Posts by James Newcomb
An Invitation, or a Warning?
Awhile back, I was in one of my favorite stores, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. Now, I don’t like Ollie’s because it’s the creme de la creme of retail stores. Quite the opposite. It’s about as tacky as a short skirt at Sunday Mass. Their business model is to buy up products at huge discounts, such as a store…
Read MoreIt worked for Breaking Bad, and it will work for you
I’m a huge fan of Breaking Bad. In fact, I might be labeled one of their “super fans”. I’ve watched every episode in order at least 5 times, and I’ve also listened to every podcast that they produced to discuss the show. (By the way, if you’re looking for a great podcast that will give…
Read MoreWhat would this world be without all the characters?
Imagine Batman without the Joker, or the Penguin, or any of the other villains in the comics and movies. Or Superman without Lex Luthor, or those three individuals with equal powers to Superman but who broke bad in their spirit and wished harm and destruction upon Planet Earth? How utterly boring would that be? It was…
Read MoreMeet James Newcomb the Trumpeter.
What Sana thinks of America
When Sana and I first met and began talking about marriage, I was terrified of what she would think of the culture of the United States. Here’s the accomplished woman of letters; adored by every student she’s ever known and universally respected by her colleagues and superiors in academia in Southeast Asia. Now I’ll be…
Read MoreWhat 5 year old Gabriel taught me about tenacity
August 2019, I drove my son Gabriel to visit my brother and his family in Kentucky. Dave has two sons, and they both get along really well with Gabriel. KY is a 12-13 hour drive from my home in Virginia Beach, so even getting an early start it’s a long, tiring day of driving. We…
Read MoreI didn’t know of dirt until my wife moved in.
Three weeks ago today my wife Sana arrived in the United States, and the phrase “salt on my wound” took on new meaning. I’ll explain. I moved into a small apartment in Virginia Beach this past March and it was perfect for its purposes. I needed something small and without the ironclad contracts and crazy…
Read MoreThis blog post will kill the Covid-19 virus
Sana and I saw something that made us laugh the other day. Someone was throwing out some cleaning wipes in the trash can, and we happened to notice the side of the box said, “Kills the Covid-19 Virus” or words to that effect. So Covid is now used as a selling point for cleaning products.…
Read MoreWhat I learned from my worst interview ever
That headline is not any type of “the worst interview is the one I never did” type of thing. No, this one was a disaster all the way around. Just this past Saturday evening, I had an in-person interview scheduled with a trumpet player who’s from out of town, but was going to be visiting…
Read MoreBe a thermostat, not a thermometer
My son Gabriel and I watched the most recent movie going by the title Journey to the Center of the Earth this past weekend. It was actually really entertaining. I’d never seen any movies based on the novel, nor have I read the novel, but it kind of made me want to do both. The premise basically…
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