Chris Rodell's Blog
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Jun.17.2013
(726 words)
The note betrayed courtesy that seemed to me uncommon among most Montana sportsmen. It informed me I was in the crosshairs.
Headhunters are after me and my family. Yours, too.
I doubt any of the area big game elk or deer receive similar e-mailed warnings.
Of course, those who...
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Jun.14.2013
(764 words)
Write fan letters to obscure actors or musicians. Chances are they’ll write back and will fondly remember your goodhearted encouragement when they – cross your fingers – become rich and famous.
The above is tip No. 147 from “Use All The Crayons!” I never dreamed some stranger...
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2 comments
Jun.13.2013
(634 words)
I never really gave much thought to the nipples of my neighbors until I saw Hilary Swank’s.
We’d just watched the compelling Clint Eastwood’s 2004 “Million Dollar Baby” with our 12-year-old. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and stars Swank as scruffy boxer who...
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4 comments
Jun.11.2013
(716 words)
I have disappointing news for anyone planning on attending my 7 p.m. book signing tomorrow at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library. My 80-year-old mother will be attending and you all know what that means.
No profanity. No nudity.
Of course, I can’t speak for Mom. She’s always been a bit of...
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Jun.10.2013
(734 words)
The most frequently asked question of myself isn’t “How do you get by without a job?” or “Are you ever going to pay me back that twenty bucks you owe me?”
And if you’re playing at home, the answer the second question is directly related to the answer to the first.
No, my No. 1 FAQ is...
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Jun.07.2013
(719 words)
I should have realized something was amiss by the parking lot. It was overflowing. Thursday afternoons at The Pond are usually what I’d call comfortably crowded. This had the makings of an elevator so packed you decide it’s better to hike the stairs.
I walked in and the place was rowdy...
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2 comments
Jun.05.2013
(703 words)
The Jersey shoreline is one of two American icons poised to make a spectacular comeback in the wake of meteorological devastation.
The other is Billy Joel, our most disappointing artist from the past 20 years.
I was on board with him from the 1977 release of “The Stranger” clear...
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Jun.03.2013
(929 words)
No. 223. “Someday, just for the fun of it, stand on a busy street corner and bark into the cell phone, ‘No! No! No! The incision should be made behind the left ear! The left ear!’”
That’s an easy one. It’s my go-to item from the 501 colorful living tips from “Use All The...
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May.31.2013
Does it diminish some of the magic if I confess I sometimes re-run evergreen tweets from 8days2amish? I hope not.
It’s just I consider my twitter account different from your typical one. With the exception of my own blog notifications, I rarely re-post other tweets or link to stories or...
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May.29.2013
(792 words)
If marriage is so great how come God’s still single?
I have a single friend who lives in New York City, has a good job and a swanky apartment. He enjoys the theater, eating out and is something of a wine connoisseur. He dates around, but he’s never married. He’s what matchmaker females...
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May.27.2013
(701 words)
Being born with a philosophical bent, I spend a good deal of time wrestling with the great questions of the ages.
“Why are we here?” “What happens to us when we die?” And, “If God created heaven and earth, who created God?”
Those are all topics for another day.
Today, Memorial Day, I...
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May.24.2013
(642 words)
You’re probably unaware of the vanity, but for the past two years this blog has been lying about its age.
It says it’s younger than it really is.
By one day.
See, my very first blog was posted on May 23, 2008. But two years ago, the blog started declaring its birthday was May 24...
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May.22.2013
(692 words)
I like to ask fitness fanatics if tragic circumstances required it which part of themselves would they eat first.
This is particularly fun with vegetarians.
Yes, self-cannibalization gives new depth to the old you-are-what-you-eat adage.
I’m spending a lot of time thinking about...
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May.21.2013
(661 words)
Val and I are in the process of updating our wills. All we have to do is sign them.
The attorney who’s doing them is our friend Chuck. I see him practically every day at The Pond for either lunch or Happy Hour drinks.
So now after about a month of the documents gathering dust in his...
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May.20.2013
(667 words)
My wife prepared me for a night at the symphony by assuring me I’d be enthralled with the conductor.
“Oh, he’s magnificent,” she said. “Very charismatic.”
She was correct. Daniel Meyer, artistic director of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, is all that and more.
Heck, his...
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About Chris
I'm a Latrobe, Pa., writer who'll work for anyone who pays me. I've written for some of the best magazines in America and been rejected by the rest.
Connections
Causes Chris Rodell Supports
Democratic National Committee, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, Sierra Club, Smile Train, Salvation Army
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