I used to be able to pull out a transparent individual ink tank cartridge from my printer and see how much ink I had left. Those were the good old days. Then, I purchased a new printer. The ink tanks are now all painted black. No way to see how much ink is left.

My wife had a scheduled conference in Camarillo this weekend, so we stayed at the lovely Courtyards by Marriot Hotel.

This new cover is a clear liquid. This cover is one molecule thick. This cover form-fits perfectly. This cover has been on my swimming pool for a week.

Have you searched for that perfect snack food? A snack that will taste great, with few calories, low saturated fat, some fiber and low sodium?

My old 15-inch paper cutter has been serving me well for more than 25 years.

Walk around the block — while chatting with the good wife — looking at the trees

For years I’ve seen water spout out of that thing, the air gap at the back of the sink, when the dishwasher goes through its cycle. I always thought it was a natural occurrence.

I can’t believe it. I just searched my essays for the word v-e-l-c-r-o. Nothing turned up. Velcro used to be one of my favorite things. I guess I haven’t used it as often as I did years ago.

Last week my childhood friend, George, mentioned “parallel tracks.” He talked about how the wooden ties that hold train tracks together can become weakened over time and, thus, can deleteriously affect the parallel course of the track. He said that cement ties have been found to be better at maintaining the integrity of the parallel track. That got me thinking.

I’m sitting at my desk in shorts thinking of what to write today. It’s hot outside. Because we are trying to conserve on electricity, our air conditioner is not on. The thermostat reads 79 degrees. I am fairly comfortable – thanks to the ceiling fan that is currently set on medium speed.