Opinion

Each Feb.14, St. Valentine’s Day continues to be the day to signify true love for every age.
It’s supposed to be when people in love send their significant other a small gift or token to mark their true feelings — the staples of the ancient tradition being cards, chocolates, flowers or a small piece of jewelry.

JAN. 30, 2019- Already packed with more momentous events than any other, the shortest month of the year may become even more significant with a possibly historic state of the union address that almost wasn’t; now scheduled for the first Tuesday in February.
President Trump is expected to tout a healthy economy with good if not record figures for job growth, low unemployment in all racial, ethnic and gender categories, slightly higher wages and lower taxes.

For three years in a row, years ago, I kept asking for a backscratcher, a bamboo one like my parents bought when we were in Korea. First I hinted, then I plainly stated, and then I outright demanded that I wanted one for Christmas. When I didn’t get it the third year, I went out finally found one in a dollar store. It had to be bamboo, you know; bamboo works best for scratching a back, I don’t know why. I’ve tried the plastic version with a clawed hand at a friend’s house, and it doesn’t provide the same “oh yeeeeeah” climax of soothing relief.

Many, many years ago a friend of mine started a one-meal-a-day diet.  He only ate supper, and from the vague description he gave me it was a big meal.  He also exercised three days a week, running four miles and doing pushups and situps and other things.  We even started practicing fighting with wooden swords together in his garage, and eventually we developed a two-minute routine in which it really looked like we were trying to kill each other.