One of the pleasant times of my life was in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. I had fled Denver, my failed sports magazine and my mismanagement of The Four Winds Hotel. It was a truly crazy and dangerous spot for me. In place of these ventures was a job at one of the little campuses of …
My friend, Merritt, thought I should get tested for COVID-19. I could have waved him off, but he’s my doctor, too. I tell him how good I’ve been with social distancing. I show him my red, rough hands from all my scrubbing. I say I’ve stayed home for the last four …
After many years, I figured out how to maintain a thriving company. Get a Susan. I started The Change Companies® 32 years ago. My wife and I poured our few dollars, our hearts and an abundance of energy into making a go of it. After a couple years, we moved the company …
Mark Twain is the one guy I find most intriguing in the history of the United States. Twain led an adventurous life: steamboat pilot, prospector, newspaper man, author, humorist. On the other hand, his life was full of pain and sadness. His children died: Langdon to …
Darnell was one of the smartest guys in my high school. We were never in the same classroom because he was on the honors track. I was elsewhere. Last week, we caught up with each other on Zoom. I hate the technology. I always think I should come across better looking …
One of the greatest inventions of all time is the Slinky. Richard James must have been a fun guy. He invented my favorite toy back in the 1940s. This morning, after completing a few stretching exercises, I’m at the top of the stairs. Next to me, ready for competition, is …
I’ve started a number of corporations. One of my aspirational goals has been to receive funding from the government. If successful, it may have kept a few of my “great ideas” from going down the tubes. So far, I have been a flop. Smarter people than me have figured out …
Around the year of my birth, 1945, fire ants invaded the United States from Argentina. They showed up in Mobile, Alabama, ready for a fight and spread north from there. The ants made their way to Nevada several years ago. One hero stood in their path to keep them from taking …
All my friends over 70 are going nuts. They watch too much national news. CNN and FOX News appear to be their favorites, depending on their political bent. As the virus sweeps across our country, these sane senior citizens watch the same stuff, day after day, week …
I’m about to give you a gift. For about 50 years, when my mother, Irene, saw something she thought was fantabulous, she would shout, “Get your camera, Vern!” My poor dad would run to the house or car, get his Kodak and try to capture that special picture. When the blurry …