Me and my addictions

I have several addictions and they are increasing all of the time and the good news is that all of them are positive, not negative.

I play Words With Friends on my cellphone, so I can take it with me wherever I go. It's a competitive crossword puzzle and I have several competitors and some of them use words I've never heard of even though I was an English major in college. It's a very healthy brain activity and the last thing I do before I go to sleep at night to use whatever brain cells I have remaining that day.

I now do karaoke four nights a week and I am no longer Melvis because I don't start with an Elvis song. M y new favorite song is "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, which gets a very good response from people sitting nearby.

Now I am Max because I was named for my Uncle Max, who was killed by the Nazi sympathizers in Lithuania.

My career was as a TV and movie director so I was always behind the camera, but karaoke allows me to perform in the spotlight.

Another healthy addiction is my hot tub, which I usually sit in twice a day. I've placed it so I can watch the birds on the feeders in my back yard. I also have bird feeders in the front of my house so I can sit in my living room and watch birds outside while I watch television inside. That is another addiction, the birds, not the TV.

Another addiction is driving around Skagit County while the sun is setting and taking pictures of our spectacular sunsets.