The SomeChum Drum

TV Programming Has Gone Haywire – And Isn’t It Magnificent?

somechum — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:15:02 +0000

As a young boy, I could count my home entertainment options on three fingers: ABC, CBS or NBC. Those were the Big Three networks that served up the TV shows I – and most other folks – cared about. When my buddy Greg convinced his parents to subscribe to a new universe known as HBO, [...]

Pearls of Wisdom from Dwight Schrute?

somechum — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:58:55 +0000

Why Rainn Wilson Shuns Happiness…and So Do I I never thought I’d learn life lessons from the likes of Dwight Schrute. But alas, that relentlessly annoying character from NBC’s The Office is played by a rather thoughtful and likable fellow named Rainn Wilson. And RELEVANT magazine recently featured him in a surprisingly touching cover story. [...]

Call Me (anything but) Maybe

somechum — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 02:32:46 +0000

You must have lived under a rock if you managed to escape Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 breakout hit “Call Me Maybe.” This catchy ditty quickly escalated into a pop culture phenom that spawned scores of clever parodies. Co-written by Jepsen herself, the lyrics tell the story of a coy girl sharing her phone number with [...]

Are You Stronger Than Your Resistance?

somechum — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:54:13 +0000

About a month ago, a ton of us made proclamations to lose weight, kick a bad habit or become an all-around better human. The dawning of a new year always seems like the most opportune time for making personal commitments we hope to keep. An estimated 40-45% of American adults make annual New Year’s resolutions, [...]

Gender Wars: The Battle for Thermal Dominance

somechum — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:39:17 +0000

‘Tis the season to be steamy. That is, if you’re a typical red-blooded male seeking to peacefully co-exist with a typical uber-chilly woman. Such thermal inequality was in full force during my annual Christmas pilgrimage to the motherland (Ohio, land of my mother). Mom, of course, was perpetually frosty, in direct contrast to my absolute [...]

Living in a 20-Minute Time Warp

somechum — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:21:55 +0000

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my 20-minute lapse in judgment. That’s when I first set the clock radio in my bedroom a full 20 minutes fast. And while the clock radio has been replaced by a slick Bose Wave Radio, the 1,200-second time warp endures. I must have read about it in some productivity article or self-help book as a way to trick my mind into thinking it was running [...]

I’ve Got a Catch Phrase…How ‘Bout You?

somechum — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:32:05 +0000

I find it amusing whenever I observe that someone has a favorite catch phrase. You know, it’s one of those personal buzzwords/phrases that (s)he involuntarily favors and repeatedly inserts into conversations. Sometimes it’s a simple filler word, as in “um” or ”like.” Often it’s a more full-fledged anchor phrase, a la ”Quite frankly.” One of my co-workers (let’s call him Frank) loves to [...]

Why I’m Still Spooked by Butterfingers

somechum — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:29:46 +0000

For a sweet-toothed male like myself, Halloween remains a highlight of my fall season. I love candy and sweets as far as the eye can see. Yet the holiday also evokes some remnants of trepidation – and not because of the ghosts, goblins and witches wandering the neighborhood. You see, my prime trick-or-treating years took [...]

Hello, Mulva?

somechum — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:46:32 +0000

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is the one where Jerry starts dating a woman whose name he doesn’t know. His only clue: she discloses how tough it was growing up with a name that rhymes with a female body part. So, he and bumbling buddy George brainstorm some possibilities: Celeste? Aretha? Gipple? Bovary? Finally, [...]

The Great Window Illusion

somechum — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:31:21 +0000

I remember when I first discovered how deceptive the notion of privacy could be. It happened during a nighttime game of hide-and-seek with my neighborhood pals. I was scurrying in front of my house in search of a suitable hiding place when I noticed I had a crystal-clear view into my kitchen. Bright light streamed [...]