When I got up on Jan. 1, 2021, things were looking okay.

Take down the old calendar — get that new one up there early Friday morning.

Christmas Eve this year gives me pause.

Have you got your vaccination yet? Me neither.

I'm going to try to keep this one short — I figure quick requests are more effective than long, drawn-out pitches.

Things got pretty depressing around here Monday.

Are you finding it a little difficult to be sincerely thankful this Thanksgiving?

I was supposed to throw a party this Sunday.

I've complained before about the inexorable march of time, at least as it relates to my body.

I am a results-oriented person.

Back in the prehistoric era, when I was attending what we called junior high school, I was a half-miler in track for about 15 minutes.

It snuck up on me.

I doubt many people would try to say Long Beach has enough housing, let alone affordable housing.

You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “taking its own sweet time.”

I was reminded again this morning just how dependent we have become on internet access and all that provides.

I’m old enough to say without fear of contradiction that I’ve lived through some unusual times.

This last Tuesday former Mayor Beverly O’Neill celebrated her 90th birthday.

I was a bad boy last week — I didn’t stay home.

It's back.

I have watched, oh, say 40 or so municipal budgets be cobbled together in my 40 or so years in this business.

I’m the most impatient person I know.

I don’t often take on the falderol that takes place in the nation’s capitol in this column, but it’s hard to ignore this week.

It seems like every two or three years, I feel compelled to write a column about how it feels like I’m working in a vacuum.

Like pretty much everything else this year, Saturday’s Fourth of July promises to be something different.

We’ve been at this for three months now.

Defund the police force.

When will we learn?

What runs through your mind when you have a coughing fit these days?

I'm trying to teach my dog how to tell time.

According to our Pledge of Allegiance, we are "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I messed up last week.

I'm not telling you anything when I say we live in unprecedented times.

I'm beating my head against the wall — the dogs hate it when I do that — trying to come up with something to write about that isn't coronavirus related.

The guy at the paint counter said the store is slammed with people "doing projects."

I attended church last Sunday. I plan to attend this Sunday, too.

While the world is consumed with the coronavirus and how to be safe, the clock still is ticking on the March 3 primary.

There's a saying used often in my old Colorado stomping grounds.

It’s hard to talk to anyone these days without hearing their take on the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Let me put my crotchety old man hat on for a minute.

Lent began Wednesday.

I've watched it for almost a week.

A few comments about last week's column on Measure A made me realize some folks don't understand that this particular space includes my opinion, and my opinion only.

Say government, and most people's antennae goes up. Say tax, and those antennae start to quiver. Say tax hike or tax extension, and the antennae commence to shake.

I got a Christmas card today.

It kind of snuck up on me, this getting old thing.

What does it take to have a vision for the future?

I have lived in Southern California for more than 28 years, and I still cannot believe people out here do this to themselves day after day.

Welcome to 2020.

I've had the feeling for years now that 2020 would be a significant milestone of a year.

It's hard to believe this is the last Grunion printed before Christmas Day, 2019. The season seems to have snuck up on us, hasn't it?