Something New Every Week (SNEW)

Hello Dear Reader,

And welcome to my first official posting of BuckwheatsRUs. Well, I suppose it's my first unofficial posting as well. But let's just call it official. Okay? Good. I feel better now. So, I intend for this blog to have a mish-mash of themes, but the first and most dominant theme I have chosen is, SOMETHING NEW EVERY WEEK, (hence the title of this post.) In my SNEW column, I will--as advertised--attempt something new each week, running the gamut from the mundane to the truly bizzare. But my intention is that The Something always be at least a smidgen eye opening, though perhaps more so at times--but I'm not going to promise you the world. At least not at this juncture. I read a quote once in one of those tiny little point-of-purchase quote books that said something along the lines of, "try to view things in the world as though you've never seen them before, and as though you might never see them again." Well, obviously you couldn't do that all the time or you'd be a crazy person, but I think it's a meritable idea. So, I'm going to attempt it myself. Henceforth, buckle your seatbelts, Dear Reader, because it's gonna be one hell of a ride.

For my first trick, I will attempt "SMILING WHILE IN PUBLIC." Which, you may be surprised to learn, is slightly different from Driving While Intoxicated. I've heard that incessant smiling can actually put you in a good mood, so I'm going to test this theory by smiling during no-less-than a half mile walk in a pedestrian friendly area. * I will also inherently be testing the wherewithal of my fellow citizens to withstand, and/or make sense of, the sight of a cheerful compatriot. In Los Angeles, where I live, if you smile at someone on the street, you're bound to be regarded as either a psychopath worthy of a straight jacket, or a homeless person going number two--or maybe both. As you can surmise, the stakes are high. Damn high. So tune in next time for the breathtaking conclusion of: Smiling... While in Public. If you don't hear anything, you'll know I've either been committed or arrested. Hope to hear from me soon. -Buckwheat

*Try this at your own risk