Question: What do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? Answer: a good start.

I can't turn on the radio or watch late night TV without being subjected to an advertisement for a lawyer who claims to be able to solve the world's problems. Divorce, DWI, job-related-injury: I'm just one phone call away from a solution and, potentially, a large bag of money.

Jokes are...

In 2011, the NFL decided to lock-out its players. During the dispute, anyone with a TV or an internet connection was subjected to in-depth analysis that covered every angle of the issue. Many of the people subjected to the coverage had trouble picking a side – a fight involving someone who makes 1,000 times a day more than you versus another party that makes 10,000 times a day more than you...

I recently had a very enjoyable conversation with a fellow passenger on a flight. As our journey progressed, we compared the makes and models of our smart phones and our iPads. The discussion then turned towards our children and their schooling, at which point my fellow passenger pronounced that technology will soon render the act of memorization obsolete. What is the point in memorization, he...

Many years ago, I convinced a friend to help me trim a number of trees in my yard. I promised a day of camaraderie and fun, which I felt was a certainty as I had also rented a largish chainsaw for the big day. My only prior experience with chainsaws had been watching a logging competition on ESPN2, but it looked fairly straight-forward.

The big day came, and my friend came through for...

The butterfly effect theorizes that a seemingly nominal act, such as a butterfly disturbing a small amount of airspace with its wings, can trigger a much more powerful event at a great distance (with apologies to any Ashton Kutcher fans, he appeared in a relatively small film based on this...

There are a myriad of choices in the way of fruit at our grocery store. I rate myself competent in the selection of those that advertise their condition, like a banana. If the banana's skin is regulation yellow and doesn't have brown and black spots, it's probably going to be a pretty good banana.

There are other fruits that supposedly have signs that predict their condition. My track...

Once upon a time, in the not-too-distant past, I fashioned myself an arborist. My notion was backed by 150 seedlings, a post-hole digger, and what turned out to be whimsical notions about a present-day Johnny Appleseed.

That fateful morning, I scanned the horizon with pride, envisioned casual strolls through the forest of the future, and grabbed the post-hole digger with gloved fists...

Too many times over the years, I've learned that a close friend is getting divorced. Often this news is not really a surprise, as there were plenty of signs that problems existed in the relationship. Some of the folks involved do end up in a happier place post-divorce, but it's still a sad, difficult event.

The divorces that are the hardest to take are those that are a complete...

I will freely admit that I am not a shopper. My list of favorite things does not include crowds and lines, and the reality is that most of the things I want can be found, and shipped, via a few keystrokes. There are times, however, when even the most impatient among us must venture in to a box store to find something that just can't wait. In my case, the store was Walmart and the need--ok, the...

Several years ago a man placed a substantial wager with a casino. His bet was his life savings, roughly $135k, on one spin of the roulette wheel. Shortly before the spin, he chose to place his bet on red.

For anyone that has played roulette, and in particular for those that understand odds, this was a lousy bet...

Recently, our dinner table featured an inordinate amount of drama. The source of the drama was, as usual, our youngest son.

It is in some ways satisfying to find deep-seated beliefs in the young. I can't recall any particularly strong feelings during my childhood other than an ill-fated attempt to defend the honor of Santa against those who would have had me believe that my parents...

I hate having my picture taken. In fact, there's no better way to get me to vacate a room than to aim a camera in my direction. I can't explain it. I'm just not comfortable with it.

Ironically, if I come across an old photo album, I am happy to rifle through the pages looking for a pic of yours truly. I know what I look like, and there is really nothing all that exciting about seeing a...