Chris Rodell's Blog, page 2

Tweets of the Year, 2024!

My annual exercise in ego ... it's tweets of the year, 2024 edition!• I was regretful the instant I opened my mouth. I'd lit into the  poor bastard. "You're a terrible bore! You tell the same damned stories over and over and over." The bartender just shook her head and said, dude, you're part of the problem. I looked around the bar and it dawned on me, yeah, she's right. The bar was empty. I

Our homes are way too clean

 I’ve been witness to the phenomenon in the cities and the country and I’ve come to conclude our greatest untapped source of natural clean energy is cleaner energy. I’m talking about all the energy that is created and spent by people obsessed with cleaning things that are already perfectly clean.Cleaner energy is all the time, strategizing and horse power anal retentive home owners 

And today in DC, an Asian elephant named Kamala is dead

 It pains me to on this day, this day of all days, to inform it's time to mourne the death of Kamala.And by “we,” I mean partisans on both sides because Kamala made a big impact.How could she do otherwise?The old babe weighed more than 3 tons. Cause of death?I’ll not fault those of you who are betting it was obesity.But, no, this Kamala was euthanized. Osteoarthritis had put the

A Latrobe guy considers what Trump said about Palmer

 Arnold Palmer was in the news this weekend.Well, part of him was in the news.For you innocents out there, I’m referring to his genitalia. One of the two major party candidates for the office of U.S. president talked about Palmer’s penis as if it were the club he carried with him where ever he went.Care to take a wild guess as to which candidate broached the subject?It caused a

I answer your Tin Lizzy FAQs

 First of all, I’m not a paid spokesperson for the Tin Lizzy so you can take my word that what I’m about to tell you is genuine. Having said that, I confess to every time I get my PA driver’s license renewed I for reasons I can not explain add another fraudulent inch to my height.My license says I’m 5’11. I’m actually 5’7.My goal is to live long enough to possess a license that says I’m 6’2.

Meeting a writer? Be very afraid

Has this ever happened to you? Someone tells you they write books and you’re not sure how to react. Here’s a tip: Be very afraid. You’ve just met a person of ruthless determination. That person stares down one blank page and vows, “I’m going to fill this vast emptiness with so much compelling and original thought that readers I’ve never met will not only absorb every word, but they’ll

AI & newborns: when change is inevitable

 (606 words)There weren’t many but there were enough of them that I had the sarcastic retort holstered and ready to be drawn.It was 25 years ago and Val was about to deliver our first baby. We were unaware of the sex, but in what is now one of the lamest “Spoiler alerts!” that child was a female, born September 25, 2000. We named her Joslyn Rachel Rodell.But right up to the moment she

Latrobe Bulletin readers select favorite Local Author: It's me!

 Thank you, Latrobe Bulletin readers for selecting me as your Favorite Local Author! Here's the letter-to-the-editor I wrote acknowledging the honor ...                                                           --  <<  >

May tweets (sorta) of the month (May)

 Remember when tweets used to be limited to 140 characters. Some of these are 140 words. I like being free to write what I feel but we're missing something. Not much, but something ...Enjoy your weekend!• Was looking forward to a rare night at home with just me and soon-to-be graduate when plans abruptly changed. It was not to be. So I was surprised to see her walking through the door asking

Parkinson's book excerpt:: "Me drunk in public"

I'm struggling to write the book, "The Art of Living Suddenly: How to Deal with a Parkinson's Diagnosis (and other things that suck)."The problem is my insistence on writing only books that have happy endings. With PD that's a challenge. But I think this one strikes a balance between the complex emotions I need to convey a story that compels without depressing. At least that's how I feel today.