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Published in the Great North Arrow, April 1, 2023: Vladdy's On First

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- jim Young Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd; Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, I don’t care if we never get back.”      - Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer I wonder why they sing, “Take me out to the ball game,” when they’re already at the ball game? ​​I don't usually follow the Blue Jays too much until the official season starts but My Shirley heard that spring training started pretty early this year so we decided to watch the first couple of games. In preparation for the games I decided to check out the roster for this year to see “who’s who?” in 2023. I was pleased to see most of my favourites like Bo and Vladdy were back. I wouldn’t care either way if they had kept George Springer or not. He’s pretty charismatic and a good player when he’s there but I got so god-damned tired of hearing Buck and Pat saying "Just wait until Springer’s off the IL!" I always called him Springsteen because he reminds me a little of Bruce Springsteen whic

Omelettes On-The-Go

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(Even when you’re not going anywhere.) When I’m on the road early in the morning, I love stopping at McDonald’s for an Egg McMuffin or Breakfast Burrito, Burger King for a Croissan'wich or Tim Horton's for a Bagel BLT with egg. However, as I am no longer in the workforce, I am seldom on the road early in the mornings anymore. I am still up early every morning however, and sometimes while I'm writing at my computer before the sun comes up, I get a craving for one of these treats. I don't like to brag, but I do make a pretty mean Egg McMuffin and Bagel BLT. However there is nothing more frustrating for a writer than having his train of thought interrupted by either hunger pangs or taking the time necessary to whip one of these up. I've tried the frozen store-bought versions of the Egg McMuffins and Breakfast Burritos that only require a few seconds to warm in the microwave and I'm sure they would be very good if they had any taste to them at all. I think I'

The Donald Trump Irony

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Parmesan & Onion Potato Omelette

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My cousin Steve won’t be able to make this recipe because it’s made with leftover mashed potatoes. Leftover mashed potatoes are as foreign in his house as leftover wine is in my sister Lori’s house. I too love mashed potatoes, so when cooking them, I always make more than I know I can fit into my over-size belly at one sitting just so I will have leftover mashed potatoes for recipes like my Mashed Potato Salad. Ironically however, even though I did happen to have leftover mashed potatoes on the day I came up with this recipe, I was really just trying to use some leftover breading that I had from making some chicken wings that day. I make my chicken wing breading in large quantities ahead of time so I can quickly make some chicken wings on a moment’s notice.  Inevitably I will always measure out a little more of my made-up breading than I require and, after dusting my raw wings into the breading, I feel it is probably unsafe to save the leftover breading mix for future use. Coming fro

"We Build The Wall" - GoFundMe - How Did That Work Out?

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Trump's GoFundMe To Cover The Cost Of Fraud

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Published in the Great North Arrow, March 1, 2023: A Simple Act Of Kindness

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- jim Young “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” - Kahil Gibran You never know what a simple act of kindness can do. It could be something as simple as a small gift or a kind word, but the ripple effects can grow to a wave and culminate in a tsunami of joy. Can you just hear a choir of angels singing now? Now it might be an exaggeration to suggest this story ends in a tsunami but it was certainly at least a breaking wave worthy of a perfect hang ten .  Louise was a coworker of mine when I was in the workforce. Like many of my coworkers however, Louise was also a friend. And still is, I might add. 45 rpm adapter tattoo. We weren’t close, hang-out-every-weekend friends, nor were we in the habit of exchanging gifts on even special occasions. But in 2013 when Louise took her son to a hockey tournament in Cleveland, she decided to visit the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame while she was there because… well, why wouldn’t you? At the gift shop, Louise saw a keyc