The Buzz
Bromance and Frenemy
May 16, 2012
There’s always a big bout of writer’s block that kicks in right after a new edition of Focus comes out, so I wanted to apologize to the five or six of you who check this blog on a regular basis for the lack of a recent update. My co-worker, Alyx, suggested that I [more...]
No Chickening Out
May 7, 2012
Most of you already know that Carlsbad celebrated its annual Relay for Life this weekend, and many of you are also aware of the fact the weekend also featured a circus, a Cinco De Mayo celebration, the Mescal Roast and waiting in line to see “The Avengers.” However, only those of you with a daughter [more...]
A Throwing in the Towel Fantasy
April 27, 2012
There’s a dearth of good giving-up poetry out there. We want inspiration in our art. Optimism. Hope. This is why the speech “I will fight no more forever,” attributed to Chief Joseph, is so especially potent. Outnumbered, outgunned, betrayed and denied, the Nez Perce tribe finally did what they had to do to ensure the [more...]
The Name Dropping Thread
April 15, 2012
There is no deep message to this blog, I’ve decided to take a break on deep hidden messages. Instead, in celebration of successfully completing the most recent edition of “Focus,” I’m going to write a blog about namedropping. I’m not that impressive of a name dropper. I don’t really know that many important people, and [more...]
Ahhh Politics
March 25, 2012
“When it comes to politics, most people check their brain at the door.” These words of wisdom were relayed about 12 years ago by a former managing editor of mine. The setting was a Carlsbad municipal election, and things were starting to heat up. See campaign signs were disappearing from people’s yards, and each side [more...]
Vegas Baby, Indeed
March 17, 2012
“I want that tiger, and I want it now!” We had only been in Vegas for 24 hours, and my generally-good natured 2-year-old Amelia was already starting to sound like one of the bad kids from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Victoria had to travel to Vegas for work, and I had the crazy idea [more...]
Think on these things
March 6, 2012
By Kyle Marksteiner Most of us in Carlsbad had a lot of trouble going to work on Monday. We didn’t really want to do anything other than to hug our children or grandchildren or nieces and nephews, and just tell them how much we love them. And then we wanted to hug them again. We [more...]
The New Dancing Queen
January 7, 2012
I have one rather selfish theory, which defies genetics, that the good Lord gave me a daughter because he got tired of my not understanding women. Sure, most men don’t understand women, but I’m even further back in the line. Watching one grow from the ground up, he finally concluded, was the only way I [more...]
Christmas With Sharks
December 29, 2011
It should be noted that the family Christmas was not without its share of controversy or difficulty. The dish holding my mother’s cornbread pudding exploded as we sat down for dinner on Christmas Eve and shot shards of glass across the dining room. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but we did have to trash the entire [more...]
Confessions of a Somewhat Lapsed Grinch
December 18, 2011
How much Christmas is appropriate for Christmas? You can certainly not have enough Christmas. I mean that’s just about the subject of every single Christmas movie ever made. People without enough Christmas are constantly being visited by ghosts, having their heart grow in size, being visited by Santa, being kidnapped and hauled up to the [more...]
The MVD Meets Automated Phone Systems
December 6, 2011
Quick question – what’s the most annoying adjustment companies have made to the way they handle customer service over the past five years? That’s a really easy answer – automated help lines. To save money, most companies now have an automated system to try to answer most callers’ questions. Then they outsourced the few remaining [more...]
A Jingle Built to Last
November 17, 2011
“Fly Hobbs!” “Don’t waste time parking.” “Fly Hobbs!” “The dogs are barking!” “Fly Hobbs!” “To Houston where it’s wet. A big old regional jet.” I’m not totally sure I got those lines right, but you get the idea. That radio jingle, advertising a recently-implemented regional air service between Hobbs, New Mexico, and Houston, is now [more...]
The Potluck Club
November 9, 2011
By Kyle Marksteiner I spend a lot of time writing about potlucks. For some reason they just fascinate me. Potlucks say “hey, we’ve got a special occasion coming up, but corporate has put us on a low budget, so everyone bring a dish or two on Friday, OK?” but potlucks are so nice about it [more...]
Passive Aggressive Comments – Engine Oil of the Social Machine?
September 14, 2011
A Social Puzzle Mary and Sue share a small office inside a cramped local insurance agency. Lately, Mary’s begun to notice that Sue has really started to lather on the cheap perfume before she comes to work. ‘Eau de Red Light District in Amsterdam,” Mary jokingly calls Sue’s scent when complaining about the fragrance to [more...]
Seven Tips for a Highly Successful Nap
September 2, 2011
People are always offering ten tips toward saving for your retirement, seven steps toward a better marriage or eight tips toward eating healthy, but nobody ever bothers to offer nap suggestions. Read this and then sleep. 1. Avoid napping in the midst of a conversation with your significant other, your boss or someone who is [more...]
Flying With Toddlers
September 2, 2011
Just a few observations on travelling with a toddler When you are waiting to get onto an airplane with a toddler, you can sense your fellow passengers hoping they aren’t sitting next to you. It’s in their eyes. You actually feel a moment of relief when you see other passengers with toddlers, because there [more...]
