Kevin Robinson's Blog, page 3

My Personal B.S. Detector

Nothing��sets off my personal B.S. detector like a political election cycle. Ernest Hemingway said that every aspiring writer needed to have a "built-in bullshit detector" in order to succeed, but I suspect anyone could benefit from the upgrade. What Papa Hemingway was talking about was the ability to distinguish (quickly enough to matter) the difference between facts or news and B.S.�� Facts or news is what actually happened: the dog ran away,��my spouse had an affair, or Donald Trump ran for

Just for the Fun of It

I can vaguely remember learning about the ���litmus test��� in high school chemistry class.�� Certain types of solutions, as I recall, would cause these thin strips of fibrous paper to change color; otherwise, they just turned wet.�� I suppose this kind of test evolved into blood sugar and pregnancy tests, but the phrase came to mean something along the lines of: ���Here���s how you can tell�������� For example, if I���m sneezing, have a runny nose and a fever, I���m probably sick.�� The litmus test I woke up

Taking a Moment

I find that the patience required to ���take a moment��� and sort something out in my mind is extremely freeing.�� I used to feel that a bright person, a competent person���like a good military commander���should be capable of split-second decisions.�� Just as if lives were hanging in the balance on a field of battle, I always thought that any delay was a sign of uncertainty and weakness.�� The first time I heard the words ���Let me get back to you on that��� come out of my mouth I was momentarily mortified.

A Matter of Perspective

I started collecting wine bottle corks a few years ago.�� I had some strange idea that they could be turned into a fun craft project to do with my grandkids.�� When I first saw the picture above on a Facebook site, I thought: "A flying cork mobile!�� That would be a unique project."�� So I copied the photo and blew it up a bit to see how the little cork birds were built.�� In the famous words of Rosanne Rosanadana:�� "Oh!�� Never mind..."�� Sure, flying books are cool too, but that's a bird of a

We're all Getting Older...It's What You Do

Tonight is our 2015 Christmas present to each other.�� Almost 20 years ago, Ellie and I decided not to give each other shit for birthdays, Christmas, and other manufactured-and-manipulated-by-Madison-Avenue holidays.�� Instead, we treat ourselves to experiences.�� This evening, at the BB&T arena near Miami, we're watching The Boss perform.�� Sure, back in the day we gave him shit because he was a Jersey boy, but we're New Yorkers--it's what you do.����We love the rockers of our day, and Bruce

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

This beautiful photo by Ray Mandra of the border��between Brewster and North Salem, NY��appeared on TheHudsonValley.com website, and brought to mind several of my favorite��memories.���� First, Robert Frost's famous poem "Mending Wall" is the story of two adjacent landowners helping each other repair the stone fence between their properties in Massachusetts.�� The title of this blog was one of those fictitious ��landowner's mantra in the poem,�� but his neighbor wasn't so sure, given human kind's

Lightening Up...

When I was a young man, I overheard my uncle saying that I didn't "have any problem a stiff shot of scotch couldn't cure."�� I hadn't heard what the other person had said to him about me, but that didn't matter.�� The point is, sadly, that it took me decades to figure out what the hell he meant.�� I finally understand. My generation might have said: "He has a rod stuck up his ass."�� But, of course, that couldn't apply to me.

I wanted very much for��things to be "right" in my world.�� As an adopted

The Seven Mile Bridge and the Case of the Valentine's Curse

A friend chided me about mentioning the Seven Mile Bridge in an earlier blog, and not using a picture of the famous span.�� In my defense, I said I didn't think I had one--but it turns out I did.�� I can't remember who took this one while they were out on the Eleanor P, but the timing was great.�� That got me thinking about every man's worst nightmare:��Valentine's Day.�� My Valentine's Day Fails are legendary, too numerous to count.�� Like the year I booked a romantic dinner and an overnight stay at

Rear View Mirror Living

I know folks who live in the future, always trying to be two steps ahead of all the disasters they have already decided are on the way.�� Not me.�� I had quite the opposite neurosis for much of my life, always obsessing on all the things I was certain "shouldn't" have happened the way they did.�� I beat myself up for my own mistakes, and relived the hurts done to me by others until those memories became��part of my DNA.�� Rear view mirror living sucks for lots of reasons,��but the most obvious reason

Lessons in Chillaxation

The Florida Keys has a vibe.�� I suspect every place one might choose to live has a vibe, but the Keys vibe is unique.�� In New York, in Pittsburgh, in Kansas City, even in Davenport, Iowa, the vibe always seems to be in a constant state of flux.�� I suspect that in most cases, people primarily move to�� normal places like that for something:�� a job, an education, entertainment or cultural enrichment opportunities, to be closer to families, whatever.�� What distinguishes the Keys, I think, is that