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The nothingburger. A made-up word originally coined in the 1950s to describe someone, or something, that is a whole lot of nothing. A friend who works at another media outlet tipped me off to this word and fortunately – or unfortunately depending on your perspective– it has become part of my vocabulary. Since its definition in the 1950s, the nothingburger has evolved – or elevated if you will – to its use in politics. The nothingburger now describes political appointments that are empty, political announcements that are empty, and even policy statements that are empty. Note the use of the word ‘empty’ above. The emptinessRead More →

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Owning a vehicle is one of the most infuriating things, at least it is for me. Living in a rural area, owning a vehicle is essential for getting around. And I love driving on the open road. It is one of my favourite things to do. But when a vehicle breaks down, in the middle of nowhere, words cannot be printed to describe the feelings I had on the side of the road. I am not allowed to put those words into print. Recently, my vehicle died. Automatic transmissions are not supposed to slip, grind, and make whining noises. Through no fault of my own,Read More →

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A couple years ago, I outfitted Casa del Blancher with these smart home pucks. In nearly every room, except the bathrooms of course, these round hockey puck-like digital boxes connect our rooms to each other. At first it was great. If anyone wanted to page one of the kids, instead of yelling throughout the house, you could say in a moderate tone “Smart Box, page <insert child’s name here>”. The “Smart Box” broadcast the name, and the child would continue to ignore you. But at least the preemptive effort had been made not to yell through the house. For me, streaming radio and news wasRead More →