OK, I’ll let you know upfront that the title of this column is absolutely the opposite of what I will write about. Let’s start with the idea of customer service. More and more of especially …

We’ve now lived and traveled to beaches all over the world. In fact, there is a world of difference in beaches. Let’s start here in the Pacific Northwest. Even though we live near Picnic Point …

I recently purchased a new “used” car from a dealer located in Bellingham. What made this transaction particularly interesting to me was the apparent disparity in imported automobile pricing in …

Most of you were not alive in 1963. I was a college student, an undergraduate studying engineering in upper New York state. President Kennedy had decided to take a swing through the South for a …

Every once in a while, I stop and contemplate two things. First my navel. Frankly, I have not learned much by doing this. Although I do thank my lucky stars that I can actually see my navel – …

We are deep into the auto racing season. The very top echelon of road racing is Formula 1, also called Grand Prix. These cars are so fast it is almost impossible to imagine. Based upon current …

We’re getting into boating season right about now. I’ll fess up and let all of you know that we’ve owned two small motorboats as well as a small sailboat. WARNNG – owning a boat is not for …

I volunteer a couple of days a week at a local senior living establishment. I routinely deal with both men and women some of whom are in their late 80s and a couple well into their 90s. What is …

Many of you have probably seen one of two movies about Steve Jobs – one called Jobs or one called Steve Jobs. In both movies, they describe Jobs’ fascination with the emerging microprocessor …

I got to thinking about a bunch of things that simply don’t make any sense. So here goes. No 1: Why don’t you see the 10 Commandments in a courtroom? The reason is that would put sayings such …

When something’s bugging you, it can have several meanings. First, if something is bothering you, we say “It’s bugging me.” Could be you need an oil change in your car and scheduling it – …

I’m not going to tip my hand and actually tell you which prospective candidate I would vote for (assuming he/she gets nominated). Instead, I thought I’d look at what we might expect from each …

We’ve had a dog ever since we were first married. Over the years they’ve been mostly pedigree breeds. Included were Afghan Hound, Shar-Pei (the ones with the wrinkled faces), and for the past …

The internet is here to stay. While that may not sound revolutionary, in fact, the internet is one of the most disruptive things to come our way since the Industrial Revolution. Now why do I say …

An acquaintance had to spend a couple of days in a local hospital. Nothing exceptional about this. However, as I looked at the procedures and systems in this experience, several things stood …

I had the opportunity to attend a friend’s son’s “coming of age” celebration this past weekend. For Christians, it is confirmation. For Jewish people, it is a Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah. I’ve …

I’ve noticed over the years that if you really pay attention, it is usually apparent when someone gives you a non-valid excuse. It is not simply what the excuse is but as important, how it is …

As I was wandering around, something I find myself doing more and more simply to appreciate the day, quite a few things caught my attention. Do you ever wonder why some animals get out of the way …

Whenever I find myself becoming too involved in all the trivia of day-to-day living, I find myself ”Up on the Roof.” Look at the first stanza’s words: … When this old world starts …

Last year I wrote about some of the decisions one has to make in buying a car. I covered both new cars and used cars. This week, I write about some of the things that you should look out for in …