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Hotels in Kazakhstan in 1995 by
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(34 Stories)

/ Stories

On January 19, 1995, I set off on a trip to Kazakhstan to help find ways in which American computer technology could help improve the safety and/or efficiency of the coal mining industry in that country, which had recently become an independent state, no longer under the domination of the Soviet Union.  I left Columbus…
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My Five-year Desk Project by
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(34 Stories)

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Of course, like all woodworkers, I could show you every place where I made a mistake, where the final project is not perfect - but I won't.
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Say Cheese by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Comfort Food

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I realized as the the words were coming out of my mouth that "real" and "Velveeta" should never be used in the same sentence. 
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Walrus in Central Park Zoo Speaks by
25
(34 Stories)

Prompted By Newspapers

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I had little knowledge of the works of those people in the Castle on Mount Auburn Street.
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Birmingham to Columbus by
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(34 Stories)

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Sorry, I can’t think of a song for this story, it’s too solemn a subject. On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was in Birmingham, AL, for the quarterly meeting of the Environment Sector of the Electric Power Research Institute.  After breakfast at the hotel, a group of us piled into a van to…
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Almost Heaven by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Going to Work

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That really impressed the neighbors!
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Handyman by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Home Repair

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James Taylor described himself metaphorically as a handyman.  I’m the real thing.
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Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Me Your Name? by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Senior Moments

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There's always the Google machine.
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Summertime… by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By That Summer

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While we were practicing parking, the brakes went out on my dad's Buick LeSabre! 
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There’s a Place… by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Hobbies

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So, over the last 65 years, I have progressed from my room to my recliner and my shop, and I am as happy as a clam.
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Say Yes to Michigan by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Family Trips

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Hey, there’s gray poop on everything here!
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O Canada by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Family Trips

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I get to drive and carry stuff.
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Happiness is a Warm Gun by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Guns Then and Now

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I grew up with guns.  When we were young, my brothers and I had cap guns, which made a loud noise (the caps had dots filled with gunpowder) when we could convince our parents to buy rolls of caps for us.  In elementary school, just ten to fifteen years after the end of World War…
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I’m on the Outside Looking In… by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Cliques and Clubs

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When I was in first and second grade, I went to Central Elementary, the “school on the hill”, the one which all the kids who would later be in the “in-crowd” attended.
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Pop a Top Again… by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Recycling

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Recycling is not really the best solution to resource conservation, re-using is even better.  Doing with less “stuff” is even better than re-using.
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Holst: The Planets by
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(34 Stories)

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Nevertheless, the artistry of Sir Isaac Newton cannot be denied.
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Going Down the Old Mine with a Transistor Radio by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Remembering Radios

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If he wanted those cows milked, it was going to happen with the radio on.
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Plastic Fantastic Lover by
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(34 Stories)

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I ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the heavy, bright red metal box to find a huge assortment of metal parts, bolts and washers - an Erector Set!
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As Time Goes By by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Rewatchable Movies

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You do know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow.
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The Last Guy by
25
(34 Stories)

Prompted By Inequality

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I don’t need more money and I don’t need more “stuff”.
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I Got You Babe by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Pet Peeves

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In general, I’m happy to be on this side of the grass, to read the paper in the morning and see that my obituary is not printed there.
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Wonderful World – Not by
25
(34 Stories)

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Didn’t learn about history, Didn’t learn biology, Didn’t learn about a science book, Didn’t learn about the math I took. In short, American kids have been robbed of more than a year of education by the coronavirus and the failure of the previous administration to even try to control the pandemic.  It has been frustrating…
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Rub It In by
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(34 Stories)

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That is occasionally TMI for them.
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A Horse With No Name by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By First Memory

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I don't know the name of the horse.
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Come and Keep Your Comrade Warm by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Hats

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They were experiencing a heat wave - it only got down to -30 degrees Celsius.
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You Can Leave Your Hat On by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Hats

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You had to lie on your side make sure you were pointed down-grade.
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The Secret to Happiness is to Always Look Forward by
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(34 Stories)

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In the final analysis, I am happy.
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I Should Be Working in My Shop Instead by
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(34 Stories)

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By halfway through the episodes, I found myself recalling a lot of the vocabulary from my French A class back in 1967-68.
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My Interviewer by
25
(34 Stories)

Prompted By Interviews

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He marched into the high school and asked to be directed to "the headmaster's office."
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She Won the Same Prize Twice by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Spelling

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I have always been a voracious reader, and therefore learned to spell as a result of seeing a lot of words, although my pronouncing some of those words often caused a humorous response from my teachers. My older daughter followed in my footsteps when it came to spelling,  When she was in sixth form at…
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Who’s Yer Daddy? by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Genealogy

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“I know what you’re going to tell me.  Everyone in Logan has known about it for years.”
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Our First Date by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By First Dates

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"Well, then, chivalry is not such a good thing."
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I Cheated on Tests in First Grade by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Exams

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My boss said "I'd love to spend an hour inside your head someday".
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I Learned to Drive a Tractor First by
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(34 Stories)

Prompted By Learning to Drive

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I had to pass the test, because I had a date that night with my girlfriend and needed to drive!
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