Sue me, I like lists. Screw me, I'm a sucker for end-of-year wrap-ups. Still, putting together a Favorite OS Posts of 2009 briefly threw me into a "Sophie's Choice" panic. Too morbid and dramatic? Well, yeah. Maybe.

But hang on. Writing is sacred to me ... and to most of… Read full post »

"I got odor in special places," construction worker on Aspray ad

Well yeah, we all got odors. One man's answer got me sniffing with distain, until I started gagging. It's Doc Bottoms Aspray, advertised with possibly the worst infomercial in the history of the world. And that's saying s… Read full post »

Saturday Night, Dec 19, 10 PM  (Not a blurry pic, a natural whiteout).


Unless you've been living in a cave, you know the Eastern Seaboard got clobbered by a massive snowstorm this weekend.

The more South, the more snow. DC and Philly, two feet. NY and Boston, about a foot.… Read full post »

Company Memo

FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director

TO: All Employees

DATE: December 7, 2009

RE: Gala Christmas Party

I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place December 23rd starting at noon at the Grill House. There will be a cash bar and plenty of… Read full post »

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. Just for the record, Hanukkah is a relatively minor religious Jewish holiday. But it's a major commemoration of historic triumph over tyranny and a joyous… Read full post »

After you watch this, come read my post:  Watergate, Carl Bernstein, The Smothers Brothers and Me

Woodward and Bernstein @The Washington Post (UPI / Bettmann)

"Carl’s a phenomenal jitterbugger. At parties in high school, we danced together. ... if I saw him in the nursing home and somebody put on Bill Haley, we could get up and do it again." Annie Groer, Washington Post reporter

Read full post »

 

Marketing experts know that generally speaking, there's a shopping gender gap. Women tend to enjoy shopping. Some know exactly what they want, get in and get out. Many find a leisurely browse, even if they buy little, quite satisfying.

Men typically dislike shopping. They become bore… Read full post »

               

Here’s a hypothetical question for you: If Tiger Woods had given an interview about his alleged sexual dalliances to a cable channel Tuesday night, would more people have watched that than the president’s networ… Read full post »

I've been reading articles all week about how to "cope" with Thanksgiving. I don't get it. This is by far the coolest --and warmest-- holiday of the year.

Thanksgiving is a paid day (or two) off from work and school. It's secular, non-dressy, no gifts are even involved.

The whole… Read full post »

I told my personal JFK Assassination story last year. Most of us of a certain age have a story. Certainly a sense of the huge divide between Then and Now.

One interesting note in the "art imitates life" category: my story revolves around a wedding. Just as the recent… Read full post »

So many movies, so little time, not nearly enough quotes. Still, this video is amazing. There isn't a movie in here that doesn't have more than its share of memorable lines.

As good as it is, there are plenty of great movies and quotes omitted.
Find the time… Read full post »

 

Wait. Hold on! This is not about Freaky Troll. I would never be so brazen. It's about Friday the 13th, just another calendar day, but one that people have feared for centuries.  Witches. Spells. Black cats. Bad luck.

I'm here to counter those fears with some funny freaky photos. If… Read full post »

 Getty Images

Everybody's talking about the horror at Fort Hood. I don't know if Major Nidal Malik Hasan is an agent of the Taliban or a deeply troubled man. 

I do know that anyone associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or with the soldiers who have fought there,… Read full post »

"You can't win them all." Connie Mack

My heart is broken but my head is unbowed. Go ahead, laugh, mock, whatever. But if you do, I'll know you really don't get it.

When you live in a sports town like Philly (or Boston or Chicago) whose fans view… Read full post »

 Here's the best way to spend Halloween...

 You know you’re too old to Trick or Treat when:

10. You keep knocking on your own front door.

"Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world." Babe Ruth

Babe, bubela, you and me both. And, Oh. My. God. My Phillies are in the World Series. Again.

The trash talk is everywhere, but that's okay. It's uniquely baseball. Uniquely East Coast… Read full post »

This real sign, at the entrance of, let's say, Virtual Salon HQ, quite possibly strikes a universal note. What do you think?

This could be a great opportunity for a weekend Open Call. What's the best sign you've ever seen for OS?

  Read full post »

WE DID IT! NLCS CHAMPS, GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES BACK TO BACK.

+++RYAN HOWARD IS THE NLCS MVP AGAIN.+++

HERE'S MY COOL STORY ABOUT MEETING THIS VERY COOL GUY. 

Game One, NLCS, 2009...

"Why is it there are so many nice guys… Read full post »

Below is the result of a writing assignment given by an English professor from the University of Colorado. A “tandem story” was to be written by two students, one male, one female.

The story was to be compiled in alternating paragraphs via email, with CC’s to… Read full post »

“I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me.” Jimmy Carter

It starts with sex. Somehow it always seems that way, doesn’t it? Well, sex or hate. Either means… Read full post »

 UPDATE: LETTERMAN'S FULL DESCRIPTION

"I'm motivated by nothing but guilt. If you know anything about me, I am just a towering mass of Luthern, Midwestern guilt." David Letterman     

Yes, his revelations Thursday night were stunning and handled with David Let… Read full post »

Bruce Springsteen Live: brucespringsteen.net

"Manhattan is a narrow island off the coast of New Jersey devoted to the pursuit of lunch." Raymond Sokolov

Yes, it's true. Deal with it. The Boss is a Boomer. Just turned 60. And is still a Force Of Nature. Many of us believe it's… Read full post »