Touchdown!

Well, I pulled it off. In fact, I pulled it off today! After threatening to write my first book for quite a few years, I started to dabble in it in 2023. But I saw I was floundering, and so for 2024 I made it my one, Wildly Important Goal – to finish writing the […]

In an earlier era, I was very committed to giving out (and mailing) Christmas cards. I saw them as an opportunity to make a small difference in the life of the person receiving one. Over the years, I’ve gotten lazy in that operation. I give out very few, if any, Christmas cards. It’s not that […]

Building Your Power of Expression Germane, adj. Pronunciation: jərˈmān Meaning: When something is said to be germane, it is relevant to the topic under consideration. Conversely, if something is said to not be germane, the claim is being put forth that what was just said is irrelevant to the subject at hand. Usage: Your point is […]

The hourglass is running on empty, but Uncommon Sense comes through for the first of two December issues! The Self-Development column will school you on a communication flaw you don’t want to be caught doing. The Elephant in the Room column will answer a question from a friend who asked for my take on why […]

People sometimes have their favorite quips to throw out at a moment’s notice. This can happen in many different scenarios: casual conversations, pick up lines when meeting members of the opposite sex (men are usually the guilty ones here), sales pitches, political pitches, you name it. The problem with pre-packaged pitches is that they lack […]

The wife of a close friend of mine, JB (a close friend in her own right) is really disappointed in the recent presidential election results.  Thus, she asked me to address the question: Why is it that so many Christians voted for this loathsome, creepy, villainous character, Donald J. Trump?  (She didn’t word it quite that […]

To all you kitchen connoisseurs, listen up! You know the routine: You are in the kitchen whipping up several different dishes to feed your family or friends. Every so often, you need to quickly sample the various items you are working on – pasta, gravy, stew, vegetable dishes, casseroles, etc. So you grab a kitchen […]

By habit, we often greet each other with the question, “How are you doing?” or some variation thereof (“How are you?” “How are things going?” “What’s going on?” What’s been happening lately?”) We generally don’t ask such questions with absolute seriousness. We’re just being polite. In many instances, we don’t really care how the person […]

Building Your Power of Expression Effusive, adj. Pronunciation: əˈfyo͞osiv Meaning: Any time you are expressing feelings of gratitude, praise, approval, or offering compliments in a way that is unrestrained, deeply heartfelt, or over-the-top, you are being effusive. Usage: She received quite an effusive welcoming upon her return. I couldn’t help it; I gave them effusive praise […]

This issue of Uncommon Sense may be jarring for some. But. . . The Self-Development column will give you a very valuable piece of business wisdom. The Elephant in the Room column will consider a very horrifying possibility, that is, horrifying for patriotic Americans. The From Ara’s Journal column tackles a rather solemn topic. . […]