From Bob's Cluttered Desk

It seems that, as a society, there is always something to worry about. Even when good news breaks through the din of negativity we still seem to find elements of concern to worry about. Such is the case with the newly created COVID vaccinations being distributed across the country. Created in record time, the two…

There will be people who are bothered or even offended by the inclusion of the word “dumbass” in the title of this post. Those who are not aficionados of the Cluttered Desk in particular may be surprised by its use in such a prominent fashion. Those who are familiar with this blog, however, may rest…

The football stadium at my alma mater Fort Lewis College has been, since its construction in 1958, known as the Ray Dennison Memorial Field. I had no idea why it was named that way; the reality is I never even wondered about it until several days ago. I happened to come across, via Facebook, an…

There was some irony that the webinar I attended yesterday occurred on the same day I scheduled what will be the first of two total knee replacement surgeries I will have this year. Aging can be a funny thing. If you asked me how old I feel in my mind, I would tell you I…

From time to time over the years, I have pulled out my prognosticative pen and scribed what I believed were 10 events most likely to occur in the year laid out before us. History has not been kind to these efforts. The reality is, I suck at prognostication. I have been wrong far more than…

We recently went through a complete kitchen remodel. It was a comprehensive project that stripped the kitchen to the studs in places and included tearing out and replacing 600 square feet of tile: both in the kitchen and adjacent areas. It was a delightful affair that left my wife and I, along with our two…

  This week, with Congress certifying Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States and the special election in Georgia shifting power in the Senate, the long and harried election of 2020 has come to a close. As the dust settles, we view the shifting power base in Washington and the new initiatives and…

Last week, in his blog The WorkComp Writer, Thomas Robinson addressed yet another aspect of the ongoing COVID episode as it relates to workers’ compensation. In his post “Do Employers Face Additional Liability for COVID-19 Vaccination Side Effects?,” Robinson discusses a question that was put before him by a member of the legal community. The questioner…

This week I saw the movie “The Santa Clause,” starring Tim Allen, for the first time. Some may find it hard to believe that, although the movie came out almost 27 years ago in 1994, I had never seen it. I’m not sure why. I suppose I’ve been waiting for the book to come out.…

My father was born on December 20, 1919. This Sunday he would have been 101 years old. I had made travel arrangements and intended to be with him for his birthday over the weekend. Unfortunately, we will not be celebrating that day, and he will not get to see that milestone.  My father passed away two days…