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This week, five months after having my molar extracted, my jaw had healed enough that I could have an implant abutment installed. Without getting too deep into the technical details, basically, a titanium screw was screwed into my jawbone. This “screw” is hollow with threads to accept another screw inside of it. Then a small…

Most of my recurring nightmares have ceased since I tried this thought exercise 5 months ago. Instead of having bizarre, hallucinatory bad dreams, I now have mostly mundane dreams where I’m having perfectly normal conversations with acquaintances who are in my life today. We talk about things I see when walking the dogs. We talk…

My wife died 8 months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was a smoker her entire life. There is no doubt in my mind that cigarettes contributed to her death. But we all know this, right? After all, there have been warnings printed in tiny print on cigarette packs in the US since 1965…

My Tilley Safari Hat, pictured below, is covered in stains from sweat, dirt, fingerprints and various debris. It’s my oldest hat and one of my favorites. I bought my first Tilley in 2006 after relocating back to Florida from Pittsburgh for the 2nd time. I was looking for a beach hat when I stumbled across…

I googled my former stepfather the other day. My search revealed that he is still alive, around 80 years old and owns a house within a few miles of where we once lived. I also came across his profile on LinkedIn, which included what I assume is a fairly recent headshot. His picture brought back…

A few days ago when dropping off a package at the post office, I saw a car had broken down at the busy intersection alongside the post office parking lot. It must have just happened because traffic from the busy two lanes was now backed up as drivers tried to merge around the woman’s car….

Recently I’ve been listening to the “Retire There” podcast where a couple from NYC interview people who have retired to various locations around the world. Most of the episodes I’ve listened to are with people who worked long careers in the US and then relocated to to a different area of the country or to…

I just finished reading the book, Myth America: historians take on the biggest legends and lies about our past. It’s a collection essays on everything from American Exceptionalism to police violence to racism in America. My big takeaway from reading this book is that nothing is currently happening in our country regarding politics, media or…

This week I turned 56. Like all of my birthdays since I turned 17, I couldn’t care less. Last year, turning 55 was notable because in my head 55 is officially “old man” age (even better, it qualified me for a discounted pool membership). My next big milestone is 62, when I’m eligible to collect…

Betterhelp is an online therapy service that advertises on many of the podcasts I listen to. Like most of the companies that advertise on podcasts, I think they are somewhat sketchy, overpriced and predatory. Similar to other scammy advertisers including toothbrushes, razors, meal delivery and the like, Betterhelp has a “monthly membership” to lock-in subscribers….