “real” child. I refused to believe her at the time, [...]