The Trailing Edge

Anyone who has read a blog or a Facebook post has probably seen the word "Welp." There are still a few people who don't know what it means, so let me expound. First things first: The word is not "whelp." Whelp refers to birthing puppies. This generally has nothing to do with puppies, unless your intent is to post the following announcement: "Whelp, the neighbor's unspayed dog just gave birth to another litter of puppies under our porch." In that case, I suppose "whelp" would get a pass. But it's actually "Welp." Great, so what does it mean? Let's start with an example of a conversation with some words nearly everyone is familiar with. You: Are you going back to work today? Me:  No . Contrast that with: You:   Are you going back to work today? Me:    Nope . "No," in the first instance, could possibly be interpreted as "No, I'm sorry, I know you'd like me to but I'd really prefer not to, and I&#

Dateline: November 6, 2020. This blog post will deliberately ignore the top two headline-grabbers today, because news on those topics is as common as pinecones on the ground. You can fall over 'em anywhere, even if you aren't looking. So instead, I'll rant, rave and whine about job interviews.  A year or so ago, I was laid off from an office job I had held for 13 years. Fortunately, there was some severance pay, and when that ran out, a retirement account to roll over. Then came a couple of months' work for the Census, and early next year, I will become an official old person by collecting Social Security.  Social Security recipients can work to supplement the income. They just can't earn barrels upon barrels of money -- Social Security is designed as a "safety net." I think the annual max is something like $18K. I am quite sure that sooner than later, I will be out looking for a job. The Census made me happy. It got me out of the house; I met new people a