Monday, August 19, 2024
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Personal Things
PERSONAL THINGS
Finding something I wrote to her one Mother's Day.
Attitude With A Side Of Grr
Showing gratitude without completely being grateful.
Bravery
The story of an ill-advised road trip.
Capitol Buildings
My journey to visit each one.
Chronicles Of A Coffee Shop
Unsatisfying visits to a place I'd been looking for.
(Last update: January 13, 2026)
It Is What It Is
Journal-like writings during my father's fatal illness.
Memorial For Someone I Should Have Met
The unconventional way I went to a wake and felt weird about doing so.
My Tattoos
A rated-PG guide to the ink that's permanently on my body.
My Theory
What happened surrounding my mother's suicide.
Reflections On Vagabonding
Wishing I had done more during my 20+ months of aimlessness.
The Greaving Mother
An insane woman accused 12-year-old me of something awful.
The Most Meat-Heady Thing I've Ever Experienced
Unnecessary testosterone almost ruined a good time.
Turn The Paige
The unbearable obligation of talking to strangers.
Opinions & Rants
OPINIONS & RANTS
Analysis of a
Catholic church's ridiculous newsletter.
The world might be
more peaceful if people were not so confident.
What I think of your baby. But not really. Or something.
A simple sandwich just might represent peace.
A dramatic argument that going out to eat is awful.
Many ways in which a particular mammal is far superior to a certain
bird.
Why the world would benefit from cemeteries being eliminated.
Encouragement to think critically and look beyond what you are first told.
Lesser-known but disturbing tales from The Good Book.
The dissection of a common nice gesture.
A brief history of time (not that one) discussing how days and years
came to be and the silliness of Daylight Saving Time.
A fake advertisement for candles.
A bunch of sad realities and the introduction of Giffyblap.
An essay on evil people with a correlation to poop.
A simple expression and nice gesture lead to chaotic rage.
Factual Articles
FACTUAL ARTICLES
I strive for accuracy and always use at least 2-3 sources before adding something. If you spot an error, please comment at the bottom of the appropriate page.
A basic how-to attempting to clear up confusion.
Where their names come from, weird laws they have, and more.
Explanations of all its parts.
The origins of common holidays.
Basic information on some of the oldest schools in the United States.
A list of officially-protected areas.
Where we live, what surrounds us, and just how huge the Sun is.
A list of unused "conversation starters".
Important and/or interesting facts about the American presidency, Electoral College, and each commander-in-chief.
Definitions and origins of common phrases and words.
Comparing and contrasting common things, such as frogs/toads, tsunamis/tidal waves, and religious denominations.
The fourteen ancient and modern architectural wonders of the world.
VIDEOS
Here are some videos I have been in and/or worked on. Enjoy!
Literal Pigskin Picks
For the 2019-20 NFL season, I made a series of increasingly silly videos picking winners based on the teams' names. It was accompanied by a since-removed tally of all picks. (Weeks 7 and 8 have gone missing for some reason.)
Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, Week 13, Week 14, Week 15, Week 16, Week 17, Playoffs Week 1, Super Bowl
BONUS
2020 Mock Mock Draft
BONUS
2020 Mock Mock Draft
I Never Sausage A Hot Dog
My friend Mark loves hot dogs and I've filmed him discussing different styles and interviewing restaurant owners.
Open
A series where I tell honest stories and share information.
Random
A lonely man comes to terms with his inner rabbit.
A man dressed as Eeyore confronts an intruder.
An instructional video that's humorous and/or boring.
A group of men wants a woman to lick the meat.
Some pictures of me looking lost while vagabonding, set to a song by The Beatles.
A guy runs around in a kilt, screams, and slaps people.
A guy runs around in a kilt, screams, and slaps people... but in a different location.
Parody of a scene from The Shining for a friend's brewery.
Poetry
Poetry
Know how most poetry is awful, especially when written during high school and college times? I don't claim that mine is an exception but maybe there's a line or two that is interesting. We'll see.
(Not to worry- I won't ever update this.)
Enjoy!
Sorrow & Things You Never Knew
Saturday, August 17, 2024
What Does That Mean?
What Does That Mean?
What is a gift horse? How can a fiddle be fit? Is a dead ringer the same as a spitting image?
Below are links to common expressions and words, their meanings, and their often-curious origins.
Many have been translated through the centuries and the original connotations
are disputed. Keeping that uncertainty in mind, I have chosen the most reasonable and/or interesting explanations.
To suggest more things, use the comments section below!
Current words/phrases: 454
***NEWEST ADDITIONS***
January 26, 2026:
goat rodeo, grasping at straws, manifest destiny, Roger (military word), space cadet, tricks of the trade
goat rodeo, grasping at straws, manifest destiny, Roger (military word), space cadet, tricks of the trade
ain't, bought the farm, catch-22 + many others
don't look a gift horse in the mouth, et cetera, fifteen minutes of fame + many others
gas-lighting, happy as a clam, in a nutshell + many others
Jesus H. Christ, kick the bucket, loose lips sink ships + many others
mayday, neck of the woods, Oedipus complex + many others
pardon my French, quitting cold turkey, raining cats & dogs + many others
saved by the bell, the bee's knees, under the weather + many others
vice versa, wiggle room + some others
SOURCES
Google, The Phrase Finder, Mental Floss,
Etymonline, idiomorigins.org, Grammarist, Wikipedia.org, wordhistories.net, spellingbee.com,
Reader’s Digest, Take Our Word For It,
The Conversation,
Collins Dictionary, Inverse.com, HistoryNewsNetwork.org, VeryWellMind.com, Grammarphobia.com, Urban Dictionary, Say Why Do I, Greek Boston, GreekMythology.com, Insider.com, Snopes.com,
Almanac.com, US Dairy, WritingExplained.com, Bored Panda, The Hindu, U.S. Department Of Defense, Social Security Administration, MirandaRights.org,
USCourts.gov, Calemon Law, U.S. Naval Institute, smarty.com, laurenkessler.com, fda.gov,
Saint Louis Magazine, heart.org, International Committee Of The Red Cross, American Battlefield Trust, flagladyusa.com
A Letter To My Mom
While going
through some papers, I came across a letter I apparently wrote to my mom for
Mother’s Day in 2013. I don’t remember writing it, nor what her reaction was. She
lived in Florida and had recently divorced my step-dad. This was a few weeks
before she moved in with me, the then-owner of the house she bought with my
dad. (Odd situation.) I found that all interesting, so here it is:
12 May,
2013
Mom-
First off,
I am very proud of you. I know that’s not normally something said from a son,
but it is the truth. I hate that you had to come to such a decision about Ken,
but I definitely think it’s the right move for you. I’d been saying for a while
that you had to be selfish and put your own needs ahead of everyone else’s, so
it was a big relief for me when you had made a final choice, I hope the process
goes as easily as possible and of course I will continue supporting you in any
way I can.
Secondly, thank
you. I know I’ve thanked you before, but no amount of times could ever be
enough. I wouldn’t be me without so much love, understanding, and encouragement.
And I’m pretty awesome, so you must have done something right! You’ve been
there for me every step of every way and it means so much because I know there
are mothers who are not nearly as great as you.
Now that
our situations are shifting, we’ll need each other possibly more than ever. It won’t
be easy for either of us, though we both need to change things and move along. I’ll
certainly never stop being your son and now I’d like to become more of a friend
to you. You’ve told me many things over the years (some, perhaps, could be classified
as T.M.I.) but for no real reason, I’ve held back from being so open with you. I’m
not saying I have a secret life you don’t know about, but I recall you saying
something like you don’t really know me. It shouldn’t be that way. I’m not the
most forthcoming person, but I want to erase that feeling from you. We’ve been
through so much that it would be insane for either of us to hold back at this
point.
To get
that idea rolling, there actually is one thing I’ve kept from you and, again, I
don’t really know why. I’m pregnant. Well no, but I wrote a journal of sorts while
my dad was sick to record events and help me get out things I couldn’t fully express
to anyone. I compiled it all into a long, quite sad but I think moving and
well-written memoir. It’s a heavy read, especially since you were so involved with
the situation, so I’ll e-mail it to you whenever you’re ready. I am sorry for
not having shared it with you already.
For one
more thing, a big concern I have about you is this negativity that comes out
somewhat often. I know I can be cynic extraordinaire, but I think we handle it
differently. Your childhood was unimaginably difficult and two marriages did
not exactly go according to plan. These are not happy things, but my wish is
that you grow from these experiences instead of holding onto and dwelling on
them as you sometimes do. Good and bad events shape us equally and you wouldn’t
be who you are today without them. You are a warm, funny, intelligent,
beautiful person and a terrific mother. You’ve got lots of time left and I’d
hate to see it wasted thinking about rotten things from the past. I also think
your physical health would benefit from more positive thoughts. There should be
more happy discussions. The other day, when you called with the wonderful news
about Uncle Vic meeting with Michael, I was so glad to hear genuine happiness
in your voice. We both need more of that!
I hope you
appreciate this letter in lieu of a “gift” today. I felt it was more appropriate
than a card someone else wrote or a present you might not use. Besides, with
your allergic reactions to jewelry, your aversion to flowers and chocolate, and
your difficulty with reading books, I couldn’t think of anything else to send
you! But I guess another Que Pasta dinner wouldn’t hurt.
You are
the best. Please continue to be so and I will do my part to make our relationship
stronger.
I love
you. Happy Mother’s Day.
~Rob(bie)
AFTERWORD
26 January, 2026: ‘Terrific’ was the wrong adjective. Horror – horrific. Terror
– terrific? Doesn’t make sense. And since I’m always all about making sense, I
should have gone with ‘excellent’.
What's The Difference?
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
These continually-updated lists explain the differences between commonly confused things.
Comment at the bottom of this page to suggest things you are too lazy to look up yourself. I would be glad to do that work for you.
...
Newest differences
(updated October 4th, 2024)
dinner/supper, Iceland/Greenland, highway/freeway/++++ (Common Things)
typical/stereotypical (Grammar)
Virgin Mary/Mary Magdalene (People)
cherubim/seraphim (Religion)
...
Examples: alligator/crocodile, insect/bug, turtle/tortoise
COMMON THINGS
Examples: country/nation, concrete/cement, jail/prison
GRAMMAR
Examples: country/nation, concrete/cement, jail/prison
GRAMMAR
Examples: farther/further, infamous/notorious, your/you're
Examples: half/step siblings, LGBTQ+, psychopath/sociopath
Examples: Amish/Mennonites, Sunni/Shia, branches of Christianity
Examples: asteroid/meteor, metric/imperial, special/general relativity
SOURCES
Google, Mental Floss, Wikipedia, Kestrel Meters, Diffen, National Oceanic
& Atmospheric Administration, Encyclopedia
Brittanica, Family Search, Garden Design, National Snow&
Ice Data Center, Quora, PBS, Learn Religions, History, My Jewish Learning, BBC, Grammarist, The Atlantic, The Phrase Finder, Thought Co., Criminal Defense
Lawyer, Space.com, Clark Exterminating
Company, Arizona State
University, American Museum of
Natural History, Online Etymology
Dictionary, The Mayo Clinic, Understanding
Dwarfism, Sciencing, Grammarly, Vice.com, Library of Congress, Bon Appetit, North Carolina Sweet
Potatoes, National Center for
Biotechnological Information, National Health
Service (UK), Senate.gov, CNN.com, Spark Notes, MIT School of
Engineering, Worldstandards.eu, Oscars.org, Emmys.com, TonyAwards.com, Outright
International, Forces.net, GoodYearBlimp.com, Greenbelly Meals, American Museum of Natural History; Utah Geological Survey, www.gotquestions.org
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)