The administrator at the dentist office asks me, “Has anything changed since your last visit?” “Well . . . we’re all 6 months closer to death.” “I meant your contact info and insurance,” she says. “No, those remain unchanged with the passage of time.” Read more →
Author Archive: Paul Epps
Aside
I really hope what isn’t killing me is making me stronger . . .
People Having a Worse Week Than You
Dear Amy: I am a happily married 27-year-old woman about to have my first baby, and I am terrified because it isn’t my husband’s baby. Last spring, another woman and I took a trip to the Bahamas. At the hotel I had a massage and was seduced by the masseur. I tried to resist, but I guess I got carried away. I sort of cooperated once things got started. After some prenatal tests, my doctor recently told me that the baby’s blood type is different from both my husband’s and mine, which means the baby is not his. When the baby is born, it will be very obvious: My husband and I are white, and the masseur is black. I can’t tell my husband; I think that he would leave me. It’s too late for an abortion. What can I do? Please advise me. — “Ask Amy,” Chicago Tribune Read more →
2015 Cal Graduation Video
I have a short video from the Haas Business School graduation last year, I don’t think I ever posted it . . . Read more →
The Ideal Consumer
The ideal consumer is someone who is anxious, depressed and constantly dissatisfied. Academic studies from the most respected institutions show that sad people are bigger spenders. Why do you think our lives are saturated with images of flawless, unattainable beauty? Read more →
Income Inequality Explained
Salesmanship
“How many pieces are you playing at the piano recital?” “Two,” I reply, “but one is very short.” “Who are the composers?” “Bach and Liszt.” “What is that? ‘Box’?” “Why do you ask me who the composers are if you’ve never heard of Bach?” “That’s salesmanship.” Did I mention he’s a salesman? “You’ve gotta push it.” Read more →
The State of Motherhood in America
I’m in an office this morning where a TV is tuned to Good Morning, America . . . it’s Mothers Day weekend and a woman is being honored because she has children, who are now grown, and she prioritized the children in her life and made sacrifices for them. That’s where we are in the 21st century — a mother who centers her life around her children is a national phenomenon. Can’t wait for Fathers Day . . . Read more →
Wasteland
And those that had money looked good but weren’t too happy And those who didn’t have money didn’t look so good And weren’t too happy either and in a city of three million two hundred and sixty nine thousand nine hundred eighty four Everyone was lonely — Dan Bern, “Wasteland” Read more →
A Wing and a Prayer
I noticed walking to Starbucks this morning that my right knee was making a snapping noise every time I took a step. No pain, just a snapping noise. So I prayed to God to make the snapping noise stop — and it did! But then it started up again a few minutes later. 🙁 It turns out that the noise wasn’t coming from my right knee, it was coming from the right pocket of my sweatpants, where my house key was bouncing against my phone. Read more →
Apple Employee Found Dead at Company Headquarters
Apple employee found dead at company headquarters — CNN Money I have never known anyone who died at work, although I’ve seen a couple of close calls. My dad died of a heart attack at home on a Monday morning when he normally would have gone to work. If he’d been able to hang in there a few more hours, he could have died at the office. I also worked with a fellow quite a few years ago who was in the office on Friday and died over the weekend. We heard about it on Monday. It wasn’t super shocking because he was an older man and not in the peak of health. He looked like John Huston with one day to live. That was a terrible company. I remember thinking, “Well, at least he doesn’t have to come to work today.” Embed from Getty Images Read more →
So Long, Clippers!
The only enjoyment I’ve had as a Lakers fan the past few years is watching the Clippers’ annual playoff debacles . . . Read more →
Who Says Creativity is Dead in Tinseltown?
Keep reaching for the stars, thespians. Read more →
We Are Not Making Any Progress on Cellos
Yo-Yo Ma’s principal instrument is a Montagnana cello built in 1733. – Strings Magazine He plays a cello built in 1733!? In 300 years, we’ve learned nothing about making cellos?! Read more →
Overheard
“I hate to use stereotypes but . . .” “For someone who hates to use stereotypes, you seem to have a stereotype for absolutely everyone.” Read more →
More People I’m Sick Unto Death Of
Males over the age of 10 who lower their pants at public urinals . . . Read more →
Ted Cruz: Lucifer in the Flesh?
I think this comparison is terribly unfair — to Lucifer. Read more →
One Day Closer to Doom
Sad to say but every day is one day closer to doom for all of us . . . Read more →
Pain is Nothing
Pain means nothing to a man, as Hemingway used to say. Before he shot himself . . . Read more →
The Consequences of Shenanigans
According to a Fox poll, Trump leads nationally with Republican “men, women, every age group, every income group, and among those with a college degree and those without.” So, if somehow the GOP nominates a candidate other than Trump, the only Republicans who will be angry about it are …“men, women, every age group, every income group, and among those with a college degree and those without.” — Scott Adams Read more →