Category DIY

The Death of Customer Service and a Fiction Tie-in
This week gave me another example of the death of customer service in our society. And it came with a connection to fiction, specifically, Rob Hart’s latest work, The Warehouse. I’m a home DIYer with enough experience to get by in a pinch. This time, my furnace was acting up and not heating when the […]

Life As A Lawn Sprinkler
California has been going through a drought, of sorts, for the last four years. I say “sort of” a drought because, depending on who you talk with, the state’s water worries are pretend, man-made, or a parched precursor to the End of Days. In a period of introspection — which could have been fueled by […]

Have you tried plugging it back in?
I swear I was completely sober when this all began. Maybe “completely” isn’t accurate, but the point is, customer service drove me to drink. I should rewind a few days and start from the beginning, then you can get all judgey on my level of sobriety. It’s all about customer service and the times we […]

The Real Domestic Terrorism Threat
I’ve uncovered an insidious conspiracy, one strategic push threatening to bring the walls of our civilization crumbling down around us. This menace is so vile and inhumane that the Geneva Conventions considers their activities war crimes. This terror cell uses deception and coercive techniques, including: Torture Forcing victims to swear allegiance to a false doctrine Genital mutilation Held […]

Stories From the Dog Bed
Here I sit, in my half completed writing room. A few months worth of sweat, blood and tears and I’m almost there. Almost. I like to consider myself a decently skilled DIYer. I’ve watched more than a few reruns of Renovation Realities on the DIY Network. If you ever need to feel good about yourself, just […]
It’s All About The Backstory
The Backstory Everything has its own unique story, a history, that “what made you who you are” element. When you sit in a coffee shop and listen to the chatter, the unspoken backstory is the thing that makes you want to know more about the people. It influences the way we see them, the way […]
Resolution – Smesholution
Less than a week into the new year and I’m already lagging on the resolutions that were supposed to make me a lean, mean writing machine. Not lean, not mean (maybe a bit pissy) and the writing machinery is missing a few cogs and gears. But I have excuses, honest I do. My writing room […]