Opinion

When the syndicated newspaper columnist Art Buchwald died in mid-January, America lost the insights of a man who always looked at the world through the prism of irony.

As a nasty virus made its presence unpleasantly and unmistakably known late last Monday night, I tossed and turned in bed, too miserable to sleep and irritated by a high-pitched, wobbly electrical whine. Although I had noticed it the last few nights, I'd successfully ignored the sound. This night, the whine grated my very last nerve. However, also on this night, on one of my many trips to the bathroom, I discovered the source of the bothersome noise – the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner on its charger – and silenced it.

It is a fact that two words still strike terror in my heart: Valentine's Day. This is not because I don't believe in love and hearts and all. It's just that every Feb. 14 I suffer unfortunate flashbacks to my grade-school days, which, truth be told, occurred lots of decades ago.

RDA Needs to Purchase Blighted Granada Theatre

Struggling sales at Trader Joe's and its desire for a freeway

Some months ago, a friend and colleague called. Her good friend moved out of the country and she was missing someone to go out and play with. So, she asked if I would like to take a Gavilan community education class with her? How about African Caribbean drumming? I have a bad habit of doing things just because certain people ask me to. Just on the basis of my relationship with and trust in someone, I sometimes find myself in the strangest places or doing things I never thought I would have, especially when I myself am in a rut of doing the same old same old.

Keep Donations Coming for Beyond Books Campaign

Dogs that cause life-threatening injuries to humans and other

Once upon a time Hawaii (prior 1960) had a great idea about teacher qualifications. There was only one licensing credential. This basic license was valid for a lifetime. There were no bureaucratic renewal fees, as Hawaii felt that competence was lifelong and didn't suddenly expire. Principals developed and required ongoing teacher improvement.

You know, it's occurred to me that there are some interesting differences between men and women. Yes, I know about the obvious ones, but there are other, more subtle dissimilarities that we don't necessarily think about every day.