One of the problems with writing a monthly humor column is coming up with something funny to write about. So far, I’ve been pretty lucky at experiencing some silly incident involving a government bureaucracy that fills the bill. This June, the Mexican government came through once again. On June 27, 2026, I read in the
Cell Phone Security Read More »
I still have a home in Orange, California, with its quaint 1950’s – era downtown plaza and European-style traffic circle. The town has been used as the backdrop for dozens of movies and TV episodes.During my last visit in February 2026, I was surprised to learn that the city was about to implement a system
The Himalayan country of Nepal has more deities than dentists. So, it should come as no surprise that there is a spiritual approach to dealing with dental problems. The solution is to appeal to a goddess called Vaisha Dev. Like most deities, she has her own shrine. It is located in Kathmandu, on a back
The Toothache Tree Read More »
I’m not what you would call an early adopter of new technology. I was still using an old “flip phone” 10 years after the original iPhone was released. And for finding my way around while driving, I’m still using a 10-year-old Garmin GPS that plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter and has a beanbag base
It used to be so easy. Every January, I’d give my gardener, Pablo, about 700 pesos ($35 U.S.), and he’d go five miles down the road to the tax collection office in Chapala and pay that year’s vehicle registration fee. No appointment necessary. No legal documents were required. All he needed was my license plate
A few days ago, while rinsing my mouth after vigorously brushing my teeth, I heard a click in the sink. Whatever it was went down the drain before I could see it. At first, I thought maybe a crown had popped off. But on further inspection, I saw that a lower left molar had broken
Like Pulling Teeth Read More »
The holiday season is finally over, and the lines at the checkout counters are back down to being almost bearable. I don’t know where the Three Wise Men bought their gifts for the Christ child, but if they had to stand in line at Walmart, they would probably never have started the gift-giving tradition. Speaking
Years ago, I was a volunteer crew member on a square-rigged sailing ship owned by The Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California. The crew would gather every Saturday to maintain the ship. As a reward, we would get to sail it for two weeks at the end of summer. Occasionally, we had some inner-city teenagers
When I was growing up in Chicago, we took the Halloween cry of “trick or treat” literally. If people were too stingy to hand out a treat, they were fair game for a trick. For the most part, people were willing to provide candy to all the ghosts and goblins. There were always a few
Queremos Halloween Read More »
Years ago, at the Guadalajara airport while I was retrieving my suitcases in the baggage claim area, something unusual happened. I saw a yellow Labrador Retriever sniffing around the carousel. I figured he was looking for fruit, bombs, or drugs. I didn’t give it a second thought until he stopped dead in his tracks and
