Archive for March 2020

Testing, Puzzles, and COVID Haikus. Two Misses and a Hit

Like at all times, there are ups and there are downs. Miss #1:  We Could Be Testing, Yeah! Our laboratory is still open, and we came so close to being able to do some COVID testing. As I wrote last year, we planned on entering the field of molecular microbiology (MM), a relatively new technique to... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 31, 2020 at 8:04 am • 

Are You Waiting For Our YouTube Debut? I Am!

You’ve seen them on YouTube and Facebook by the hundreds. Average people, people like you and me, confined with their partners or all alone in houses and apartments across the country, diving deep into their inner souls and belting out tunes. Show tunes, pop songs, operas, inspiring gospel, and, parody songs that bring some lightness... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 28, 2020 at 1:07 pm • 

Haiku for Our Times: COVID 19 Edition

        Sometimes 17 syllables are all you need–or all you can say. Overwhelming COVID Virus I look for it on Google Find 10 billion hits. Interconnection The world is not flat Despite Thomas L. Friedman It’s a petri dish. Leading Rick Grimes is gone Don’t need him for a hero No zombies are here.... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 20, 2020 at 7:20 am • 
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Biden and Sanders Serenade

    To the tune of Frere Jacques, with apologies to Allan Sherman Joe Biden: Bernie Sanders, Bernie Sanders How are you? How are you? Your numbers are all fading Your chances are degrading What to do? What to do? Bernie Sanders: Joseph Biden, Joseph Biden What’s with you? What’s with you? You romped in... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 18, 2020 at 7:43 am • 

Shopping to the Apocalypse

I could have been answering trivia questions at that dark and somewhat creepy bar in Dundee. I could have been at home hunched over a crossword puzzle with Grace and Frankie fighting in the background. But instead, there I was, fighting for a parking spot in the jam-packed parking lot of Woodman’s Food Market, our favorite weekly stock-up... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 13, 2020 at 7:23 am • 

An Open Letter to Our Son--The New Coach

Michael, You have nailed it. One of your life goals, something you told us many years ago when you were childless and single was that at age 35 you wanted to be coaching your son or daughter in baseball. And now at exactly 35 you have been approved to coach H’s local rec league team. It... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 12, 2020 at 6:39 am • 
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Back to the Alley-Getting Bowled Over

Barb hates bowling alleys. She probably doesn’t feel great about pool halls either, but she definitely hates bowling alleys. The ones she remembers are filled with smoke, sticky with spilled beer, and smelly from all those recycling bowling shoes. Not to mention those awful polyester bowling shirts that were once the vogue. The net result... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 10, 2020 at 7:04 am • 

Joe Biden, I Feel Your Pain. I Get Tongue Tied Too!

The dust may be starting to settle. Potential candidates are dropping like flies, and only the two old white guys remain. The ladies-gone. The minorities-gone. The LGBTQ-gone. Any mixture of the above-gone. So I have to consider my options. Do I like the shouting grampa or the bumbling grampa? If both are still sticking around (and... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 9, 2020 at 6:38 am • 

Hillary Clinton Still Has It

Who remembers Netscape?  In 1994, it was the first successful Internet browser, opening the World Wide Web to millions of newbies. Its dominance was short, as it was soon supplanted by the evil genius of Microsoft and Internet Explorer. And how about Myspace? Once upon a time, it was the social media site, with millions of users. Along came... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 5, 2020 at 6:54 am • 
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John Mulaney Says Middle Aged Men Don't Make Friends--OK, Boomer

Usually, if you want to learn some truths about yourself, you look in the mirror. But sometimes, your daily insight comes from an unexpected source. On a rare occasion, it might even come from Saturday Night Live. John Mulaney, a 37-year-old comedian and former writer for SNL was the guest host on the show last weekend. He... Read more »
By lesraff,
March 4, 2020 at 8:12 am •