Writing – The Second-Rate Scientist

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 Phillip Mullins Aging, Family, heroes, Memoir, Workplace, Writing

My Grandfather's Chair

This chair belonged to my grandfather.

February 1, 2020March 19, 2020 Phillip Mullins Blogging, Family, Humor, Kids, Parenting, Writing

Notes from the Week – “Just Post SOMETHING” Edition

I had made it a stated, sworn, cross-my-heart promise to write and post more, worry less, etc, but . . . here we are.

January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 Phillip Mullins Blogging, Communication, Family, Parenting, Writing

Local Blog Hits Near-Record View Count!

It's not untrue, as this blog did ALMOST hit a record number of views yesterday! However, that number was 76, which is admittedly low compared to other sites and blogs.

January 2, 2020January 2, 2020 Phillip Mullins Humor, Journalism, Language, Technology, Writing

A Call for Precision in Journalism

I saw an article headline that said, “A ton of people are experiencing issues with their iPhone.”

January 1, 2020March 19, 2020 Phillip Mullins Aging, Blogging, Christmas, Family, Holidays, Optimism, Parenting, Writing

Here’s to (the next few moments of) 2020!

I know this falls well short of being a profound statement, but this is a strange time of the year.

June 22, 2019June 22, 2019 Phillip Mullins Blogging, Humor, Writing

I apologize if the title is misleading, or if the question mark was not prominent enough. I know next to nothing about self-publishing so have no meaningful thoughts to offer. I did however want to reach out to this wonderful and knowledgeable community to see if any of you have thoughts and/or experience with self-publishing. … Continue reading Thoughts on Self-Publishing?

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 Phillip Mullins Blogging, Holidays, Humor, Writing

Start of Year Newsletter

I know that many who read this blog either (a) follow the blog and are notified of new content through WordPress, (b) follow a particular WordPress tag which is used herein frequently, (c) follow through an RSS reader of some type, (d) are naturally skeptical of signing up for email updates, which require the voluntary … Continue reading Start of Year Newsletter

August 4, 2018 Phillip Mullins Books, Humor, Writing

The Grisham Conundrum

In which one of the “hardships” of being a popular author is laid bare in pure assumption. Or something.

June 23, 2018June 23, 2018 Phillip Mullins Family, Food, Humor, Kids, Parenting, Writing

Aside – Road Trip 2018

I listened to a Hemingway book during our drive down to Florida, so tonight's post, which is meant to relate a fairly common parental culinary struggle, is written (in a very poor imitation) in his honor. The waves were tall and dark green. There was much foam. The flag flying above the distant estación de … Continue reading Aside – Road Trip 2018

May 2, 2018May 2, 2018 Phillip Mullins Fiction, Grammar, Language, Workplace, Writing

9// Niceties

The meeting request from the sales manager said that The Scientist was "cordially" invited to a work-related dinner later that week. While most would consider it a pleasant thing to be invited to ANY dinner, he supposed, and while the restaurant the company was springing for was fairly upscale (or so he had heard - he … Continue reading 9// Niceties

April 13, 2018 Phillip Mullins Blogging, Fiction, Writing

Author’s Note //2

I'm still not overly comfortable with the whole "Hey, here's something else to sign up for!" thing, but as the email list for the secondratescientist.com grows, I'm seeing more inherent value in this type of thing. I realize we live in a time of skepticism or even downright, good-old American anger when it comes to giving … Continue reading Author’s Note //2

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 Phillip Mullins Blogging, Fiction, Writing

Author’s Note //1

Or is it Blogger's note? "Author" sounds too formal. But I like it! The following was posted on my personal FB page. I include it here because it's somewhat of a more detailed description of the direction the blog is going presently. And, it's easier than writing something new-ish. Thanks as always for reading. Sticking … Continue reading Author’s Note //1

February 23, 2018February 23, 2018 Phillip Mullins Fiction, Writing

4// Greetings

He'd been very intrigued and even mildly disturbed, as of late, by the salutatory phrases people chose to throw around, particularly in the workplace. To some of these greetings, he had absolutely no idea how to respond properly. A recent example was the question, "What's the good word?" As in, "Happy Friday! What's the good word?" While he … Continue reading 4// Greetings

February 22, 2018February 22, 2018 Phillip Mullins Fiction, Writing

3// Highways

The following is part of an ongoing fictional series taken from the life and times of the Second-Rate Scientist. To read earlier installments, see "Previously on . . ." to the right of the page. This is all a work in progress, an attempt to practice and, hopefully, refine something I've long admired in others. … Continue reading 3// Highways

January 11, 2018January 11, 2018 Phillip Mullins Fiction, Writing

1// Merging

We've all gone crazy lately. ~Elton John He was repeating the tired cliché to himself again, as he drove down the familiar and brutally cold stretch of interstate. How was it already the first day back to work after the holidays? Again? Time didn't just fly, it seemed to blast forward, barely visible, like a … Continue reading 1// Merging