tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91967202084679070732012-01-27T08:54:10.139-05:00By Paul BriandPaul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-26216929626156394282012-01-27T08:50:00.001-05:002012-01-27T08:54:10.149-05:00

My daughter Elizabeth’s coming wedding is a time machine.It’s a collision of past and present with a peek into the future.That was evident earlier this month at an engagement party in Connecticut that included the bridal party and the groomsmen.There are eight in Elizabeth’s bridal party: One cousin, three college friends, and four high school friends.It’s the four high school friends -- Jen,

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-80122989384067976002012-01-13T07:52:00.001-05:002012-01-13T07:54:54.443-05:00

Tell me if this sounds familiar:A generation of Americans feels abandoned by their government;These voters, generally under 30, feel disenfranchised by a perceived lack of opportunity and a government that is out of tune with their needs;They worry that war affects them in a personal way, affects the country in a global way … and not in a good way;They latch onto a presidential candidate who, to

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-56730594367522850412011-12-30T08:42:00.001-05:002011-12-30T08:43:53.480-05:00

Every Christmas I look forward to that Moment that helps redefine and remind me what the season is all about.It didn’t happen this year, and that’s okay because instead of a Moment helping remind me of the meaning of the season, various events of the season reminded me of the importance of family.And when I talk of family, I’m talking about family in the broadest, most extended of terms.Our

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-26999181695585858512011-12-16T08:31:00.000-05:002011-12-16T08:33:14.768-05:00

It’s said we are what we eat.We are also what we wear on our feet.I was thinking about this the other day -- why it caught my attention, I have no idea -- and started counting up the shoes, boots, etc. that I wear on a regular and fairly regular basis:17.That’s right, 17.To me, that seems like a lot because I don’t consider myself a shoe person, at least not in the manner of Imelda Marcos, the

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-24069829345234967902011-12-09T08:23:00.001-05:002011-12-09T08:25:37.366-05:00

One book I loved to read to my kids when they were little -- and one they loved to have read to them -- was “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.”The story, if you don’t know already, revolves around a mouse who wants a cookie. And if you give him a cookie, he’ll want some milk to drink with the cookie. And if you give him some milk, he’ll want a straw to drink the milk. And so on.My Baby Boomer version

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-76219469698873918342011-12-02T08:55:00.001-05:002011-12-02T08:57:53.310-05:00

So, where was I? The last time we spoke a few weeks ago I was processing the fact that my baby daughter had somehow aged enough to be engaged to be married.If that doesn’t validate the “time flies” theory, then nothing does.Time is a funny thing to someone like me -- the working retired.I retired from a job that I held for a time long, but I haven’t retired from work, and my time is as much a

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-30189511581189095282011-11-04T06:41:00.000-04:002011-11-04T06:42:55.505-04:00

I’ve spent the last few days trying to get my head around the fact that my 7-year-old daughter is getting married.Actually, she’s 27.But she’ll always be my little girl -- my Scoot, my Goose, my Pumpkin’.It’s that way with children who are growing -- have grown -- and have flown the nest.You revel in the adults they’ve become, yet you cling to the kids they were.I’m not breaking any new ground

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-19509520342172728112011-10-28T08:39:00.001-04:002011-10-28T08:40:33.263-04:00

There are public displays of affection.And there are public displays of singing.I’m occasionally guilty of the former, frequently guilty of the latter.I sing in public, and not always where and when it’s appropriate.My wife Jane, with whom I am guilty of the occasional PDA, has an early memory of the singing me, long before we ever thought of engaging in PDAs.I came walking into a conference room

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-80150840549724183122011-10-14T08:50:00.000-04:002011-10-14T08:52:12.434-04:00

After a round of golf the other day, I was having a beer and burger with some of my playing companions, Baby Boomer types who started talking about the “good old days.”Their talk centered around the disorganized play of our youth in the 1950s:How there was no such thing as a “play date,” how we’d leave the house, bike to the ballfield or vacant lot with bat, ball and mitt to see who was around

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-86034037300733531542011-09-30T13:10:00.000-04:002011-09-30T13:11:49.862-04:00

Don’t blame Terry Francona for the Red Sox September swoon. As manager of a failed team, he didn’t under-manage.And don’t blame Sox general manager Theo Epstein for putting together a baseball team that, in the end, didn’t have the cohesiveness to hold grip on a playoff spot, despite a nine-game lead at the beginning of September.And don’t blame $142 million Carl Crawford or any of the other

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-3248561337461618052011-09-23T08:22:00.000-04:002011-09-23T08:23:24.150-04:00

In my research about Baby Boomer issues, I frequently comes across the phrases “second acts” and “encore careers.”They refer to the idea that Baby Boomers will not retire in the fashion of their parents and grandparents.When they “retire” from a job they might have had for a number of years, the expectation is that a lot of Baby Boomers will shift gears into a new career or profession that better

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-40456898986441040442011-09-09T08:13:00.000-04:002011-09-09T08:15:09.970-04:00

I’m trying to take control of my inbox before it takes control of me.I came to realize that I’m getting way too much email from senders who aren’t relevant to my life right now.I guess at one time they were relevant, otherwise I wouldn’t have signed up for their emailed newsletters, updates and promotions.But, while they may need me and my business, I don’t need them.Here’s a sample of the folks

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-15420526775465829792011-09-02T08:06:00.001-04:002011-09-02T08:09:41.204-04:00

We love to second guess. Part of our DNA make-up, it seems, is to play Monday morning quarterback and analyze decisions and events. We second guess ourselves, but it seems there’s more sport in second guessing others. Irene -- the hurricane that became a tropical storm -- is a case in point. As she churned up the eastern seaboard last week, making landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-87063309002104747022011-08-19T06:30:00.000-04:002011-08-19T06:32:02.360-04:00

My hope is that with age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes patience. And I felt I was on a path to more patience as I stepped out of the race rate and traded wing tips for flip flops with retirement a few years ago. But I’m back doing battle as a road warrior with a consulting job that will require regular travel between my home in New Hampshire and Columbus, Ohio. And I realize that my path as

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-25104889518767055492011-08-12T08:06:00.001-04:002011-08-12T08:12:24.196-04:00

People, like works of art, are in the eyes of the beholders. Sometimes we see in people who we perceive them to be. Or we see in people who they truly are. At my 40th high school reunion over the weekend -- the Class of ‘71 from Oswego Catholic High School in Oswego, N.Y., -- and here’s what we saw in each other. Sure, there were a few extra pounds here and there, a few lines and wrinkles, and a

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-91371243920012818842011-08-05T06:43:00.001-04:002011-08-05T06:45:20.184-04:00

That we find comfort in food is not really headline news. The term “comfort food” has been around forever.But new research cited in a USA Today article suggests that the fatty acids usually found in some comfort food actually make us feel less sad or anxious about things.It’s not just an emotional adjustment from comfort food, there’s a chemical reaction between what’s in the food and what’s

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-89582523879881464012011-07-15T07:08:00.001-04:002011-07-15T07:09:22.877-04:00

I’ve been chewing on a bone for the last couple of weeks: The case of Casey Anthony, and whether she murdered her daughter Caylee and got away with it.I can’t say whether she was guilty of murdering her 3-year-old little girl or not.I wasn’t in the courtroom, I wasn’t on the jury, I didn’t hear the testimony.But I do have a question for the grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony: What the hell?

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-11527386534707742192011-07-01T06:56:00.000-04:002011-07-01T06:57:54.768-04:00

This Baby Boomer life is brought to you by Nike, Under Armour, New Balance, Hyundai, Taylor Made, Slazenger, Apple …Also, Gateway, Microsoft, Sony, HP, Blackberry and Barnes & Noble.I could go on.There’s a lot of talk in Baby Boomer circles about second acts, about encore careers.A lot of us are done doing what we needed to do to make a living; now we’re doing what we need to do to make us

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-25912474389866146912011-06-17T08:05:00.002-04:002011-06-18T08:32:58.995-04:00

Some Baby Boomer expert I turned out to be.I didn’t know, until just now, that there was such a thing as a Baby Boomers Recognition Day.It’s June 21.Now, I checked my day planner and the only official notation I have for the 21st is the fact that “Summer begins”.But Holidaypedia -- apparently the Wikipedia or Wikileaks of holidays -- notes that Baby Boomers Recognition Day is observed annually on

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-66266840729551432962011-06-03T07:24:00.002-04:002011-06-03T07:30:06.519-04:00

I’ve been trying to get my head around the fact that Bob Dylan is 70.It’s difficult to think of someone like Dylan being 70 without reminding myself just how old I am.True, he’s only the latest of the Baby Boomer music icons to reach this milestone of age.But Dylan’s birthday on May 24 is more personal than some of the others because I owe my guitar-playing genesis to him.It was the Beatles who

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-83665305730950555382011-05-27T07:04:00.001-04:002011-05-27T07:06:28.532-04:00

The lack of Judgment Day on Saturday, May 21, got me thinking.Does mankind -- and womankind, for that matter -- need an official day for The Reckoning?Don’t we, as individuals, face certain judgments, face certain reckonings at various parts in our lives?We don’t need a firm date in order to be ready, we just need to be ready.I think we Baby Boomers think about this because, well, we have more

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-77547869724444331762011-05-13T15:00:00.001-04:002011-05-13T15:05:12.112-04:00

I find myself uttering more than the usual number of geezer groans these days.If you’re an aging Baby Boomer, you know what I’m talking about.These are the groans when you haul your ass out of bed in the morning, or when you stand up from lounging too long on the couch, or when you just can’t rake another damn pile of lawn clippings.I hate geezer groans.I hate that I’m groaning on a geezer

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-68645527731640615662011-05-06T07:11:00.002-04:002011-05-06T11:44:55.428-04:00

The parents of Baby Boomers had VJ Day.Baby Boomers had the fall of Saigon.The children of Baby Boomers have the killing of Osama bin Laden.Every generation has its war, and every generation has a penultimate moment in that war.It was interesting to me this week in all the footage I saw of the celebrations of the death of bin Laden -- the man behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- were

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-41594742450518698352011-04-22T07:01:00.000-04:002011-04-22T07:02:47.750-04:00

We’ve become a Nanny State and Baby Boomers are the reason.Blame it on us -- the helicopter parents -- for creating an environment that at times has become too overprotective of kids.The term Nanny State dates back to a conservative member of the English Parliament in 1965 to describe interference and protectionism by government.Use of the term has blossomed to include everything from economic

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-41969743119914746452011-04-08T07:52:00.003-04:002011-04-08T07:59:20.269-04:00

I’m trying to convince myself that watching an eagle’s nest for long stretches of time is not a waste of time.I’m sure the 150,000 or so other people who join me at any given time of the day -- or night -- are trying to convince themselves of the same thing.There’s a lot on the web that’s a total waste of time.But I think that watching two bald eagles and their three eaglets in a nest 80 feet off

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-63119106501818344502011-04-01T07:43:00.000-04:002011-04-01T07:44:55.397-04:00

I put my UNH Hockey ball cap away on Monday, and replaced it with my Red Sox cap.It’s what I do as I transition from one season to the next.One of these days I hope to wear my hockey cap into April. That would mean that the University of New Hampshire Wildcats were playing in the NCAA Frozen Four.The Frozen Four final is played in April -- this year in St. Paul, Minnesota, next year in Tampa,

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-16039515885975896712011-03-25T07:21:00.003-04:002011-03-25T11:19:55.780-04:00

America buried another of its Greatest Generation war veterans on St. Patrick’s Day.In this case it was Charles F. O’Donnell, my Uncle Bud.Bud was married to my Aunt Chris, my mother’s sister. Bud’s obituary will tell you that he peacefully passed away on Dec. 3, 2010, just short of his 94th birthday, in his home in Virginia Beach with family by his side, that he was born in the Bronx, N.Y., Jan.

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-81896741889356248882011-03-04T07:34:00.001-05:002011-03-04T07:36:28.017-05:00

I have no real memory of music before Feb. 9, 1964.That’s the night The Beatles played live on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”There was music in my young life before then. I was a few months shy of 11.But it was my parents’ music -- the Broadway musicals and Perry Como and Nat King Cole.For all intents and purposes, their music was background music to my life.The Beatles finally gave me my music that

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-5122229842860163992011-02-18T07:10:00.003-05:002011-02-18T15:28:32.934-05:00

The arrival of the third week in February means the arrival of a national holiday: Presidents Weekend car sales.I know, I know.The holiday is really in honor of presidents, but the saturation advertising leading up to the holiday has been all about cars.It brings to mind the passion we have about cars -- the population in general, but Baby Boomers in particular.We love cars.We spend a lot of time

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-92210954571531612682011-02-18T07:10:00.000-05:002011-02-18T07:12:16.573-05:00

The arrival of the second week in February means the arrival of a national holiday: Presidents Weekend car sales.I know, I know.The holiday is really in honor of presidents, but the saturation advertising leading up to the holiday has been all about cars.It brings to mind the passion we have about cars -- the population in general, but Baby Boomers in particular.We love cars.We spend a lot of

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-48700621014873176522011-02-11T08:58:00.000-05:002011-02-11T09:01:00.252-05:00

I am very organized … to an annoying fault, in fact.I re-stack the dishes in the dishwasher after my wife is done loading to make them look more orderly. I have everything of mine in its place in the manner that satisfies my Type A personality.But I’ve lost control of the reading material on my nightstand.It’s chaos. It’s a pile of reading material that seems to have no beginning and no end. It

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-13369306949029821112011-02-04T07:28:00.002-05:002011-02-04T07:31:47.681-05:00

The Baby Boomers had “Hair”.The children of Baby Boomers have “American Idiot”.Both are about disenchanted youth.And in seeing “American Idiot” last weekend on Broadway I came away with the realization that, from generation to generation, young men and young women get fed up with the world their parents created for them.The Baby Boomers took the middle class comfort that their parents created

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-40541582338605884712011-01-28T07:08:00.001-05:002011-01-28T07:10:53.447-05:00

I’ve been doing some homework in preparation for seeing the “American Idiot” musical on Broadway.I’ve printed out the lyrics to the songs in the musical as a study guide to help me understand the story on stage.I’m not that dense when it comes to the thread of a production’s story. My problem is that I have a hard time lately picking up the lyrics of certain rock songs.The the music of “American

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-61282945468384643622011-01-21T07:37:00.003-05:002011-01-21T07:50:01.171-05:00

We can't turn back time, but we can manipulate the calendar to make our lives a little easier.There are two recent cases of what I call "calendar manipulation".The first is this whole issue of the new astrological calendar, and the fact that some people aren't the sign of the zodiac that they used to be.In my case, according to the new calendar order, I'm no longer a Gemini.The astronomers from

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-15688674805211677262011-01-14T07:24:00.002-05:002011-01-14T07:28:55.146-05:00

I'm not a big fan of the new Speaker of the House.But I support the fact that sometimes he is the Weeper of the House.John Boehner (see picture at left), a Republican from Ohio, is prone to tearing up when he gets emotional about certain things.Earlier this year, as he related in media interviews his personal and political journey to become speaker of the house for the 112th Congress, he'd

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-27698460152085805462011-01-07T07:42:00.002-05:002011-01-07T07:47:10.056-05:00

The regular readers among you know how much I look forward to the "Christmas moment" -- that moment of spiritual peace that comes over me at some point during the holiday season that comes just before or after Dec. 25.It's not something I go looking for, necessarily, it's just something that happens, and in years past it's usually been associated with music.For this Christmas, there wasn't a

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-66591279481989334622010-12-31T08:35:00.001-05:002010-12-31T08:36:54.927-05:00

I'm glad that the first surprise snow storm and the first big snow storm of the winter season are over.Now maybe we in northern New England can settle into the fact that it's winter and drive accordingly.I'm amazed how many of us forget how to drive in snow from year to year.This year, the first snow came as a bit of a surprise for many.Just before Christmas a huge snow storm missed most of New

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-45732182658852652112010-12-17T07:40:00.001-05:002010-12-17T07:43:32.362-05:00

I like that the infusion of so-called e-readers has put a new emphasis on reading in general, on books in particular.I couldn't understand what motivated Steve Jobs, the head of Apple and a supposed technology visionary, to declare not so many years ago that America wasn't a country of readers any more.Here's what he said to the New York Times in 2008 on why he thought the Amazon Kindle e-reader

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-78664775674068891932010-12-03T08:28:00.002-05:002010-12-03T08:31:22.244-05:00

I grew up in a house of music.My parents played Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como on the hi-fi. Mostly, I remember the musicals: "Camelot," "Kiss Me Kate," Oklahoma."I was singing show tunes long before The Beatles arrived on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 to convert me to rock 'n roll, pop and folk.As my parent's home was a house of music, so too have been the homes I've had over the

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-66162260253448560782010-11-19T07:48:00.000-05:002010-11-19T07:49:50.296-05:00

When I run, I wear a baseball cap. And when the wind is up during a run, I have to keep my head down to keep my cap from flying off my head.With the holiday season, I feel like I'm running into a headwind. Time to keep my head down and push my way through.I've never been a big fan of the retail aspect of the holiday season.These days it feels like it starts soon after Labor Day.That's because

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-29471714090287015242010-11-12T08:20:00.001-05:002010-11-12T08:22:36.829-05:00

The young people taking to the streets in France to protest future cuts in their government retirement got me thinking: Would my kids do the same thing over changes to their Social Security?No, they wouldn't. Social Security has a big bull's eye on it right now.The government retirement benefits that their grandparents enjoyed and that their parents plan to enjoy, could be vastly different by the

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-42252536860877129692010-11-05T07:06:00.001-04:002010-11-05T07:09:08.865-04:00

I'm not a very high risk kind of person.I know what I know and I'm comfortable with that.Risk for the sake of risk isn't me.I'll take a calculated risk, but I have to do a lot of calculation in the process.So it came as no surprise recently when I took a survey as part of some research I was doing for my Baby Boomer Examiner writing and found I was a "Traditionalist' when it came to some

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-87723448533753887672010-10-29T07:52:00.002-04:002010-10-29T07:55:57.052-04:00

I like covering politics. I like writing about politics.But at this stage of the game, I've had it.I've become over-saturated with campaign flyers in my mailbox, attack ads on my television, and campaign banners ads on every single web page I visit.I know I'm not alone.Good friends recently posted a Facebook notice:"If you call us and we ignore you, don't be offended. We're just assuming you're a

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-76822378098265823932010-10-22T08:27:00.001-04:002010-10-22T08:30:11.999-04:00

I turned on the heat in the house this week.It got to be 50 degrees in the house, I figured it was time.Had I had an office to go to, I might have been able to delay the inevitable. But I'm a stay-at-home freelancer now so not delaying the inevitable was inevitable.As a rule, I try to delay touching the thermostat as long as possible for two reasons:One, the heating season here in northern New

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-27793417614627604452010-10-08T07:34:00.000-04:002010-10-08T07:35:54.211-04:00

Crap.That's what I've felt like for the last several days.I'm pretty sure it's a cold. But I'm not sure whether it's developed into bronchitis.I haven't been to the doctor, and that's one of the issues that's compounding the fact that I feel like crap.I feel like health care is treating me like crap.Yes, I have health care coverage and thank God for it. But it's not very good, with a pretty high

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-61267502410367061242010-10-01T08:01:00.001-04:002010-10-01T08:03:12.682-04:00

I'm not a dump person.That was obvious the other day when I went to get my bulky waste coupon from the town that would allow me to bring some of our junk to the dump.As I filled out the paperwork, the clerk in the public works office asked for the license plate of the vehicle I'd be using to haul my load of bulk waste. I looked outside and read the license plate off my Hyundai sedan.She also

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-15382156706405467892010-09-24T06:36:00.001-04:002010-09-24T06:38:37.641-04:00

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations announced last month traffic fatalities are at their lowest levels in 60 years.Officials cited a number of factors, increased seat belt use, safer cars and a decline in drunken driving.But the real reason traffic deaths are down is this: Traffic jams ... we're not going fast enough anymore to harm ourselves.Every where I traveled this summer I

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-17450408561502442012010-09-10T06:21:00.003-04:002010-09-10T06:34:38.319-04:00

We have any number of teachers in our lives, many of them outside the classroom.John "Doc" Enos was one of them for me.Doc, who died Sunday at age 79, was a reporter for the Gloucester, Mass., Daily Times.I interned there during the fall semester of 1973 as a junior at the University of New Hampshire. My newspaper reporting internship required me to live in Gloucester and work full-time doing

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-61701550374907949372010-09-03T09:24:00.002-04:002010-09-03T09:31:18.021-04:00

What is it about our relationships with cars?We get emotionally attached. We thank them for being good ... like that cold winter morning start. We curse them for being bad ... like that cold winter morning grind that wears the battery down to nothing.Sometimes we give them names: Tex, Donny, Vinnie.We clean them, we bathe them, we feed them with gas.And we mourn their passing, which I'm doing for

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-82781225261439546202010-08-27T06:51:00.000-04:002010-08-27T06:53:01.463-04:00

I've been out of my routine lately, which makes me anxious.The disruptions have all been good: Vacation travel to Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, and getting my son David packed and moved to New York City for graduate school at Columbia University.All good things.And yet I'm unsettled.I think that's what happens when you're your own boss.I had high expectations of others to fulfill their

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-76079275434815107402010-08-13T07:40:00.002-04:002010-08-13T07:51:33.057-04:00

I'm not sure which piece of news was more upsetting last week.That Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkalis was having season-ending surgery.Or that the little brown bats in the region are at risk.Having to choose ... I'd say the bats.Youk will come back from his thumb surgery. He'll be back at first base. Back at bat.Researchers say, however, there's a good chance the bats may be wiped out --

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-44653847950196253792010-08-06T06:09:00.002-04:002010-08-06T06:12:29.780-04:00

Vietnam was my generation's war. My generation fought it on the orders of our eldersAfghanistan is a new generation's war. It is being fought on the orders of the new elders -- Baby Boomers.You'd think we would have learned from our history. Today's Afghanistan is yesterday's Vietnam, and there seems no clear way out.It's eerie, this sense that we've been here before.Vietnam had the Viet Cong.

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-81575583628166847462010-07-30T08:24:00.001-04:002010-07-30T08:28:40.032-04:00

When last I left my fat belly, I had started a journey of diet and exercise to a flat belly.The most current tale of the tape shows me at 162 pounds, a loss so far of 23 pounds and close to my goal of 25.It wasn't that I looked too bad when I started back in March. Being a little round around the middle is what you get in middle age, right? The Baby Boomer boom of the gut, right? No.At 185 pounds

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-33500096772814582622010-07-16T07:36:00.004-04:002010-07-19T06:39:55.897-04:00

National Public Radio has been doing a series of stories on people and their most memorable summer jobs as teenagers.Here's my contribution as a laborer on a "muck" farm in upstate New York.They're called muck farms for the soil, rich with humus from drained swamp or wetlands. The dark soil is good for the onions and lettuce and other crops, and working on these farms was a rite of passage as a

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-26337917816013423942010-07-09T07:19:00.000-04:002010-07-09T07:21:22.829-04:00

I officially declare myself unretired.I've retired from being retired.It doesn't make sense to say that I'm retired anymore when what I do every day doesn't feel like the retirement manual written by my parents' generation and their parents' generation.My un-retirement is a template for Baby Boomers everywhere. We are redefining retirement as we rewrite the manual on how to do it.Here is a pretty

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-52527917761611745362010-07-02T07:27:00.000-04:002010-07-02T07:29:02.126-04:00

Statistically speaking, I'm a distracted driver.In fact, statistically speaking, I'm more distracted behind the wheel by my cell phone than drivers half my age and younger.I say statistically speaking based on a recent report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that shows Baby Boomers as a group are distracted drivers because of their cell phone use.It says: "Fully 61% of adults say

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-11160953196363766562010-06-18T07:07:00.001-04:002010-06-18T07:09:24.106-04:00

Of all the things I've been up to now, the best has been being a dad.I'm now in the middle ages of being a Baby Boomer and, with more yesterdays behind me than tomorrows ahead of me, I've built up a healthy resume of the things I've been:Newspaper report, editor, director of operations, project manager. Ski racer, runner, surfer. Son, brother, cousin, uncle. Pain in the ass, curmudgeon. Singer,

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-4598571332324575342010-06-11T07:16:00.001-04:002010-06-11T07:18:32.542-04:00

Baby Boomers still haven't come to terms with their war in Vietnam.All these years later, Boomers are a little schizoid about overplaying their role in it, underplaying their role, or just ignoring the era altogether as some bad dream or bad trip best forgotten.Here's my Vietnam War story:I opposed it and marched against it. I didn't burn my draft card, and in fact was drafted.I was a University

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-88939176554690812242010-06-03T19:34:00.002-04:002010-06-03T19:41:19.601-04:00

When I worked in an office, part of what I did was management by walking around.Now that I work in a home office, my management by walking around is a little different.Back then , I'd walk through the departments I managed to see and be seen. I probably learned more by walking around than I ever did in the endless meetings.Now, I walk through the halls of the house to put a load of clothes into

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-48090134804626699222010-05-28T07:27:00.001-04:002010-05-28T07:29:54.727-04:00

The flowers around the yard are incredibly beautiful right now. Spring has indeed sprung in abundance.Which begs the question: Are the flowers doing well because of me or in spite of me?Definitely the latter.If they're doing well it's because of my benign -- make that abject -- neglect.They're better off that I don't even try, quite frankly. If I make an honest attempt to cultivate them and help

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-85075169934136295172010-05-14T08:02:00.000-04:002010-05-14T08:03:20.920-04:00

When you live in the sticks, expect sticks.Especially when the wind blows.It's been a particularly bad season for sticks in my yard up here in the sticks. And it's not something I can get used to.I'm a relative newcomer to the sticks. For the first part of my adult life I lived in the city, in North Cambridge, Mass. For the next part of my adult life I lived in the suburbs, on the Massachusetts

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-73444294686041764932010-05-07T07:34:00.002-04:002010-05-07T07:38:24.252-04:00

I have no patience or sympathy for stupidity and the consequences that can come as a result.Perhaps as an aging Baby Boomer, someone who's been around the block once or twice (three times and four times) I'm getting less patient.I've always considered myself as being pretty laid back and tolerant. Make love, not war. Live and let live. Boys will be boys.But I find myself not suffering stupid very

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-15453732845152008022010-04-30T07:47:00.001-04:002010-04-30T07:49:50.534-04:00

My daughter Elizabeth celebrated her 26th birthday about a week ago. My son David will turn 23 in a few weeks.And I ask myself: "How can I be old enough to have children that old?"The age that I perceive to be and the age that I actually am don't match up. My perceived age is a lot younger than the date of birth listed on my driver's license.It's a Baby Boomer thing. I don't think perceived age

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-83196669825807418502010-04-16T07:14:00.001-04:002010-04-16T07:16:18.706-04:00

Every week, for an hour, I go to class.It's a part of my Baby Boomer continuing education.It is said that as we age we need to keep those synapses working, give that cognitive tissue a workout.We need to keep our minds healthy just as importantly as we need to keep our bodies healthy. Good body health may keep me away from diabetes and heart disease. Good brain health may help keep me away from

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-43519997168622062502010-04-09T07:26:00.002-04:002010-04-09T07:35:57.583-04:00

When I met Dana Jennings back in the late 1970s, I thought of him as the student and I was the professional; he was the boy, I was the man; he was the intern, I was the full-fledged reporter.After many years, Dana (at left) and I saw each other this week at the University of New Hampshire, where he'd been invited as a visiting journalist as a part of the UNH journalism program.We're only

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-56703975910096729942010-04-02T07:00:00.000-04:002010-04-02T07:01:31.178-04:00

When my wife Jane and I travel to different areas these days, I have a question in the back of my mind: Could I live here?It's not that we're actively looking for another place to live. But as I think about where I want to spend my so-called "retirement years" I look at the places where we travel as a potential new home.The classic retirement move isn't so classic among Baby Boomers.The

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-18559615483278082552010-03-26T07:22:00.001-04:002010-03-26T07:24:49.218-04:00

First to clarify, does the fact that I'm being extra judicious about what I eat and drink these days mean I'm officially dieting?To diet means to restrict your food intake (or your intake of particular foods).So, yeah, I guess I am dieting.I just wanted to be clear about that because I've never considered myself a dieter, per se. I've tried to be conscious about the things I eat and drink, even a

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-48744883226177563302010-03-19T07:38:00.002-04:002010-03-19T07:44:21.469-04:00

It's nice to know that there's a medical basis for I've always sensed -- cooking is a great stress reducer.The online version of the AARP Bulletin had a story recently that said cooking actually is closer to an anti-depressant than people realize; cooking triggers beneficial physiological responses in the body.The Bulletin cited Dr. Bruce Rabin, medical director of the University of Pittsburgh

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-65949455208996453932010-03-12T07:40:00.000-05:002010-03-12T07:41:27.814-05:00

I enjoyed the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.There were parts that annoyed me, particularly the tape delay broadcast of events that could have been aired live, especially during the weekends.But the good outweighed the bad.I'm a skier, a former racer, so I really enjoyed the coverage of Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn and the rest of the ski racers.In fact, I'd like to think I identified more with the

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-25237217232917750122010-02-26T09:21:00.001-05:002010-02-26T09:28:59.185-05:00

Vacation took me off grid, and the Winter Olympics in Vancouver has forced me under the radar.In other words, I was disconnected from the news and from the Internet, a curious combination since my retirement income depends on access to news and the Internet.And you know what ... I've survived.The vacation took me to northern New Hampshire for skiing with family. And my intent was to carve out

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-13118675512769428522010-02-12T07:33:00.000-05:002010-02-12T07:36:21.971-05:00

I'm not a very good citizen of Facebook.There are the people who are very active; then there's me. There are people who have a lot to say -- sometimes too much to say; then there's me. There are people who get charged up about every little thing that's going on in Facebook nation; then there's me.I guess the virtual world there at Facebook is like the real work here. I don't get too worked up one

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-83589842767872550022010-01-29T07:47:00.001-05:002010-01-29T07:56:58.832-05:00

I'm trying to figure out whether I'm a diet person.By that I mean I'm wondering if I can follow the prescribed actions required by a diet program. Is it in me to join Weight Watchers? Or Jenny Craig? Or Nutrisystems? Or any of the other billion or so weight loss programs you see advertised on television.While I consider myself healthy, my body mass index tells me I'm overweight by 15-20 pounds of

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-48810901701648619682010-01-22T07:23:00.001-05:002010-01-22T07:25:18.810-05:00

I don't remember when I got turned on to Robert Parker and Spenser.Was it the "Godwulf Manuscript" from 1973 that got me started? Was it "Looking for Rachel Wallace" in 1979? Was it "Early Autumn" in 1980?I just don't know how it started, but I'm thankful for whatever circumstance or whoever it was that made me pick up my first Robert Parker book featuring Spenser -- like "The Fairie Queen" poet

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-86392244150611050502010-01-15T07:34:00.001-05:002010-01-15T07:37:22.948-05:00

College football's bowl games have lost their luster.As a Baby Boomer, I'm old enough to remember a Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl.No gimmickry. No marketing hype. No Citibank, no Papa John's Pizza, no Tostitos, no Meineke Car Care.The bowl games were as pure as their name, meant to feature the best teams in the country on a New Year's Day extravaganza for fans eager to know

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-34076645521929336732010-01-08T07:19:00.001-05:002010-01-08T07:21:41.959-05:00

No, health care reform is not the most pressing issue facing the U.S. Congress.Neither is propping up the economy, or terrorism or global warming.It's the ads on TV that are too loud.You heard me correctly, and I didn't have to say it that loudly by PUTTING IT IN CAPITAL LETTERS!I'm really tired of TV ads yelling at me.As I advance through my middle years I admit that I don't hear as well as I

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-6804676363038514472009-12-18T08:16:00.000-05:002009-12-18T08:17:17.591-05:00

I've been thinking how best to confuse my memory.My muscle memory.My brain memory can get confused enough, thank you very much.It's seems over the years I've developed quite a bit of muscle memory without even knowing it. There are two kinds of muscle memory -- fine and gross.The fine muscle memory I've developed include touch typing and the fingering required to play a guitar. Fine motor skills

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-80991686256926874082009-12-11T08:32:00.000-05:002009-12-11T08:33:14.808-05:00

I close myself off to Christmas at Halloween. I refuse to accept the season at a time of ghosts and goblins. I hate that retailers are forcing the season on the public ever earlier. Pretty soon, the first Christmas sales will start to accompany Back to School sales.I don't start to open myself up to the notion of Christmas until the first of December. And then it's normally a gradual process of

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-69854056596117933262009-12-04T07:38:00.003-05:002009-12-04T14:23:43.542-05:00

I don't consider myself as being trendy. In fact, in retirement, I am the antithesis of trendy.Since I don't go to an office anymore to go to work, I don't concern myself too much with the latest trends in ties or other office wear. My home office wear tends to be my pajamas until about 9:30 in the morning.I was once trendy. Back in the days of Nehru jackets I had one, and the trendiness that

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-59576175970700336772009-11-13T07:27:00.000-05:002009-11-13T07:28:32.612-05:00

There are some things about aging that are a constant.Here's one: The older you are, the more times you're likely to need to pee. It's the age-to-pee ratio.It is such a constant that the need to pee is big business for pharmaceutical companies. If the vast number of television commercials are to be believed, we Baby Boomers are a generation that's always looking for a bathroom.The sad part is

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-73293044111139087852009-11-06T07:28:00.000-05:002009-11-06T07:29:35.531-05:00

As a sworn citizen of Red Sox Nation I have to begrudgingly acknowledge that the New York Yankees have won their 27th World Series championship. Their ticker tape parade is today in New York City.While that bugs me, it's not what's really on my mind today.Nighttime baseball is on my mind. In particular I'm wondering why two of the World Series games between the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-80729355618711495832009-10-30T08:30:00.001-04:002009-10-30T08:32:00.153-04:00

I hate it when people cut in line.That's the sense I get when I see long lines of people waiting to get H1N1 flu vaccines and some of those people in line are older folks.They shouldn't be in line to begin with, at least not yet.In an odd twist, the H1N1 is a flu that doesn't seem to affect older people as badly as it does younger people. During normal seasonal flu the older folks are right up

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-16034035546343936732009-10-23T07:23:00.003-04:002009-10-23T07:27:49.974-04:00

Even after more than 70 years, the mystery of Amelia Earhart lingers.The movie "Amelia," which debuts today with Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, will only add more conjecture to the mystery that has befuddled writers, scholars and researchers.What happened to Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan in 1937 when their plane disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean as they attempted to be the

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-28744937453783733342009-10-16T08:13:00.001-04:002009-10-16T08:15:49.030-04:00

As a society, our blood pressure is too high and we're way too depressed.We're also in a lot of pain and our cholesterol is too high.That's the conclusion to draw from an AARP Bulletin listing of the 50 most prescribed drugs in America.Of the 50, nine different medications are related to hypertension (high blood pressure). According to the list, more drugs are described for high blood pressure

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-37738528443474006922009-10-09T08:05:00.000-04:002009-10-09T08:06:32.409-04:00

I keep trying to convince myself that I'm ready for winter.Everything around me -- chilly mornings, falling leaves and pine needles, turning on the heat -- should be reminder enough.But I feel like I'm owed another month or two of nice weather before the harshness of winter settles in.I haven't forgiven Mother Nature for the mediocre summer. Despite the equinox calendar, my summer runs from

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-42701631235129207972009-10-02T07:38:00.001-04:002009-10-02T07:40:33.764-04:00

I've been known to make a right hand turn to go left.I've always thought it's because of my impatience.Now I can say it's because I'm eco-friendly, I'm green, I'm lessening my carbon footprint.There are many places in my usual driving routes in my neighborhood where I hate to make left hand turns either because the light is way too long or because the traffic is way too heavy.So I turn right,

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-13550331462325383042009-09-25T09:03:00.001-04:002009-09-25T09:05:12.260-04:00

Even in retirement there is routine.It's not like, as some people believe, you retire from a career of work and begin a career of loafing around. At least that's not the experience that Baby Boomers, including this one, want for themselves.We need to be doing something. In general, this is a generation of achievers -- over-achievers, in some cases -- and the idea of doing nothing is not an

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-60800807091742886422009-09-18T05:41:00.002-04:002009-09-18T06:00:13.789-04:00

Goldfinches are pigs.That's one of the things that I've learned from birds as I've watched them at my bird feeder.I'm a retired Baby Boomer in search of a hobby. And I've become an armchair bird watcher. I don't go to the birds like most bird watchers. The birds come to me.So I've become a bit of an desk chair expert on the lives of birds, at least as far as their eating habits are concerned.The

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-26185205242691320702009-09-04T08:27:00.002-04:002009-09-04T08:32:07.732-04:00

The biggest question I get now that I've taken an RV trip with my wife Jane is whether we're still married.The answer is yes ... and better for it because of the long weekend in the 31-foot recreational vehicle.The call of the road seems ingrained in Americans' DNA. We have a lot to see. We have the roads to get us there. We have the motivation of "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac or "Travels with

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-39636837626294367942009-08-28T07:14:00.002-04:002009-08-28T07:16:42.719-04:00

Back in the days when I was a newspaper editor in Massachusetts, the paper often took editorial positions that weren't popular.That was especially true during elections, because we would endorse candidates we thought were best suited to do the people's business, whether it be in City Hall or the U.S. Capitol.In 1994, during the Republican revolution of Newt Gingrich, we endorsed Edward M. Kennedy

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-31827424877966433872009-08-14T08:12:00.001-04:002009-08-14T08:15:36.806-04:00

I'm so busy it's hard to be retired.I had that thought this week as I was on the road in Maine, doing some contract work that would eat up most of the day -- an incredible day, in fact, that should have had me on the beach or on the golf course.The day before I'd spent the day reporting and writing about the President Barack Obama's visit to New Hampshire; I got credentialed to cover him for

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-37857892882239403082009-08-07T09:27:00.001-04:002009-08-07T09:29:19.672-04:00

For the first time in 19 years I don't have someone going back to school.In that regard I can regard the current "Back to School" advertising as being even more annoying than usual.But I can't help but let there be a wisp of nostalgia about it.There was always something fresh about the prospect of another academic year, even as my daughter Elizabeth and son David progressed through college. There

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-202243889344003252009-07-24T09:20:00.002-04:002009-07-24T09:23:45.698-04:00

During the course of a lifetime, we take all kinds of people and things for granted.We just expect them to be there, always. And it's hard to square away emotions sometimes when they're gone.I'm getting that feeling with the announcement this week that the New England Center at the University of New Hampshire will close within the year.It may sound odd that I'm feeling a sense of loss over the

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-82160027251024148202009-07-17T07:54:00.000-04:002009-07-17T07:55:11.611-04:00

I don't know what it is about me, water and the creative process, but we work well together.Sit me down in front of a computer and try to force creativity doesn't always turn out so well.When it comes to the writing I do, the creative process starts with a good idea. If I have a good idea about a subject or a trend or an issue I can usually formulate the idea into a column or story that I'll then

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-18470127314997529602009-07-11T19:57:00.007-04:002009-07-11T20:10:19.659-04:00

I think I'm winning the war against the squirrels (see previous post).Here is some video of a few minutes in the life of the birdfeeder, with visits from finches and the cardinal.Yes, waiting for the birds is like waiting for paint to dry. But the end result is worth it.

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-34044619612940144122009-07-10T08:02:00.002-04:002009-07-10T08:06:20.103-04:00

Since my birthday a few weeks ago, when my mother gave me a birdfeeder as a gift, I've been locked in mortal combat with the squirrels.I want to feed the birds. I don't want to feed the squirrels. Yet, the squirrels have been ingenious (and I'm talking Mensa genius) about getting to the black oil sunflower seeds I use to fill my feeder.It got to the point where I wanted to exercise my Second

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-42414322447770096482009-07-03T07:48:00.002-04:002009-07-03T07:51:31.408-04:00

I'm not going to be one of those apologists for the Baby Boomer generation.In my role as the national Baby Boomer Examiner for Examiner.com, I've written several posts over the last several months about Baby Boomer bashing from the likes of President Barack Obama to a variety of college graduation speakers.Well, to quote an iconic movie from my generation -- "Network" -- I'm mad as hell and I'm

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-73115064315912950272009-06-26T06:25:00.002-04:002009-06-26T06:29:24.306-04:00

I can't tell you the last time I took a picture using color film, namely the Kodachrome film from Kodak. It's been too long and now Eastman Kodak has announced it'll stop making Kodachrome.Like many people, I've gone digital. Every picture I take is made up of electronic ones and twos and bits and bytes.The photos, and there are hundreds of them now, don't exist as something I can hold in my hand

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-59745729743492130482009-06-19T11:40:00.000-04:002009-06-19T11:41:39.766-04:00

I'm here in New Hampshire. My daughter is in Connecticut. And my son, the recent college graduate, is in San Diego, or maybe Los Angeles, as he continues a cross-country journey by car.You'd think I'd know exactly where he is at every mile of his trip. He has a cellphone that he carries with him all the time. I have a cellphone I carry with me all the time. Same with my daughter. And yet, we

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-50800243713472416962009-06-12T07:29:00.000-04:002009-06-12T07:30:34.428-04:00

So my driver's license came up for renewal this month, and I faced the decision of having to face up to my growing gray, or hang on to as much of my youth as I possibly can.I chose the latter.Not that I'm ashamed of my growing mass of gray hair on my head and around my face.I had the chance to embrace my inner Baby Boomer -- the wise, introspective one who is ready to embrace aging as just

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196720208467907073.post-61250391375778969382009-06-05T08:19:00.001-04:002009-06-05T08:23:40.587-04:00

I'm certainly more at ease not working than when I was working. I see a wider horizon of opportunities now that I'm not working vs. when I was working. And I can nap, which was usually frowned upon at work.That is some of what I've discovered in the year since I retired after 30 some odd years of newspaper work.Here are 10 Lessons of Retirement that this Baby Boomer retiree learned after Year 1

Paul Briandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01252687041785829672noreply@blogger.com0