tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926272508043410492026-10-13T16:25:36.743-04:00conversations to have with yourselfRockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.comBlogger1765125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-35945148670398031262014-05-23T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-23T02:00:05.655-04:00

So, first, some house cleaning. This is the last Liquid Astronaut post. But, even better (or at least newer) content (and all this old content) will be moved over to my new site, RockyThompson.com. The name is rather self-serving, I know. Sorry about that. For years, I've been reposting my SteepandCheap.com Daily Dose emails here. That's done. But, here's the last one: You're Welcome 

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-45679500767973809422014-05-22T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-22T02:00:09.841-04:00

This is my favorite Daily Dose story of all time, but I did a horrible job telling it. Snowmobile Accidents A friend of mine lives on a lake in Minnesota that has only one ice fishing shanty on it. A few years ago, he saw a snowmobile screaming across the frozen lake at night run into the ice shanty at top speed. Turns out it was some really accident-prone kid, and his goggles were all iced up.

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-5673439414758991722014-05-21T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-21T02:00:02.410-04:00

Visit me over at RockyThompson.com, you'll find things look familiar.  I'm selecting this story for the Greatest Hits list, not because if I failed to choose one this week that included my wife she would be upset, but because, if I had to choose one that encapsulates my life better than another other I've shared, this is it. What Do You Want for Dinner? My wife asks me what I want

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-90267694900707279822014-05-20T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-20T02:00:02.605-04:00

Visit me over at RockyThompson.com, you'll find things look familiar.  This is my last week filing my Daily Dose emails, so this is the week in retrospect. And this story hails from December 19, 2006. If anyone's been reading each email each day since then, then it's as if you and I have spent about two full days together (based on my back-of-the-envelope math). And, I'm sure you'll

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-50848263350266655672014-05-19T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-19T02:00:05.317-04:00

The posts I've been filing here every day for the last seven or so years have been content that I've used on a daily email for SteepandCheap.com. This Friday is my last day writing those emails. So, this week I'm digging into the archives and picking some of my favorites. I'll also be putting about 100 or so of them into a ebook that I'll begin selling on Amazon.com near the end of this week for

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-45242090137820922842014-05-18T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-18T02:00:00.796-04:00

Every episode of VH1's Behind the Music was exactly the same: Meteoric rise to fame; alcohol! drugs! bad decisions!; car crash, broke, bankruptcy, divorce; and, for those still alive, redemption in the form of getting back on the road, back into music. I loved the formulaic way in which all rock stars came apart. And their redemptions were never real redemptions, but they all pretended that they

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-77720552833501434672014-05-17T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-17T02:00:03.917-04:00

My parents' neighbor's home was billowing black smoke and a good samaritan ran in to rescue them. Turns out they were fine. Everyone was relieved. Then the neighbor told them that this always happens when he uses carpet samples in his fireplace. The EPA was called in. They took an air sample. The neighbor had been hitting up carpet shops and gathering samples thinking they'd be great to start a

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-86133746847553035302014-05-16T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-16T02:00:03.292-04:00

Last Sunday was rough. I was freezing. I'd packed light for the weekend: one sweater, one long-sleeve shirt, and one pair of jeans. Freezing temps in the evening meant that I had to wear all of that around the campfire both nights. It wasn't so bad being around strangers when I was with 14 other guys who also smelled like campfire, though one honest woman did tell us: "You guys suck. You're all

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-63752056759596650582014-05-15T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-15T02:00:08.788-04:00

I called the hospital lab eight times, three times in one afternoon, pleading with them to transfer my test results to a new doctor. Receptionists sent me in endless loops of transfers. No one returned messages, and emails went unanswered. Then, a week ago, I received a call from a local number I didn't recognize. It was the hospital. It seems that their credit card machine was broken for the

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-18949481878699181202014-05-14T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-14T02:00:01.473-04:00

Have you ever said something so horrible that people assumed it was a joke and laughed? I was at dinner the other night with friends. A dark, crowded space. Not expensive, but just overpriced enough to be annoying. Our server spoke too loud for the space, she stumbled over her words, and her timing was all off. She was quite drunk but promised to "hook us up" before staggering away from our table

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-83342003404042017922014-05-13T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-13T02:00:07.167-04:00

I was standing in the grocery store contemplating a shelf of spices in identical packaging when a woman who'd crept up behind me said in an even tone, "MOVE." I looked at her and the heaped cart of plastic-wrapped meat and slunk out of the way. It reminded me of a story my friend who'd lived in England for a few years shared: She'd been in a similar grocery store daze and a woman who snuck up on

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-66806718672354661662014-05-12T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-12T02:00:00.382-04:00

The presidential election is just around the corner. You know, they’re a couple years off, so we should plan on hearing a lot about it in the coming months. Regardless of what side you’re on or who you vote for, there isn’t anyone who likes it. All the wasted money, constant annoying TV ads, pestering phone calls, and 24-hour coverage on cable news. After enduring it for so long, it makes sense

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-23813129351223108292014-05-11T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-11T02:00:02.066-04:00

I heard about this company in California that runs a program where you can pay to have them abduct yourself or one of your willing friends. Then they subject you to some form of mild psychological abuse so you can test yourself and see how you handle it. The whole thing sounds idiotic to me, but then again a lot of these weekend-long hellish adventure races through the desert sound idiotic to me,

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-21333512318392555952014-05-10T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-10T02:00:01.117-04:00

During college my friend Nate was backing his white Ford Taurus up in an icy parking lot and bumped another vehicle. He got out to inspect the damage, and a rather large, young gentleman got out of the car he’d hit to take a look. It was bumper to bumper, at a very medium pace, and both cars soaked up the hit and there was no visible damage. Then four of the gentleman’s friends, who may have been

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-78416764234224509442014-05-09T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-09T02:00:05.068-04:00

I’m going to a bachelor party this weekend. It’s for my friend Chris, and the details of the party have been kept a secret from him. I haven’t spoken with him so I don’t know how he’s handling it, but if I were him I would be in terrified. The thing with bachelor parties is that they’re not really for the bachelor. The bachelor is a guy who’s been single for ages, so he’s enjoyed the freedom of

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-52652304912703394372014-05-08T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-08T02:00:00.112-04:00

Is it my imagination or did there used to be a lot more dog food commercials? That Chuckwagon rolling through the kitchen, the happy and natural Purina dogs -- I don’t see them on TV anymore. The marketing for dog food is so on point that sometimes I want to eat it. And that makes sense. I mean, dogs eat dog food, but they don’t buy it. My friend told me that when he was a kid they convinced

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-23624855623441856082014-05-07T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-07T02:00:11.978-04:00

I go to a lot of weddings. In other words, my wife has a lot of friends. I enjoy them very much since most of the time everyone is in a good mood and they have an open bar. At the last two weddings I attended, people stood to do readings during the ceremony, and they read their passages off their phones. I'm so hard wired into seeing people stare at their phone while in the elevator or sitting

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-87091158493812400082014-05-06T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-06T02:00:07.836-04:00

One of my colleagues is this sweet, soft-spoken guy who never gets anything quite right. He files his taxes the day after they're due and once used a strainer as an ice bucket on his coffee table. He's one of those people you cheer for because you like him, but you always know in your heart that it's not going to end well. I hope he never quits his job to start his own business. The other day,

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-19693363132834957602014-05-05T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-05T02:00:02.540-04:00

I have never met a human being who has been motivated by a motivational speaker. They all tell the same story: meteoric rise, collapse, redemption. You can get the same message watching any rerun of the VH1 television show Behind the Music. Besides, motivational speaking is not a very impressive redemption. It's more like a lateral move into conning people. When my time is done writing these

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-4364568694910353012014-05-04T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-06T22:12:03.002-04:00

My favorite bar is right next to my house. It's a lucky coincidence. They have 18 beers on tap that rotate with high frequency, most of them are American craft beers, and they're all $3 for 20oz pints until 8pm every day. My goal, before the next time I move, is to drink one of every beer down the line in one day. If I can be honest with you for a moment, I'll tell you that I'm not going to

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-35027414572399708512014-05-03T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-03T02:00:01.016-04:00

It never occurred to me in middle or high school, but our student councils did nothing. They wielded no power. It was one more thing to put on your college applications to make yourself look like a go getter. You'd think that in the history of the U.S. there would have been one student council in one city that managed to exploit an old zoning ordinance and gain control of their school district

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-10839286109756084132014-05-02T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-02T02:00:08.591-04:00

Tattoo rule number one: Do not get a band's name tattooed anywhere on your body unless you are in that band, and even then, it's still a questionable choice. What if Dr. Dre had gotten a tattoo during his disco album days? He would have a hard time getting people to take him seriously as a soft-core gangster. I'm out of the age bracket danger zone for getting a tattoo I'll regret, which is to

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-40233039444307630732014-05-01T02:00:00.000-04:002014-05-01T02:00:04.498-04:00

I'm not sure why people find joy in reading celebrity magazines. Maybe "joy" is too strong a word. I'm not judging here, if I find an US Weekly in the back of my airplane seat, I'll flip through it. Actually, I'll read it cover to cover, which only takes about 10 minutes (with time for a snack in the middle). I suppose there's something to be said for seeing unflattering photos of people who you

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-46466356645400499492014-04-30T02:00:00.000-04:002014-04-30T02:00:02.302-04:00

I bought a brand new pair of rain pants last week and now it's supposed to rain every day the rest of this week. Rain pants must be the only type of gear that you buy that you're not excited to try out. I'd love to sell my old rain pants, but I'm afraid the ad I'd post to Craigslist would attract all the wrong attention: "Rain pants, Men's Large, used, they work well except the butt is worn

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392627250804341049.post-14987812263870032872014-04-29T02:00:00.000-04:002014-04-29T02:00:06.823-04:00

I was talking to a friend about scuba diving last week and mentioned offhand that I have my open water certification. He suggested we dive sometime. I mentioned it'd been a while since my last trip. "Let's see, I got certified when I was 12 years old...so it's been 22 years." Though my safety record is impeccable, there are some gaps in my expertise. Also, I think all of the plastic in my mask

Rockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09066251627485981071noreply@blogger.com0