Let's talk about "subliminal communication," what some in marketing like to term "hypnotic communication." Whenever I read a page and it starts to say "Imagine..." my antennae start vibrating. There is someone very amateurishly trying to use hypnotic communication. They are trying place you into a certain state of mind, but going about it the wrong way. Ideally the subject should be affected without their knowledge (hence the "subliminal," which means "below consciousness"), seemingly ...

It happened slightly after 4 A.M. two nights ago. The cat went crazy. He dashed through the living room, into the kitchen, and flew up into the kitchen window. He started banging at it with his head and clawing at the sill. He hissed like a broken radiator. His tail wagged furiously. I quickly followed him and snatched him up before he could hurt himself. There was nothing outside. I carried him back to the living room, his tail beating against me, his hissing continuing loudly in m...

[Ironically, I wrote this before my current problems began....] This is a "what have you done for me lately" world. It doesn't matter what you did yesterday, let alone 10 years ago. All people care about is what you are up to right this second and where you are going tomorrow. All they believe is what they see directly in front of them. Every once in a while you have to prove you've still got it. You've got to show you can do what you claim. You have to remind people you exist. ...

[This is going to be long, rambling, and hazy from lack of details. I apologize in advance. I don't even know why I'm writing it, other than to kick start my writing.] A couple hours drive south from where Gideon wrote his "Down And Out In America" series, I find myself sitting on the California/Nevada/Arizona border contemplating my own crisis. Perfect Timing The thing that sucks is, if this had happened just a couple of months later it wouldn't have been a crisis at all. My...

        Well, the Laughlin,NV attempt to set a world record for "LargestCarol Service" (i.e., most people singing Christmas Carols at onetime) failed. We missed the mark by 50 people. 50 lousy people. Canyou believe that? That's like finally getting to make love to thegirl of your dreams and 3 seconds in her dad walks through the doorforcing you to jump out a second-story window.         Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh .T...

        World records andthe people who hold them have always fascinated me. As a child,watching That'sIncredible , RealPeople , and the old Ripley's newsreels captivated me. Iacquired my first copy of GuinnessBook of World Records in the 2nd grade and treasured it justshort of cooing, "My precious!" It's always been in my head to someday try to set a world record -- in what didn't matter -- so when the Colorado Belle Hotel Casinoand Microbre...

        The responses tomy way-too-popular article "BritneySpears is Ugly" have convinced me the world is in need of a newterm for ugly. So, in the tradition of fugly ,I present to the world brugly. brug•ly (bruhg•lee) adjective brug•li•er, brug•li•est 1. Any unattractive person who somehow acquires a reputation for attractiveness or beauty. Eg., Britney Spears. "That...

        It's been a weekand a half since my last article posting. I've been living offcommenting, but that's getting tired. It's blog or perish.         I think I knowwhat is happening. I want to get personal, spill my guts, whimper,whine and bleed all over the monitor. But that's not my style. So,I'm holding back. As a result, my subconscious is refusing to giveanything else. Mental constipation, without a jar o...

    They (claim to have) sold the house out fromunder me. (Clickhere for the story up to now.) Did the Realtor Witch throw a fit because I wasn't here to let her in as she demanded? Did they finally decide they couldn't sell the house while I was in it? Did they realize the house needs a hell of a lot of work before they could even begin to get the price they hoped for? Get me out, fix it up, sell it later? ...