http://www.gtherald.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:00:55 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_337180238.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_337180238.html There was a time when snow wasn't a dirty word. A time when stellar dendrite ice crystals were greeted with shouts of joy instead of the four-letter variety. However, it's hard to retain childlike exuberance when you're cursing out a clogged snowblower or swearing at a car-inhaling snowbank. Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:00:55 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_330175733.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_330175733.html Tomorrow, the fourth Thursday in November, is a time to give thanks -- for lumpy gravy and antacid tablets. With the economy drying out faster than an overcooked turkey, this year it's time to take elbows off the table in appreciation of simple things. Food, fellowship and football add up to a day of thankful reflection and belt-loosening indigestion. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:00:55 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_323182337.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_323182337.html I hate to admit it, but Glen Campbell is stalking me. In the car, walking down the sidewalk, at work, brushing my teeth: the country crooner follows my every move. Actually, it is his words that won't let me be. The chorus to "Country Boy" is not merely stuck in my head, it is embedded in the temporal lobe. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:00:54 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_316183744.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_316183744.html There are moments when fate and sheer stupidity conspire to hit you with what my father-in-law calls a dope-slap. Of course, this backhand of reality can be painfully humiliating to the ego -- especially when the key cause dangles behind locked doors. Locking the keys in your car is one of life's gotcha moments. Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:00:55 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_310081239.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_310081239.html Every four years, we the people get one good round house punch at the body politics. Election Day provides its share of indisputable knockouts and the occasional Supreme Court split decision. For some voters, punching out a ballot card is a visceral experience. Undoubtedly, many a politician awoke to bruised, if not battered ego this morning. Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:00:56 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_302173737.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_302173737.html Does Halloween really stand a ghost of a chance in chilling economic times? Job layoffs, foreclosures and gory stock market reports haunt us on a daily basis. The world feels like a scary place that can't be dismissed by rubber mask reality. Rather than scream at frightening 401(k) statements, I've decided to put on a brave face -- or at least an Elvis wig -- and treat myself to a happy Halloween. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:00:54 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_295193251.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_295193251.html You run for two reasons: away from vicious animals and in-laws, or after a wind-swept winning lottery ticket. Run for your life or from it -- just get those knees up. However, there are those who derive euphoric pleasure from a pounding heart, aching lungs and sweat-soaked underwear. These people run down the street, not from the police, but of their own free will. Inconceivable as it sounds, they just like to run. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:00:54 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_288183246.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_288183246.html Certain jobs require a steely resolve and an unwavering hand; brain surgeon and TNT-hauling truck driver come to mind. However, I recently witnessed a profession more harrowing than anything shown on an Alaskan crab fisherman reality TV show: a kid's birthday party clown -- seriously. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:00:56 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_268085233.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_268085233.html After three weeks, first grade has certainly lived up to its name. First and foremost is full-time school without the carpet square naps. Equally important is that first desk to store pink erasers and half-eaten bananas. First grade has also provided an initial education in the playground bully. It is a hard lesson not found on big-lined writing paper or flash cards. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:00:54 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_260184756.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_260184756.html As annual illnesses go, there is allergy season, cold-and-flu season and televised football season. The last also known in its statewide pandemic form: the Detroit Lions. In my case, the only viable cure is to pull the TV plug on the boys in Honolulu Blue. Unfortunately, I exposed myself to three minutes of fourth-quarter debacle on Sunday. Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:00:57 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_254085228.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_254085228.html Fall-time facial hair is a sensitive subject around our house. The yearly ritual of not shaving select parts of my face rubs my wife the wrong way. It also irritates my 6-year-old daughter, but only in the whisker burn sense. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:57:00 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_246184306.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_246184306.html Today my thoughts and rusty Captain America lunchbox go out to every kid facing the big yellow bus reality that summer is over. As for you parents, try to keep those cartwheels to a minimum. While it has been decades since I last dodged spitballs on a bus, the first days of September conjure up back-to-school memories sharp as a #2 pencil. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:32:00 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_239191739.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_239191739.html Deny it as we might, the twilight of summer is upon us. Labor Day and back-to-school sales flyers serve as requiem for the season. In the words of Shakespeare, "(Summer) hath too short a date." However, I doubt old Bill S. would pine for one endless bit of summer: cutting the grass. Late-season lawn mowing is not the stuff of sonnets. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:41:00 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_232183732.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_232183732.html As a parent, there are moments when you know it's time to let go. For the most part, life doesn't come with little plastic training wheels. There certainly have been times when extra guidance would have prevented spills, crashes and over-the-handlebars-of-life face-plants. In the end, however, it's all about balance. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:00:58 +0000 http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_225183721.html http://www.gtherald.com/leiva/local_story_225183721.html Sometimes we find profound answers through lost causes. However, I'll skip enlightenment when it comes to missing bank card matters. As somewhat a lost cause myself, I've come to the conclusion that life is full of losses both tangible and untouchable. However, it's hard to wax philosophical when your ATM card is lost.