By BEN GRABOW, Scripps Howard News Service
Powerless in the Midwest
Attention, coastal dwellers: Are you tired of weathering the hurricane season?Have the constant threats of mass evacuation, supply hoarding and weeks without basic utilities convinced you to abandon your condos and town homes? Perhaps a move to the Midwest seems like a pretty good idea.
I'm beginning to get the 'old' attitude
One of the surest signs of approaching age is the desire to wake up early. Unfortunately, as my aching joints often demonstrate, desire and ability are two very different things.
Understanding the tech-savvy natives
Imagine you've just stepped off the proverbial boat -- an old-world immigrant to a new land. You hardly speak the language; you're completely ignorant of the customs and conventions. You are greeted by a nephew, born in this new country, who has come to guide you from the dock.
Marrying into a rowing family requires certain skills
It's the nation's oldest collegiate sport, yet it's rarely televised, barely sponsored and thoroughly misunderstood. But then, nobody really tailgates at a regatta.
Not the right time to have a dog
I don't need a dog.Nobody, really, needs a dog. Some people might have special service dogs, but the same work could be done by any number of other animals with the right training. It takes patience to have a seeing-eye cat, but it can't be impossible.
Being a world-class athlete costs a pretty penny
Money can't buy me love, but it can certainly put a dent in my 50-yard freestyle.
A time for drastic action
Summertime, and the living is expensive.Food and energy costs are skyrocketing. Gasoline is blowing budgets everywhere and shows no intention of easing.Obviously, it's time for drastic action. Luckily, there are a few simple steps that you can take -- in the comfort of your air-conditioned car, no less -- to combat the costs.
A naked plea to empathy
Fed up with network commercials? We empathize. We really do.As a non-cable household, we watch a lot of network television. And in watching a lot of network television, we watch a lot of commercials. A (begin ital) lot (end ital) of commercials. Far more than the recommended daily allowance of commercials.
Remembering how to run
They say that you never forget how to ride a bicycle. The same sentiment does not apply to running.It seems difficult to forget something as simple as running. It is, after all, the same walking motion we make every day, only faster and in a silly outfit. But while your mind, in its deepest aging recesses, may recall running, you body does not.
