Shortly after I started blogging back in 2017, a friend suggested I start a podcast. I understand why. At the time, podcasts were beginning to take off. Popular ones like Joe Rogan’s and Barstool Sports were drawing huge audiences and reportedly making millions of dollars each month. I didn’t start a podcast because I didn’t…
Author: Steve Ainslie
Sometimes You Can’t Walk Away
I caught up with an old friend recently. He’s going through some major issues with his family. I won’t detail them here other than to say they involve in-laws, exes, a stepchild and behavior problems. It’s ugly. Courts have been involved. Police have been involved. CYS has been involved. The situation doesn’t seem to be…
Tangled Up In Blue
When I was growing up, I loved the color blue. I wore blue jeans and blue T shirts. I painted my bedroom blue. I never tired of looking up at beautiful blue skies or seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains when we went on road trips. At some point, I stopped liking blue. Eventually, my color…
The Cheapest Customer Support
After upgrading my iPhone to IOS 16, I could no longer use my phone for calls or texts. I use Visible for my cell service. One of the trade-offs for Visible’s low price is that you can only get support via their website, user forums and tech support chat. Naturally, all of the troubleshooting options…
No Free Lunch
My mom told me she just got a new iPhone from T-Mobile. This is her 3rd new iPhone in 3 years and she’s not a techie-nerd. She’s retired and uses her phone for calls, texting, Facebook, Words with Friends and watching TV. I asked her why she got a new phone since her old one…
The R Word
I stopped using the word “retarded” as an insult about 10 years ago. Up until then, I thought it was a clever, irreverent and funny way to describe when someone did something dumb. Back then, social norms regarding what is a slur vs. what is everyday language was beginning to shift. (More accurately, I think…
Not A Team Player
In school, I hated when we had team projects because nobody on my team would work the way I did. I always ended up having to work more to carry them and cover what I considered their mediocre, half-assed efforts. In gym class, I was never the “team captain”. I was a fat, un-athletic kid…
Root Reality
Occasionally when I am eating dinner, I’ll crunch down on a bone fragment that was hidden in the ground beef. Sometimes I’ll feel a piece of my molar break off. Other times, I think, “Oh shit…I hope I didn’t crack my tooth on that.” I’m pretty sure my first root canal a few years ago…
Born An Old Man
My wife used to tell me I was an old soul. I liked that. I always felt that I was more mature than my peers. I had to be. For me, being an old soul is more than taking on responsibilities at an early age. It’s a core part of who I am. I was…
Redecorating
I have been replacing the impressionistic landscape paintings on my wall with my recently painted urban sketching watercolors. I like to study my recent paintings as a way to see what’s working and what’s not. Plus, it’s a nice change of scenery on my walls. I’ve pretty much run out of wall space with over…