Bowled Over By Commercials
I’m glad it’s finally February. For one thing, I can’t remember a January before this last one that I had to turn on the ceiling fan just to be able to sleep comfortably at night.
With any luck, this month will at last bring some more seasonally cold temps and rainfall. But I’ll [...]
Tolerance, Trash, TV & Me
So, where were we? Well, in addition to receiving vitriol-soaked missives attacking me for daring to voice an opinion different from theirs, and – in the name of tolerance and civil dialogue, ironically – demanding the removal of my column from this paper and the silencing of my views (I wonder, [...]
Primetime or Slime Time?
It might surprise some readers, but I’m actually not old enough to have watched original broadcasts during the infamous “golden days” of television. You know, those days when Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s bedroom had two twin beds in it lest viewers get the idea that they actually slept together as husband and [...]
A Great Gift for this Grandpa
Christmas came late to our house. Sure, a couple of weeks ago we did the whole tree and lights and roast beast and piles of presents and visits from the in-laws and exclamations of “We’re never going to do this again!” and Christmas Eve candlelight service and stocking stuffers and [...]
Enough Already
I don’t know about you, but now that there are less than a handful of days left in 2011, I’m more than ready to unceremoniously boot this tired and tattered old year to the curb and welcome in the new one with open arms and high hopes.
What on Sunday morning was a magical mishmash [...]
A Visit from Santa (Anas)
(With my annual apologies to Clement Clarke Moore and a big, honkin’ “Thank you!” to SoCal Edison employees.)
‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the Valley,
The shoppers were combing the stores, streets and alleys.
Looking for last minute bargains and buys,
Before they collapse with a whimper and sighs.
Our [...]
Getting the LED Out At Christmas
It’s beginning to look a lot like … uh, Vegas? Am I the only one who cringes at the glaring, glowing sight of all the new LED-type Christmas lights on houses throughout the neighborhood? They may be more energy efficient (or to put it in the mantra of the moment, [...]
That’s it. I’ve officially changed the lyrics of the classic Christmas song, “Let It Snow” to “Let It Blow”! I’m mean, chill out, Mutha Nature. That Santa Ana event our county weathered last week was nothing short of epic. In my many years here in Southern California, we’ve made the national news several times due [...]
Discounts for Dessert
So are you ready for the big day? Can you believe it’s only one week away? Are you feeling the excitement? Made all your preparations? Ready to consume as much as you possibly can?
If you think I’m writing about the Thanksgiving feast, you are so-o-o-o-o old school. No, I’m referring to the official [...]
Home Is Where the Office Is
Last week I “celebrated” 15 years of self-employment. That word is in quotes because, frankly, the economic freefall of the past few years has hit my industry even harder than most. In the ad biz, it’s common knowledge that when the economy goes south, advertising budgets are the first to [...]
