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3 days ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
Today is supposed to hit 81 degrees. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the beginning of June. But we had such an unusually chilly May, it feels like 100. Just a reminder that summer’s on the way, and so is the heat. When it’s really hot and humid, I have to get creative. I have one window air conditioner in my upstairs apartment, and it cranks away above and beyond the call of duty.
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1 week ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
As everyone knows, an efficient kitchen makes the world go round. As someone who loves to cook–I used to cater in Los Angeles and have a nationally published cookbook--I’ve dreamed of the perfect kitchen all my life. Sad to say, I’ve never had it, but I have come close. That particular kitchen was in the house I lived in for three years. It was big, had lots of counter space, new appliances, and, PTL, a dishwasher. The latter propelled me into the 21st century–or so I thought.
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2 weeks ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
One of life’s most important decisions involves naming your cat. This is a task that demands time and thought. Do you think of a name first and then find a cat who best suits it? Or is it the opposite, a cat with a personality that just screams Brutus or Champagne Sally? Whatever route you take, one thing’s certain; a cat and its name have to go together.
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1 month ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
In high schools all over the country, it’s prom time. In my day, which was somewhere between the dawn of civilization and four-wheel drive, prom was a huge deal. It was the year’s final judgement on your social status. Unless you were really popular, you nervously hoped and prayed that A) you’d have a date, and B) that date wouldn’t be the bottom of the barrel. If you were a guy, you had to work up enough nerve to ask your dream girl, praying with sweaty palms that she wouldn’t turn you down.
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1 month ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
For some reason, I’m recalling an unsolicited e-mail I received a few years back. It was one of those sales pitches, the kind I usually dump without even bothering to read it. But this time, the subject caught my attention. The opening line read: “Is your toilet intelligent?”Oh, yeah. My toilet is so intelligent we have many conversations, about things deep and philosophical. I’ve learned so much from my toilet that I’d rather visit the bathroom than the library.
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1 month ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
One of my favorite TV stations is TLC—The Learning Channel. Not because it’s educational in the PBS sense, but because it’s so downright bizarre. TLC specializes in oddities, anomalies and just plain super weird specimens of humanity. For instance, they love dwarfs and have had I don’t know how many series about little people. Little People, Big World, The Little Couple, Our Little Family, the Seven Little Johnstons, and Lord knows who else.
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1 month ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
With the passing of Pope Francis, I thought it would be appropriate to share something I wrote 12 years ago, when he became the Supreme Pontiff. I think it best sums up what he will be remembered for: humility. A gentle, quiet quality to which we should all aspire, but which is far too easily drowned out by the roar of ego, the bellow of cruelty, the baying of avarice, and all the other noisy distractions the devil has devised to lure us from the simple task of loving others as God loves us.
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2 months ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
I can’t believe it’s already April. The worst of Old Man Winter’s tantrums are over–well, except for probably one or two feeble attempts to dump a little more snow–and the balmy caresses of spring will soon liberate our hibernating souls. Thinking about April, I’m reminded that April 14 will be the 160th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death. I’ve always been fascinated by Lincoln, and I actually have in my possession an unusual book that I got at an antique store many years ago.
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2 months ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
People often ask me how I get the ideas for my columns. Well, first of all, there’s no set formula. An idea can pop up anywhere, any time. TV, of course, is a rich source. Many of my columns come from the news, or documentaries, or weird shows. The internet is also invaluable for stranger than fiction stories and other details of human quirkery. Sometimes ideas come from other people’s conversations, or people I meet unexpectedly who have fascinating personal stories.
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2 months ago | 
shorelinemedia.net | Mary Beth Crain
Last week, I devoted this column to the wonders of Youtube. This week, I’m continuing my exploration of that phenomenon with a look at one of its most remarkable resurrections: the old What’s My Line panel show. If you remember the 1950’s and ‘60’s, you remember What’s My Line. It debuted in 1950, and ran for an amazing 17 years, during which time it was arguably the most popular show on TV. I used to love What’s My Line when I was a kid. So, when I discovered it on Youtube, I was thrilled.
