All Entries in the "Thoughts" Category
The Christmas Spirit and Customer Service: Return of the Grinch
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Part 2 of The Christmas Spirit and Customer Service. Part 1 was published December 8, 2007 I look forward to the month of December and Christmas more than any other time of the year. The music, the decorations, the meaning of the holiday, the snow - so much good cheer in the air. [...]
Giving Thanks Shouldn’t Be So Hard
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Every year in late November families and friends gather to eat, watch football, eat a little more and watch even more football. It happens on a Thursday, usually early in the afternoon. Sometimes there’s wine and other assorted alcoholic beverages to go with the food. Other times it’s simply water and [...]
Food News: Are Turkeys Mobilizing?
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Driving on a major highway in suburban Minneapolis today, traffic nearly came to a halt. The reason for the hold-up was: A. An accident B. Road construction C. Turkeys Of course the answer is turkeys. Two enormous birds that looked as though they were spawned from a master race of Super Turkeys simply [...]
Election ’08: When Words Become Stars
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Election years are a funny thing. From Democrats to Republicans, incumbents to hopefuls and insiders to wannabees, our country turns into something along the lines of a sideshow at a county fair. There are promises, accusations, denials, smiles, handshakes, hugs, speeches, ads, signs, buttons, music, dancing . . . and that all [...]
When the Team Goes South, Don’t Blame the Boo-Birds
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com When I go to sporting events, I don’t boo. It doesn’t matter if my team is playing like a bunch of sheep wearing cleats and helmets, I just don’t boo. I simply turn to my wife and berate the team . . . to her. Thankfully, after 19 years she still indulges me. [...]
When Teens Take Over the Playground
It’s tough being a teen. While they’re busy trying to find their own identity, adults are busy trying to find it for them. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, television shows, movies, advertisers selling them things . . . the list is endless. And then there’s their friends. The crowd they hang out with often has the greatest impact on them, nudging [...]
Can Two Sisters Control the Universe?
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com There was a time not so long ago when we were the parents that got a good chuckle over the wild stories we heard from other parents about their children. The assaults on their sanity, the mass chaos that would commence without warning and the meltdowns in stores. Good laughs, indeed, because [...]
Free Speech Can Have Consequences
By Christopher Gabriel Blog Harbor and CGabriel.com While I am a major proponent of the First Amendment – and really, who isn’t? – I’m beginning to wonder if it’s a conditional Amendment. You know, the fine print at the bottom that nobody ever reads? Sometimes it comes in the form of a disclaimer. Other times, it’s the [...]
Can a Minivan Be Cool?
By Christopher Gabriel Blog Harbor and CGabriel.com I was speaking to a friend the other day about cars. For me, that alone was unusual, but this was an unusual conversation. Suddenly, for no particular reason he launched into a tirade about minivans. I understand people getting upset over the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare, the [...]
Long Day’s Journey Into Blog
By Christopher Gabriel Blog Harbor and CGabriel.com In the 26 years I spent as a professional stage actor, I must have worked with at least 1,000 actors, if not a few more. And in the case of nearly every one of them, there was always the inevitable closing night party conversation regarding staying in touch. You know the [...]
Wandering Aimlessly at the Mall . . . and in Life
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor The fact the word “Mall” is in the title of this piece tells an awful lot about me. Yes, I go to malls. And not only do I go to them, I enjoy them. Usually. Most men I know refuse to admit they ever venture forth to these bastions of [...]
Hillary Clinton: Today’s Richard III?
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor Have you ever seen Richard III? If you have, you possess an immediate understanding of why I believe Hillary Clinton is perfectly suited to play the complex role of Richard. Women playing men’s roles in Shakespeare is more common now than in any other time in theatrical history. And to play a demanding [...]
Smiling that Little Smile for Me
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Super Tuesday II. Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. What are the polls saying? Who scored better in the latest searing exchange between Barack and Hillary? Has Barack renounced anyone today? Has Hillary rejected anything? Has John marginalized anyone? None of those questions will be answered here in [...]
’72 Dolphins Praying for a Giant Win
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor As we inch closer to kick-off for Super Bowl XLII, the game itself will be preceded on various networks by the annual ritual of Pregame Shows from Hell. These programs really make you consider running out to the nearest Interstate and playing kickball at rush hour. They’ll serve up stories and interviews ranging from [...]
Boston vs. New York: The Center of the Universe
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor 75. Does the number mean anything to you? Surely it does to some people. For example, it’s important to LEGO. This past August 10th, they celebrated their 75th anniversary. Esquire magazine will be celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. And the 2007-08 sports calendar has the Southeastern Conference celebrating, yep you guessed [...]
Wedginald Grows Up
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor For the past year, I’ve been following the progress of a young wheel of cheese named Wedginald. Yes, that’s right, I said cheese. Not Wedginald, my neighbor, or Wedginald, a little friend of my older daughter. Nope, it’s Wedginald, a wheel of cheese. Cheddar, to be exact. Some might argue I [...]
Obama, Huckabee and . . . Britney?
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor In what proved to be an historic evening at the Iowa Caucuses, Barack Obama became the first African-American to win a primary or caucus. In a state with a population that is 95% white, it’s quite obvious it wasn’t the minority vote, be it black or Hispanic, that put him over the [...]
A Look Back, A Look Ahead . . . Some Things Don’t Change
By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor Every December when New Year’s Eve rolls around, it’s long since been the norm for newspapers, magazines, radio stations and cable news outlets to offer up a year-end recap of all that’s gone on in the world. More often than not you’ll read, watch or listen to a well-written or highly-produced piece that is [...]
The Christmas Spirit and Customer Service: An Unhappy Marriage
Christmas is, without question, my favorite time of the year. The meaning of the holiday, the music, the snow, the decorations, the hot apple cider . . . I’ll take it all, and more. I love this time of the year. And yet . . . the Grinch lurks. In this case, I’m speaking of The Collective [...]
