Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Highlights from my 53rd Year
As of the writing of this Blog entry, I’m officially 53-Years and 1-Day old. Yesterday was my birthday. A favorite “thing” I do with my family is “Best and Worst”. We did it for years at dinner. I’d ask everyone … best part of your day? Worst part of your day?
My kids know, now, they better not let a conversation slow down because I’m gonna bust our “Best and Worst”. When they were little, it was the “day”. And my wife and I participated, too, lest you think I only tormented my kids. I liked it as a chance to reflect and think. Show a little gratitude for little things. Look for ways to improve or realize that the “worst part” is often fleeting. Good things and bad things happen in a moment, and we often miss them or dwell on them, respectively.
It backfires sometimes because last night, sitting having dinner with my family, my daughter said, “OK, le’ts do Best Part and Worst Part of Dad.” It spiraled into a celebrity roast, of sorts … not the feel-good moment I was looking for.
A Shaving Tweak – Wash My Face Before I Shave
You would think by the time a man (me) reaches 50-years-old, he would’ve figured out how to shave. Well, like I always say … always room for improvement. The biggest thing is … my neck. It’s nearly always irritated.
I’ve tried various things over the years. Things like Harry’s Razors (cheap) and replacing the blade weekly. I’ve tried all the Harry’s products. I currently use the Gillette Fusion5. I’ve shaved at night. I’ve shaved in the morning. I’ve used a hot towel and pre-shave balm. Cold water shave? Hot water shave? Electric shave. I’ve tried it all.
One of my go-to turn-my-brain-off YouTube Channels is Doctorly – because I’m vain. We’ve discussed this many times. Anyway, they had an episode pop into my algorithm about shaving like a dermatologist. The revelation? Wash my face and neck before I shave. Luke warm water. Just super quick. I use Nivea’s Facewash for Men.
Sometimes a Great Lawn is Just … Luck!
I love my lawn. I love planning it, mowing it, pulling weeds, fertilizing it, reseeding, edging, and walking around barefoot on it. My lawn is something my Dad and I can always talk about. It was his hobby, too. I push my mower and I don’t use the self-propel feature. The blades are sharp. Instead, I push that 50-pound machine for a good workout (yes …it’s on wheels and it’s not like I’m pushing a sled at football practice). My mower is Honda. The blades are sharp because I sharpen them every 10th mowing (I track that in my lawn journal). There’s science behind a good lawn and the timing of fertilizers.
And when someone comes over and says, “wow … look at your lawn ….WOW!” … I beam with pride.
This year (2026), it’s been a very good year to have a lawn in Michigan. It’s been a mix of the perfect amount of well-timed rain, cool temperatures for the entire month of June, and a lack of Canadian wildfires messing with the sunshine and making the rain toxic.
Brand Down and Brand Up (or Something Like That)
I don’t know why Donny Deutsch does the weekly “Brand Up, Brand Down” segment on MS NOW’s Morning Joe, other than have a lengthy, successful career in advertising working for (or owning) an advertising agency, but I could totally fill in for him if he ever has a cold or stage fright.
Oh, ahem. Yes. I watch Morning Joe, and so I’ve revealed a slight glimpse into my political leanings but here’s my justification … I identify with Joe Scarborough. I’m fairly conservative in the way I live my life, but I also have an open mind, believe in fairness, and I’m a smartass. Plus, Morning Joe kinda tells me all my news, with a slanted opinion (an opinion I’m aware of) and fits it all into 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. It repeats the 6a-7a hour, starting at 8. Plus they talk some sports and non-political stuff, and have some interesting guests … like Donny Deutsch.
He does this “Brand Up, Brand Down” and just lists things and has a little commentary. Pretty easy. This morning (watch it here), he gave a “Brand Up” label to adult braces (because it’s actually for better health and not just vanity of a straight smile) and Mike Myers (because he’s making an Austin Powers 4).
2026 Countdowns
Some important dates and I know how hard it is to remember, so here’s some countdown clocks you can reference. I use TickCounter.
Someone Has to Poo Poo AI
I hear this alot … AI will solve the world’s problems, cure disease, and let us all live to 100 years old.
Or, AI will eventually take over the world.
But what I keep reading, and the way I understand it, is that AI will only ever be as smart as the smartest ideas that the smartest people in the world write on the Internet.
Prove me wrong.
All AI does it take what’s “known” and finds it faster than we can. It connects dots faster than we can.
But we could connect all the dots and find all the answers given enough time.
A New Obsession: Avoiding Microplastics
Here’s my new thing … eliminating as much plastic from my life. We all should. At least, it’s a trend and movement I’m ready to embrace – even if eliminating all plastic is impossible. But some is better than nothing, at least if I believe the Netflix documentary The Plastic Detox.
Here’s my takeaway from watching the documentary … it followed 4 couples trying to get pregnant. All four couples had been trying for a long time. Then a lady came to their houses and threw away as many plastic things as possible – plastic things that could be replaced by non-plastic things – and by the end of the documentary, all four couples conceived and/or had babies.
Hey. I wasn’t taking notes. And was probably on my phone while also watching. But my takeaways are good enough for me.
Phew! Thought she was a goner!
Me and combustion engines do …not … get … along. That’s why this everything-can-be-battery powered world we live in is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Yes. I said “the greatest thing ever” . . . sorry wife and kids. Sorry you had to find out this way.
Remember I bought my dream Honda lawnmower? Bought it used because that’s what I do. If I had unlimited money, I would get a brand new battery-powered Honda lawnmower, but those things are around $1,000 … and $200 used gas-powered versus new $1,000 battery-powered? I’ll be frugal for now.
Anway. I got her (my lawnmower identifies as she/her) home, the oil looked OK. I got some premium gas. And I used a brush and compressed air to clean the dust outta the air filter.
Trying Something (Else) New: The Anderson’s (for my lawn and garden)
I don’t know how fertilzer brand The Anderson’s came to my consciousness. Could’ve been that somebody in one of the many lawn tips YouTube videos mentioned it. Maybe they served me an ad on YouTube or in my Instagram feed in between all the lawn pros and gardeners I follow. Maybe divine intervention? Maybe an angel appeared to me in a dream, or in a vision sitting at the foot of my bed and said, “when you wake up, Search The Anderson’s grub control and their full season lawn maintenance program,” and then I awoke and did what the angel said.
Or maybe on my many drives to and from University of Alabama, I drove by their huge facility in Maumee, Ohio and maybe I looked it up on my phone and declared, “aha … these people are serious about helping people who love their lawn.”
What “hooked” me right away was that, hey, this stuff isn’t sold in stores. I don’t know why my brain thinks “not sold in stores” means “better”, but it does. When I find stuff that feels “outside of the mainstream”, it makes me feel like I’m joining a secret club.
Trying Something New: Ike’s Total Pest Control
Here’s the thing … when I promise myself I’m gonna write something every day, sometimes you’re just gonna get a journal entry. But, you’re also seeing what energizes me …figuring things out. Before I was an “advertising sales guy”, I was fast-tracking to be an Engineer. No. Don’t laugh. It’s true. I liked math and science and was good at it. “Engineers”, as I understood it, solved problems. Any problem. Like, hey, there’s a river and you need a way across. Who do you call? You call an Engineer and he’ll scratch his head, put his index finger over his (or her) lip, frown and think, then do some math, draw some pictures and … voila. Engineers will design a bridge.
Skilled craftsman will build that bridge.
And a “ad sales guy” like me? I’ll sell the naming rights of that bridge.
Don Kowalewski 