An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, January 15, 2012
It was at our house on New Year’s Eve, sometime after the Basil-tinis started flowing but well before the ball dropped, when I was blinded by a bright flash. It went off inches from my face and was followed by a familiar whirring sound. After blinking the spots out of my retinas, I realized someone had just taken my picture. With a Polaroid instant camera.
An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, December 11, 2011
It was the summer of 2007 and we were on our way out for martinis, driving downtown, when we passed the majestic building at dusk. There was a for sale sign in the yard. I slowed down. “Wow, she’s gorgeous.”
An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, November 13, 2011
There is an old Wisconsin adage that says: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. In today’s world the same can be said about almost anything, especially the workplace. The pace at which technology marches forward is dizzying and those who ignore it and are being left behind. For better or worse, the new economy rewards those who embrace change.
An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, October 16, 2011
Almost four years ago I wrote a column about moving to Kenosha, and while the piece wasn’t entirely flattering, I did try to accentuate the positive. I moved here for love and since then have settled in, despite my constructive bullet points.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, September, 18, 2011.
After a challenging summer, we knew we had to get away before the weather changed. Something cheap and relatively close. Beth booked a trip down the mighty Wisconsin River from Sauk City to Spring Green, a 25 mile canoeing adventure over two days through the Driftless Area created during the last glacial period. All the provisions we would need had to fit inside a canoe, which meant Beth couldn’t bring a suitcase full of shoes.
This can't be good.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, May, 29, 2011.
We were awakened Saturday morning at 1 am by pounding on the door and the phone ringing. Beth and I looked at each other, and without saying anything we both slipped out of bed. She quietly answered the call as I grabbed a weapon from the night stand and crept toward the stair case.
A Kenosha police dispatcher was calling; there was an officer at the door. I put the weapon away, quickly put on a robe and thought, “This can’t be good.”
Baz and The Unit driving a firetruck in the Waterford, WI parade and keeping it real on the 4th of July.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, May, 21, 2011.
I come from a long line of strong, progressive women who live to old age, but the men in my family don’t fare so well. Both of my grandfathers died before I knew them. My maternal grandmother remarried a delightful man, who took me fishing and told corny jokes and did magic tricks, but I was too young to appreciate his charm and he died before I really got to know him. My father died when he was 62. As an adult I have never had a relationship with an elderly male.
Window 8 Blue Screen of Death. A kinder, gentler BSOD.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, January, 9, 2011.
Working with technology is what I love to do. It puts milk on the table and Kenosha News on the front porch. I feel very fortunate to be able to make a living doing something that is essentially a hobby for me, something I do in my spare time at home out of curiosity, for free. Please don’t share that with my employers as we are right in the middle of annual reviews.
While my love of computers and technology led to a career I enjoy, it did not come without a cost. Very quickly I became the default tech support option for everyone I knew. And not just for computers, but anything that plugged into a wall or had blinking lights. I actually found myself troubleshooting a mirrored disco ball this holiday season. I told the owner that I unfortunately skipped class at UW Madison the day they taught disco ball repair.
This guy greeted us at the door and offered candy.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, November, 14, 2010.
When the email came in I knew right away Beth would want to go. It was addressed to a group of friends, and below the “Are you guys in?” message was a link to a Wisconsin paranormal research group website. We were being invited to spend the night of October 30 in a haunted mansion in Janesville, learning about the tools and methodologies used by professional ghost hunters, and then spending the rest of the night and the morning hunting for ghosts on our own.
Just had medi-port installed. Through this port I would receive all my chemo, anti-nausea medicine and fluids. Also very convenient for blood draws. Best decision I made thoughout the process. It's either a port or get the veins blown out in your arms.
This My Turn column originally appeared in the Kenosha News on February 19, 2010.
Writing the My Turn column has been a fantastic experience. I want to thank Steve Lund and the Kenosha News for letting me do it. The only downside of this process was having the worst picture ever taken of me published next to my words. Maybe a caricature would have been better.