At this time of year some of us are confronted with a myriad of challenges.

Your spring/summer lighter seasonal clothing comes out, but…oh my….will it fit? One could blame it on the freshman 15, but not having been to college in 40 years that stretches beyond credibility. And besides, why would you want to wear last years fashion, it is after all so last year.

And the shoes. What shoes does one wear now? Too soon for flip flops or those fab strappy sandals. The boots that you have trudged around in all winter clearly feel all wrong. If it is a rainy season one can make do with those ridiculous rubber galoshes, it levels the playing field, no one looks good in those.

So, I am going to take the advice of my friend here.

It absolutely solves a myriad of concerns. Remember Tom Hanks in whatever that movie was called, where he morphs into a Robinson Crusoe like character?

He went down at least 4 sizes, if I recall.

Avoids all of the current fashion conundrums. And eating grains and nuts is so very much the right thing to do. Except for those who really don’t look good in green, it’s a great plan.

Wanna join?

How much do you think a Ruckus is worth?

It seems pretty evident that a good many States are frantically trying to figure out how to bring in more revenue by taxing just about anything. And I mean anything.

Clowns. Clowns? 

Yup, seems to be what Maine is proposing. Ironically, Nebraska has proposed a tax for dating services. Had they joined forces they could have had a twofer. I am not exactly sure how it would work, but I am pretty certain that participants in the dating services would have the opportunity to report the clowns they have run into who slipped through without being surcharged. 

We are all watching with bated breath, that would be really deeply, inhaled, bated breath, for what California is going to do. A referendum is on the table for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use (with a limit on the amount one can have in their possession). The amount of revenue that it is believed this would generate is one billion dollars. One billion dollars! 

Tax your clowns, jugglers and comedians or roll a joint, munch a bunch and get the giggles. 

You decide which is the more sensible tax revenue that will aid and abet the coffer in your state.

Move over Judge Judy. There's a new kid in town. His name is Robert Hansen and he's a Psychic. 

Not only can he get in contact with the dearly departed, he apparently can settle disputes between those still here and those on the "other side."

Settle disputes, you see,  like in take sides. He is interpreting for the side that no one can hear. Except, of course, him. 

Judge Judy, you understand, has you watching and listening to the two opposing sides go at it, while she is snickering, sneering and rolling her eyes. While you don't get to decide their fate, you can make a fairly informed guess as to what the outcome, and her decision, is going to be. 

Here sits the hapless family, sniffling, snorting and sobbing, while Mr. Hansen informs this broken hearted crew what the deceased really wanted them to do with…the jewelry, car, cash, house, in question. And, for agreeing to participate in this activity, they have to abide by what he says the other side said. 

This is, without doubt, the ultimate he said, she said.

This is all brought to you in living color. On the TLC network. Heretofore The Learning Channel. Now, the acronym is up for grabs. 

The Lunatic Channel, The Lets be Crazy Channel, The Left of Center place to go.

"Or, physically demonstrate that…" That's what I would have said to you, as I always thought that's how I learned stuff. 

"Just, tell me, and I will get it"… apparently, not so much. So sad to learn that. My well honed excuse for why I am not understanding what new information you are imparting has been, poof, dashed.

At least that is what I think I understood…note the think part. A noted cognitive psychologist named Daniel Willingham has somewhat refuted the conventional wisdom that some people are auditory learners, some visual and some kinesthetic learners. He proceeds to explain why. I listened raptly, attentively, and really focused on what he had to say.

I still didn't get it.

This is why I love ATM machines. They tell you exactly what to do. I can read my next steps. If they only spoke to me, I'd never deposit or withdraw or transfer anything. Or my GPS device. Glancing at it, no doubt potentially wrecking havoc behind me as I slow down to see where the turn is coming up, works better than being talked to about making that turn in 500 feet. We have already established, only avid football fans have any sense of how far 500 feet might be.

Put together a disassembled cabinet. Comes with a video…no problem. Comes with a carpenter, better. Comes with a written description, it is hammered into submission, if it holds things afterwards, that's a bonus.

So then. Listen, read and view Dr. Willingham's page. Then, make me an illustration so I know what he said.

Thanks.

Checking emails. 
Easy. Delete or respond. Respond later, waver about deleting. Get pissed at friends who request that you forward their epistle to everyone else in your address book, definitively not the definition of what friends should do.

But, for a brief and fleeting moment this morning, I became another person.

The email read: Hello Richard, welcome to your weekly Ticket Alert!

About to push delete, I hesitated. Since Richard was receiving an email about what Tickets he might be interested in receiving, I thought, why not? A little innocuous voyeurism into Richard’s life. Or, a chance to get a jump on the latest, greatest, upcoming, soon to be a mega hit, production.

Or, realize that I am living my life, less on the edge, than my alter ego Richard.

He, you see, has the possibility of participating, on April 6th, in the semi finals of a “talent contest.” I imagined that we were wildly successful in the quarter finals. This Friday, we are going to hear SpaceHogs, featuring Dead Celebrities. Perhaps, not a name for a group I would have chosen, but if you want a sampling of their music, here goes. 

Finally, because Richard and I share an appreciation for art, apparently, we’re going to the Cloisters, any Sunday we choose, over the course of the next month.

So, I wondered, if Richard received my Ticketweb selections, would he think about broadening/changing/challenging his conventional tastes and participate in what moves me?

Or not.