Category Archives: blog snax

Poor Thomas

Posted on by under blog snax, Generic Rant

A BlogSnax© post

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a poor guy named Thomas. I don’t know his last name; he probably didn’t have one. But we all know his “first name”, which also turns out to be his claim to infamy:

Doubting

Yes, I’m talking about the Thomas in the Bible, chapter 20 of the Gospel of John, to be more precise. (Verses 24 through 29, to be even more precise. This is worth reading. Seriously.) As a result of the fact that he didn’t (at first) believe that Jesus had risen from the dead (would you?) he has been labeled “Doubting Thomas” for all of CE human history.

Now that’s just not fair.

Imagine if you were named based on the worst thing you ever did. Think about it. We’d be surrounded by…

  • Drunk Driving John
  • Sleazy Mary
  • Tax Cheat Phil
  • Swindler Suzy

Never mind if you rehabilitate yourself as Thomas did. You’re stuck with that miserable moniker as long as you live and, if Tom is any model, forever.

What would your nickname be???

Thank you for reading,
Lying Rick

More word weirdness

Posted on by under blog snax, Generic Rant

A BlogSnax© post

A few observations on the vagaries of the English language and our (mis)use thereof.

Why is imply a word but exply, meaning to say something directly, is not?

Giving and taking are opposite actions but caregivers and caretakers do essentially the same things.

And while we’re on the subject of words, let’s just eliminate the word literally, okay? It’s way overused, yet generally used in only two contexts: one when people mean the exact opposite (“It literally blew my mind!”) and one when it’s superfluous (“It’s literally the same thing.”).

Get rid of literally and we’ll have room for exply.

My recommended innovation

Posted on by under blog snax, Generic Rant

A BlogSnax© post

Here’s an innovation that car manufacturers need to implement and the sooner the better. It’s kind of like intermittent wipers. But this is way better because it’s also an accessibility feature. Are you ready for it?

Volume control for blinkers.

Like a lot of Boomers who went to one (or way) too many concerts, my hearing isn’t entirely up to snuff. As a result, if my blinkers don’t go off automatically, as is often the case on turns of less than 90°, they stay on indefinitely, confusing other drivers.

There you have it. Get to work Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, and the rest of you guys.

A Tale of Two Blogs

Posted on by under blog snax, photos

A dear relative of mine has a blog which I’ve just begun following. There are significant differences between his and my contributions to the blogosphere:

  • His is erudite and engaging while mine is scatterbrained and scattershot.
  • He has insight into the workings of our government and culture. I barely know the workings of my household.
  • His posts sometimes make the news. I don’t even watch the news.
  • His blog has real followers. Mine is followed by people who feel sorry for me and those who are trying to leverage my blog to widen the reach of their own networks—the joke’s on them. There is scant but semi-legitimate evidence that one or two people actually read these ramblings.
  • His latest post is an insider’s analysis of the actions of a nationally known figure that could impact all our lives for better or worse. My latest post has two goofy pictures:
A piece of celery doing an impression of a floppy inflatable tube man…
…and a Terracotta warrior about to have lunch (or maybe attack?!?) using red plastic utensils.

You decide: Which is making a more important and indelible contribution to society? I think we all know the answer but let’s keep it to ourselves. I wouldn’t want that poor fellow to be aggrieved by the harsh truth. 😉

Christmas Profile

Posted on by under blog snax, Generic Rant

A multi-talented friend of mine made this sketch about a hundred years ago, give or take fifty. Recently, I unearthed it from deep in my archives. It deserves exposure so that it might perhaps prompt meaningful Christmas reflection for some amidst all the Santas, reindeer, and hyper-consumerism of this faux joyous season.

Like it or not, Jesus is in fact the reason for the season.

May you be blessed by Him this Christmas and always.

Newsletter time!

Posted on by under About writing, blog snax

If you’re reading this blog, perhaps you’d like to subscribe to my newsletter as well. Even though it’s 75% shameless self-promotion, something for which I’m justifiably famous (or infamous—the difference between the two has been lost in these days of ethical and moral ambiguity) there are occasional tidbits to entertain or make you think. For example, in the latest edition, released just this week, there is a mutant lobster story! Where else are you gonna see that?!?

To subscribe, visit the bottom of the welcome page of this blog (for your convenience, you can reach it here) and enter your email address in the box at the end of the article. Hey, it only comes out twice a year. Whaddya got to lose?

That’s all from here for now.

The place to run out of gas…

Posted on by under blog snax, photos

A BlogSnax© post

No time for a full length post but here’s a picture worth checking out. If you ever run out of gas on a quiet country road, this is the one you want to be on.

What’s this pump doing in the middle of nowhere? Good question. If you figure it out, tell me. Also, if you can identify the location, put it in the comments. I’ll try to come up with a prize for the first person who comes close. General or specific is fine. Hint: It truly is in the middle of nowhere… or at least on the outskirts of it.

It Had To Be… that song again

Posted on by under blog snax, Generic Rant, Movies

A BlogSnax© post

I saw a new (2024) movie last week. It was otherwise forgettable but one thing sticks with me. A character in the movie sang the song, “It Had To Be You”. It’s a good, venerable old song—first published in 1924, Happy Birthday!—but the time has come to declare a moratorium on it. According to Wikipedia, between its first use in a short film in 1936 and today, no less than 27 movies, shorts, TV shows, and even cartoons, have used it.

After hearing it in great movies such as When Harry Met Sally and Annie Hall, most any other use will pale by comparison. So give it up. Find another song or, better yet, write a new good song.

(Continuing the BlogSnax to maximize writing time on the new book, which is coming along great.)