http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog Vibrating at the Frequency of Fun Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:48:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Every once in awhile. calling Customer Service is actually fun, but maybe not for the reason you hoped. For accepting Visa and Mastercard to sell my CDs, I'm charged a percentage of sales, plus authorization fees, transaction fees, statement fees, batch fees, and some other fees I think they copied from ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/12/03/customer-service/ It's Thanksgiving morning. I'm dog-sitting and reminded of a funny/weird/favorite pet experience. Near the end of my junior year in college I got a wild idea. (This is not unusual. I get my share.) I decided I needed an exotic pet. This is what happens when you spend all your ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/11/27/dog-and-cat-lovers-unite/ We're invited to a swank hotel lobby, given beverages, finger food, and aprons. An excellent musician plays piano in the background. Lots of upscale people are milling around, waiting, like us. Finally, a chef from California instructs us to line up according to table numbers, and to put our hand ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/10/30/light-or-warmth/ My friend Harold's two cats have the run of his place, and like many cats, they tend to get into mischief whenever they feel like it. The younger black one is especially curious, and is mesmerized by the refrigerator. Whenever Harold opens it, the black cat will weave his way ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/10/19/true-halloween-cat-story/ Sometimes I'm an idiot Many of you know that by now Sometimes I am not But that is not as clear somehow -- (John Gorka, "Shape of the World") Whenever I come across some fact it seems like I should have filed away in my cranium, but for some reason isn't there, I get reminded ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/10/09/are-you-chimp-or-bonobo/ Recently I received a cryptic email letting me know that someone had made a video of my song, "One Day On The Fields Of France." I clicked the link, watched the video, got a little teary (it's that kind of song), and wondered who made this video and why? So I ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/09/26/one-day-on-the-fields-of-france/ I like Sarah Palin. She's not hard to like. She's attractive, funny, and has serious charisma. She's also kinda hot. She'd probably be fun to hang out with. But haven't we made this mistake before? Sarah Palin already has the best job for her. She's wildly popular as Governor of Alaska because ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/09/12/the-palin-principle/ This is going to stretch your mind a little. Reuben is exactly the same age as both his son-in-law and his father-in-law. I can hear the wheels turning in your head: How is that possible? Wait, let me think about it a second.... (I'm going to explain it in the next paragraph, in ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/08/12/anybody-get-that-on-film/ The Chinese government, out of concern for foreign sensibilities, has ordered that dog meat not be served in restaurants during the Olympics. It's wonderful to know the dogs are safe for a couple of weeks. (No word, however about a similar reprieve for the Lamas in Tibet...) My brain retains many ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/07/28/chicken-feet-in-china/ Some people have asked me lately how to be funny, and my first response used to be, “How the heck should I know -- I’m not funny.” But on the other hand, people have been laughing at me a lot lately. So maybe I can offer some clues. Great starting points ... http://www.gregtamblyn.com/blog/2008/07/10/how-to-be-funny-from-someone-who-had-to-learn-it/