Flip flops. You see a lot of them in Austin in the summer time. The perfect summer time footwear.
You also frequently see a different kind of "flip flop" in the world of politics, when legislators suddenly change their stance on an issue to fall in line, gain political leverage, or improve their likability. But these "flip flops" are no longer limited to politics. The world of sport is rampant with them now. Sadly, the "flip flop" appears to have become the norm these days.
With that in mind, episode 058 of the Rhubarb Report deals with just a few flip flops, fiascos, and some words from FDR.
Welcome to 2013. The new year brings with it the refreshing sense of a clean slate. Tabula rasa. Raise a glass for the excitement ahead.
But then we are hit by the realization that January 1 looks a whole lot like December 31 – just add champagne and a ball dropping in Times Square.
Another year is upon us, and as always, yesterday’s rhubarb is tomorrow’s humor. An humor is always plentiful. Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here is Episode 57 of the Rhubarb Report.
It was with great excitement that I watched the clock strike midnight last Saturday. December 22. Whew. Apparently, we had survived the end of the world successfully. And I felt fine (with all due respect to R.E.M. of course). Time just kept on moving along – or as the Rolling Stones once noted, “time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me”.
But that left us with Christmas just a scant 4 days later. Would we be able to get our last-minute shopping done?
They tell me that it was all just the beginning of the age of Aquarius. Little did I know. One thing that an impending and successfully averted apocalypse will do – it will cause you to reflect on life as you know it. And if the aforementioned apocalypse doesn’t put you in a reflective frame of mind, maybe Christmas and the holiday season will.
Happy Holidays! It is that special time of year again, a time that we run around frantically from store to store, curse the traffic, and agonize over getting just the right gift for Uncle Fred. Ah the special enjoyment that the holidays bring us [insert sarcasm here].
Oh, wait, there’s more, or maybe not. With this year’s holiday season comes something a little different, courtesy of the Mayan calendar. The world might just end on December 21. That sure would take the edge off of last-minute Christmas shopping. I am sure that our friends in New Zealand can give us some lead time to let us know if December 22 makes an appearance. It will still be 5:00 am here in Austin, so 19 hours of lead time might be a good thing.
Meanwhile, plans move forward for the holiday season. So sit back, grab a glass of egg nog, and enjoy the latest episode of the Rhubarb Report.
It is a sad time of the year. This is the first weekend when you realize that college football, for all intents and purposes, is done for another year. There are plenty of pointless bowl games over the next month where you can watch a 6 – 6 team play a 6 – 6 team. Yawn. But the conference rivalries are over. See you next September.
It’s not just the college football world that is quiet these days. The political world is tame right now in comparison to the hyperbole of September and October. With winter coming, maybe it is just time to hibernate? Is there any rhubarb to be found these days? Of course there is! Episode 55 of the Rhubarb Report is upon us. Enjoy!
I took a walk down memory lane yesterday. I opened up a box of photos that I haven’t looked at in ages. I was amazed at what I found.
The box contained a stack of old color and black and white photos, many faded by the passage of time. The one thing that wasn’t faded? The memories contained in the images. The tactile sensation of a stack of photos is so much different than a hard drive full of digital images. Sounds a little retro, doesn’t it?
It reminded me not only of the memories themselves, but in the changes we experience with the sheer passage of time. Some call it “life”.
Thanksgiving is a day to eat turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. But it is also a time to give thanks for all that we have in our world. Sometimes, that aspect appears to get lost within the chaos that can be the impending holiday season. We now have Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Did giving thanks get lost in the retail mix?
I hope that Thanksgiving has given you the opportunity to spend time with those whom you love and cherish. While you are recovering from Thanksgiving, grab a fork and dig in to the latest episode of the Rhubarb Report!
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.