Articles written by Alan Bine
Sorted by date Results 1 - 16 of 16
What hat should I wear today? | You Have My Word(s)
My former colleagues at the University of Washington, where I worked for almost 25 years, had a nickname for me. They called me the Mad Hatter. Not because I was mad, I hope, but... — Updated 3/23/2023
Overwhelmed by subscriptions | You Have My Word(s)
A long, long time ago, watching television didn't cost anything. Although there wasn't a whole lot to watch then. Every night at 11 p.m. the stations played the national anthem to s... — Updated 3/9/2023
High prices, my oh my | You Have My Word(s)
My mind works in very strange ways. To say it "works" might be an overstatement. When contemplating what to write about this week, for some odd reason I thought of Dick's... — Updated 3/2/2023
A valentine to Amazon | You Have My Word(s)
A lot of people find things they don't like about Amazon and Jeff Bezos, but I think the good about the company far outweighs the bad. As an Amazon Prime member, along with an... — Updated 2/9/2023
The write way to positivity | You Have My Word(s)
Is it possible to write your way out of the doldrums? Like most actions, it depends on your thinking and attitude. I know that actions really do speak louder than words. Still, I... — Updated 1/19/2023
Quiet time can bring clarity | You Have My Words(s)
Quiet time is such a blessing. Like a snow day for your mind. When it’s quiet, you can think. And the possibilities are infinite. I’ll bet most of the great inventors first came... — Updated 1/12/2023
In defense of fruitcake | You Have My Word(s)
What's wrong with fruitcake, I'd like to know? Why do people look at me the way they do, as if I'm, well, nutty as a fruitcake, whenever I say I like it? Fruitcake should be eaten,... — Updated 12/28/2022
Weary Christmas: A poem | You Have My Word(s)
I can't help myself. Each holiday season I just have to write at least one poem or essay expressing my feelings on a timely topic such as Christmas excesses, mall mania, or the... — Updated 12/8/2022
Words are friends, or playing with words | You Have My Word(s)
A lot of people play “Words with Friends.” To me, words are friends. Especially words that sound nice when you hear them, or have especially important meanings. The word... — Updated 12/1/2022
If it feels bad, stop doing It | You have my word(s)
I’m getting kind of tired of being told whatever I like to eat is bad for me. I could be wrong of course, but I believe stress is much more likely than sugar to do me in. While I... — Updated 11/10/2022
Reviews you might want to review | You have my word(s)
Who doesn’t have opinions? Just ask anyone in your family or circle of friends. That’s why reviews and comments about places to eat, movies to see, and books to read are among t... — Updated 11/3/2022
There's no place like – well, you know | You Have My Word(s)
Edmonds, about a dozen miles north of Seattle on Puget Sound, is about as good a place as it gets. At least travel guru Rick Steves of PBS fame thinks so. When Rick’s not travelin... — Updated 10/27/2022
We interrupt this column ... | You Have My Word(s)
I have this flaw. I tend to talk too much and, worse yet, sometimes interrupt others. How rude! In fact, I even interrupt myself. Not so rude. It doesn't make it OK, but I know why... — Updated 10/13/2022
Patience and kindness, coming into focus | You Have My Word(s)
Bad vision teaches you to have patience. Things I never thought twice about before my vision went south a few years ago now take at least twice as long to do. Like simple cooking... — Updated 9/14/2022
Why somewhere in the middle is usually the high goal | You Have My Word(s)
“The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower I don’t know who said we Americans are the... — Updated 9/8/2022
Seeing some humor in what I'm not seeing | You Have My Word(s)
I happen to like a good challenge, and now I've got one. My left eye is pretty useless, and my so-called good right one seems to be dimming. My double whammy is myopic degeneration... — Updated 8/18/2022