Valentine’s Day began for me by creating a Valentine card on a legal notepad for Peg. At the breakfast table I sketched the doors in our hallway downstairs and added a personal note. When Peg saw it she said, I hate those doors . . . which I knew of course. The personal note sounded […]
Anticipation and Pay-off – The Essence of Humor?
Mel Brooks says the essence of humor is anticipation and pay-off. If you’ve ever seen his wildly funny films like The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, you know exactly what he means. Actually, there are three parts: the set-up, anticipation, and pay-off. The formula is not fool proof, otherwise we would have many […]
Barbecue Dreams – Franklin BBQ
I was eating Chinese food at the Emerald Queen Convention Center talking to Nathan, a fellow member of the Transportation Club of Tacoma, about trucking. He was listening to the story of my friend Mike who bought his own rig so he could haul goods to wherever he wanted to travel. “I’m going to Austin,” […]
The Habit Burger – Money Making Mill and Grill!
The Habit Burger Grill is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in charbroiled hamburgers and other fast-casual fare. The Habit Burger Grill is one of the fastest-growing fast food chains in the United States. The new Tacoma store on North Pearl is #226. The simple restaurant has a large outside eating area as well […]
Year of the Taiwanese Dog – Excellent Asian Food!
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog, our granddaughter Vanessa and her boyfriend William treated us to lunch at Din Tai Fung in the South Center Mall. This is their favorite restaurant for Taiwanese food. William was born in Taiwan and Vanessa has visited his family there as well. We let […]
Robots Don’t Create Jobs, They Create More Robots
The headline reads: “The robots are coming. Can job retraining and internet access help people stay employed?” I was happy to read in the News Tribune last week that the Washington Legislature is studying the coming loss of jobs: ” . . . some Washington lawmakers have come up with a strategy that they believe […]
Remember the Alamo . . . Why?
The battle of the Alamo took place from February 23, to March 6, 1836. As I understand the history of the Alamo, it is a symbol of . . . well, what is it a symbol of? It was originally a mission, but it isn’t a symbol of religion. In 1821 Stephan Austin took over […]
Restaurant Review – El Malecon de Tacoma
The character Red Green, Canada’s common man, often reminds us “I’m pulling for you” meaning he wants to help. Coming from a small business family background, I like to see small restaurants succeed. Often, however the restaurants themselves don’t do much of their own pulling. Slow service, bad food, and locations that continually have unsuccessful […]
Super Smellers – Skunks and Beyond
“Can’t you smell that?” For years my wife as astounded me with some of the things she says and asks. “uhhh, No,” I usually respond if I respond at all. She could be talking about the kitchen garbage container . . . or something outside . . . or even as we are driving somewhere. […]