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Mikebuzzelli

Pick up the receiver, make me a believer

I don’t want to sound like Methuselah, but a long time ago, before I grew a long, white beard and dispensed knowledge to my acolytes, I could call a person or business center, and someone would pick up on the other end. Remember when you could talk to people? I do. You didn’t have to ...

Finding the funny

I have learned that the best way to conquer the annoyances of daily life is to use humor as a weapon. It is a powerful tool. I use comedy to lower my blood pressure. That, and Carvedilol twice a day. Beta blockers and buffoonery are the best way to beat high blood pressure. Petty grievances ...

Walking on sunshine

I am making a concerted effort to be more positive. I don’t just want to look on the bright side of life; I want to live on the bright side of life, smiling and waving to all the miserable people on the other side. I’d love to tell you that it’s easy to maintain a positive attitude in ...

Two hundred fifty years young!

Happy belated birthday, America! You look good for your age, from the purple mountain majesties to the amber waves of grain. Technically, the Rocky Mountains, the alleged purple mountains from the song “America the Beautiful,” formed around 80 million years ago during the Laramide Orogeny ...

Orange crushed

Summer in Pittsburgh can only mean one thing: It’s orange cone season. I can’t leave my house within a mile in any direction without being stopped by a road crew. Every day, someone in a bright-yellow hard hat and matching fluorescent yellow vest stops me on the street with a sign. It ...

Pearls of wisdom: unpolished advice

Cue “Pomp and Circumstance,” because it’s graduation season. I’ve been riding the party train all month (eight days). I’ve been up in Ohio for Kent State's commencement, where my niece Chloe grabbed her diploma. I went to a high school graduation party for my cousin’s kid, Natalia, ...