Ridiculous Opinions #157
So, the big thing on the internet at the moment (besides the Instagram meltdown) would be Dall-E. I shall try to explain this as simply as possible…Dall-E is...
Ridiculous Opinions #156B
Got an email from Amazon. They’ve looked at the information I sent them about the book and acknowledged their mistake. They’re putting the book back up for...
Ridiculous Opinions #156
I know that many of you purchased my awesome tome, The Completely Unreliable Guide to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. If you did so, you’re lucky, because...
Ridiculous Opinions #155
It was May 4, 2012. I was sitting in a theater in China, watching a movie on screen that I never thought I would see, surrounded by almost thirty students...
Ridiculous Opinions #154
Hello, friends! I do realize that it’s been a while since I published a Ridiculous Opinions letter, so let’s get started, shall we? See that view above?...
Ridiculous Opinions #153
Oh, my, Maurice! In my attempt to expand the empire of Maurice the Beaver, I have recently begun posting in other places besides Instagram. Instagram might...
Ridiculous Opinions #152
Mango 2016 Mango 2022 Okay, so Abbey graduated last night. That means Tracey and I are Empty-Nesters. In celebration, I will acquire a used Playstation 4...
Ridiculous Opinions #151
By popular demand, here is a picture of me, Mango, and Tracey’s foot. So, yesterday, I had my final surgery as a follow-up to all the rigamarole that I went...
Ridiculous Opinions #150
Welcome to the 150th issue of Ridiculous Opinions! In today’s installment, let me talk about how sad I am. In just a couple of weeks, my youngest daughter,...
Ridiculous Opinions #149!
Not a whole lot to say this week, but I want to get back in the groove of writing weekly, so here you go… One of my favorite shows as a teenager was The Kids...
Ridiculous Opinions #148
Hey folks! I’m back. “So, what?” most of you would say, and that’s a fair opinion to have. I mean, really, have any of you missed me? Have any of you sent me...
Ridiculous Opinions #147
Oh, hai! My name is Randy. You might know me from such popular television shows as, “Failed Screenwriter Takes Names” and “Angry Teacher Loses His Cool”. The...
Ridiculous Opinions #146
It’s been a fun week! That’s sarcasm. This week I had surgery. It was a fairly common one, in that I had my gall bladder removed. At this point, post-...
Ridiculous Opinions #145
The author, 1997. Greetings, all! In September, I started writing a memoir. I don’t know where the idea came from. It simply appeared to me one day as I was...
Ridiculous Opinions #144
I’m back from the dead, people. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I have a lot to say…I do not. But I wanted to take a bit of a break in terms of writing...
Ridiculous Opinions #143
Greetings, all! In 2014, I knew that we were moving from Shanghai to Bangladesh, so I tried a little experiment that I had learned from somewhere on the...
Ridiculous Opinions #142
I feel like that cat feels. I’ve got a late start to the newsletter today because, well, quite frankly, I’m exhausted. Spent the morning going for a walk,...
Ridiculous Opinions #141
Every year here in Abu Dhabi, they have the F1 Race. Notice how I refer to it, vaguely, as the “F1 Race”? I do that because I don’t have the faintest clue as...
Ridiculous Opinions #140
Over the last week or so, we have been watching Peter Jackson’s documentary on The Beatles, called Get Back. I don’t know why we sat down to watch it. I’m...
Ridiculous Opinions #139
The glorious part about being an adult is the simple fact that, now that I make my own money, I can buy what I want. The horrible fact about being an adult...
Ridiculous Opinions #138
The other day during my advisory class, I gave my students some time to journal. It was only ten minutes, but it was an opportunity for the kids in my...
Ridiculous Opinions #137
Last night, I was contacted by an old friend from high school with whom I used to make music. He said, “Hey, it’s coming up on the 30th anniversary of Liz...
Ridiculous Opinions #136
It’s been a busy week, kiddos! So, in lieu of writing anything of substance (not that I do that anyway), here is a link to a quick documentary that we made...
Ridiculous Opinions #135
So, a couple of weeks ago, we filmed a performance by Tracey’s high school band. They were playing a song called “Sweet Georgia Brown”, which some of you may...
Ridiculous Opinions #134
A completely unflattering picture of Randall P. Girdner on The Beanbag.Yes, I was asleep. Okay, I haven’t posted anything as of late in regard to my...
Ridiculous Opinions #133
Mango the Unholy. Our youngest cat is named Mango. We found her in our parking garage in Bangladesh. We came out to drive to work one morning and we heard a...
Ridiculous Opinions #132
The author, circa 2007. It kind of hit me in a flash last weekend. I’ve been flailing around for some kind of creative project to work on as of late, but...
Ridiculous Opinions #131
Look, people…I teach all week. On Friday mornings, I usually write my newsletter, but today I’m tired. Plus, there’s TV to watch. So, for your benefit, I...
Ridiculous Opinions #130
Again, I don’t have a ton to write about today. Saw Dune last night (self-indulgent, too long, ponderous…and strangely, I liked it). Going to start Survivor...
Ridiculous Opinions #129 B
PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR CLARIFICATION ON RIDICULOUS OPINIONS #129.
Ridiculous Opinions #129
Tracey won’t let me get this poster framed. This is a travesty. She says that she doesn’t like it, but she just doesn’t understand. I found the poster this...
Ridiculous Opinions #128
This is the single greatest movie quote in the history of movies… An interesting and busy week here on the Girdner front. Tracey had her 50th birthday. I...
Ridiculous Opinions #127
Oh, did that get your attention? That I quit? You are such a sucker, because, quite frankly, you don’t actually know what I quit! I could have quit smoking...
Ridiculous Opinions #126
I am a walking contradiction. I constantly crave new things, while at the same time, I prefer routine. This is the conundrum that I find myself in as we...
Ridiculous Opinions #125
Last night I went to see a film called “The Green Knight”. It’s based on the medieval text “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, which is something I read in...
Ridiculous Opinions #124
Well, it’s 4:51 AM. We arrived in Abu Dhabi a little more than 24 hours ago and as you might surmise, I am jetlagged. I’ve been up since 12:47 AM. In that...
Ridiculous Opinions #123
I always think of this song when the end of summer rolls around. It was written by the legendary Mike Campbell and the douchy Don Henley. Because Don Henley...
Ridiculous Opinions #122
I can’t find the artist for this image I downloaded from Procreate a few months ago, but it sums up my thoughts well… Every summer that I have experienced as...
Ridiculous Opinions #121
Hi everyone! I’m Randy. I don’t have a lot to say this morning/evening (depending on where you are in the world), so let me just give you a preview of a...
Ridiculous Opinions #120
It’s Thursday again and it’s been a busy week so far. We got our quarantine freedom on Monday, and immediately I was out and about, doing too much, too soon....
Ridiculous Opinions #119
So, I am still in quarantine. I have passed all of my tests (Covid-free!) and am just waiting for my fourteen days to be over. I have three left. Tracey and...
Ridiculous Opinions #118
See that? That’s where I am currently sitting. Today is Day Four of our quarantine. We arrived from the United States late in the night after a nightmare...
Ridiculous Opinions #117
Journal cover, circa 1994. Yes, that’s me, bottom-center. I have the world’s most perfectly-shaped skull. So, I’m winding down my trip to Oklahoma. I have...
Ridiculous Opinions #116
Every summer when I come back to North America, there is one thing that I look forward to and that is McDonalds’ breakfast sandwiches. There. I said it out...
Ridiculous Opinions #115
I write today’s newsletter high above the planet Earth (and probably very late, by the time it’s published), as I fly from Abu Dhabi to Chicago. Because of a...
Ridiculous Opinions #114
Today, Randall P. Girdner gets asked the hard-hitting questions that keep us up at night. Stay tuned as we find out what makes Randall tick. Ridiculous...
Ridiculous Opinions #113
Late last week, I received a proof copy of my 19th book. It’s called The Completely Unreliable Travel Guide to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Basically,...
Ridiculous Opinions #112
I’m aching to go back to Canada. For the last month, everyone has been telling me, “Just wait until may 21st! They’re going to get rid of the hotel...
Ridiculous Opinions #111
So, here are a few things that have been floating around on my hard drive over the last few years. Enjoy.
Ridiculous Opinions #110
Okay, so I slept in and lazed about until 10 PM today. Sue me. There was internet to surf. Usually, I have something to say on a Friday morning, but after...