Intentionally Vicarious: Having more fun than anyone else you know!

I just finished up the first cruise of my lifetime, an 11-day extravaganza from Anchorage to Vancouver on the Crystal Symphony. Customer service like I've never experienced before.

I tried really, really hard to not get cynical about this debate over including a question about U.S. citizenship on the upcoming U.S. Census. I failed.

Going 10 miles per hour under the speed limit when in the passing lane? YOU are that guy !

In the midst of a recent political conversation, the question of what are the most widely misunderstood political concepts surfaced. In my book, the world champion in this regard is Democracy. Americans in particular, I think, for the most part - get it very wrong.

Sometimes I wonder if any of all those qualifications listed on LinkedIn really matter...

Albert Einstein, arguably one of the smartest, most intelligent people ever once said... "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know."  When you spout your opinions do you think about this perspective?

I've made more than my share of mistakes and have been wrong enough times about enough different things to realize I need to eat a healthy portion of good old humble pie on a regular basis.

It's not unusual for me to get a quizzical look or a blank stare when I talk about my annual bicycle trip. For me, 10 days pedaling around some European countryside is downright glorious!

Remember Ronald Reagan's nine most terrifying words in the English language???

I was shaking my head, wondering why on earth I watched an hour of TV news shows last night. ..

I hated piano lessons as a kid. My quest to re-start is a whole different kind of challenge.

Why would you complain about something that 1) will never go away, and 2) is a good thing? Would you really prefer the STUPID version of EVERYTHING?

Who says building a castle in the air is a waste of time??? Huh? Who?

The politicians' level of deceit about debt is going to rock you back in your chair. If we took literally every single dollar in existence in the universe today, and used it to pay down the federal debt, we'd still be short $8.5 Trillion. We owe more dollars than there are dollars!

Simple vs. complex. Which is better? How are they related?

Answer "Yes" or "No" - It makes sense for Congress to pass a law that would instantly convert someone in 43% of U.S. households into a felon.

General George S. Patton knew a thing or two about leadership. Listen up!

Why do our politicians constantly mislead, mischaracterize and deceive? Because we INSIST they do so. We constantly demand they do stuff, but DO NOT make us pay.

Ever considered that maybe you didn't actually solve anything? But instead just got tired of thinking?

Yes, politicians do indeed LOVE to spend more and more money and to disguise the fact that they're doing so. BUT... Are We The People pretty much demanding that they do both?

David Hannum hated P.T. Barnum's guts. What he said backfired!

"Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die." That's what Colonel Crosby O himself would advise. I think you need to heed his advice.

Ah yes! Another $500 word from dictionary.com

The feeling that government has grown larger than is good for the country and continues to grow unabated is anything but new. I am far from alone in decrying Big government. I also recognize that not everyone agrees with me about the too-bigness of the Feds, so I decided to try to figure out a way for all of us to get a better feel for just how big, big actually is.

If it was somebody other than Yogi Berra that said this, that sombody was channeling Yogi!