Damper Three

  The Weapons of Fate.   How fare thee, ye latte-swilling travelers? Have ye done well since last we met? I wish I could say my fortunes were high, but of late I fear that the thoughts of sovereignty are weighing upon my crowned head, as lately I’ve been more gigantic melancholy than mirth. What is the meaning of it all? Are we just dust in the wind? Are we just dragon dung to be trodden beneath some scaly feet? King Mike-Noh the Ambivalent Allow me to explain my somber mood. Some weeks ago, my nephew, Prince Vivanious, was in a battle with, at best, an acolyte wizard. The bearded freak knew maybe three or four spells off the top of his head, the rest he had to pull from scrolls.   Vivanious should have been able to clobber him with a single swipe of the trusty Mace of Maganar in one hand while he munched on some banged grains with the other. But a seeming fluke occurred. Vivanious swung that mace and missed in spectacular fashion. He not only missed the hobbyist magician, he mis

The 1970s and 1980s had a lot of awesome television cops, detectives, and heroes of all sorts. And each of these were known for a variety of weapons, cars, and assorted tools of the trade. But nearly as important for some - at least as far as fans are concerned - was the catch phrases. An episode often didn't feel complete unless a couple familiar words were uttered. Here, you get to vote from among the best, who had the ultimate catch phrase? Cool Columbo art from http://www.prawny.me.uk/      

Use a SQL database or Excel spreadsheet to track ways to teach kids how to do things the old-fashioned way. The world today is moving too fast and the first ones to suffer from it are our children. They spend their time in front of a screen instead of learning from their parents.  They are on their phones, or tablets, or TVs,  or YouTube.  There isn't enough personal time spent communicating with other humans. I read all about this the other day as I ate some chips for supper with my kids in the living room while streaming their favorite show.  Or it was my favorite show. But we were eating chips. In the overstuffed chair. I think it was their favorite show because I was reading that article, and not looking at the TV screen. But they were kettle chips.  Vinegar and dill, my favorite. And I was in the chair. They were on the couch. Or floor or something Anyway,  it, the article not the TV,  said that parents need to sit down to dinner with their kids,  which was why I had the