It started as a running blog. I named it Running, Writing, Other Stuff. Sure, sometimes I wrote about other stuff, but the emphasis was running. Five of my first eight posts focused exclusively on running. It morphed quickly, though. There’s only so much you can write about running, or maybe I should say there’s only … Continue reading The Sweet Scent of Decay
Memory Box
A souvenir glass from a Brickskeller beer tasting, German Doppelbocks, the same night America bombed Iraq. Operation Desert Storm, they called it, but I didn’t know this until the morning paper arrived. Still wet from my shower as I primped to head out for the night, I saw on TV that the attack had started. … Continue reading Memory Box
The Great Curve
Mo-om! Dad’s writing about his music again! The Great Curve: A song so immense it generates its own gravitational field. -- Johnny_Segment on Reddit. I popped into Walmart after work yesterday. My mood was low, even though it was Friday afternoon. A Friday with something other than rain forecast for Saturday. We’ve just endured five … Continue reading The Great Curve
You Matter
On the sign in front of the Adams Rescue Mission: Hey YouYes YouYou Matter Eph 2:10 Color me skeptical. I never saw language like this in my Bible. Maybe this translation came from the American Dude Bible 21st Century Edition. Possible, but less likely, it came out of Trump’s new God Bless the USA Bible, … Continue reading You Matter
Look!
Caution: Old dude rambling about old music no one listens to anymore. In fact, skip this post altogether. I’m the only one on the planet who cares about any of this. You’ve been warned. ~ ~ ~ Drowsing on my couch, my head throbbing with pain, my nose feels the size of a lemon, NO, … Continue reading Look!
Blink
“You don’t blink.” This was Dr. Goddard. Over the past forty-minutes he treated me with a blend of distrust and annoyance. Now he suddenly seemed empathetic, maybe even friendly. “How many did you count Susan?” “Three, maybe four. Not really even blinks though.” “Right, half blinks. I blinked fifty times over the seventy seconds I … Continue reading Blink
A Town Called Malice
I pull open the heavy glass door releasing a cacophony of voices and blaring music. None of this is right. Antica Napoli, my favorite pizza shop is a store-front joint with eight booths. It’s calm and quiet. Typically two, maybe three booths host a couple of people, usually senior citizens. One booth is set up … Continue reading A Town Called Malice
Jump Ropes and Caffeine
Every time I open Facebook, I’m presented with a video of a woman—thin, blonde, smiley—jumping rope. It’s mesmerizing. It’s stupid. I know that if I pause to watch, Meta will just give me more jump-roping videos, but I can’t help myself. She jumps, I watch. Months ago, when I read an article reporting that Facebook … Continue reading Jump Ropes and Caffeine
Musings of an Old(er) Runner
As I approached Emmitsburg Road on Millerstown Road, I was wary. I’m always wary at this intersection. These are both double yellow line roads, which sends the message to my brain that I don’t belong here. Still, Millerstown’s speed limit is twenty-five. And the short quarter-mile section I ran connects one park road to another. … Continue reading Musings of an Old(er) Runner
The Penalty of Today’s World
Superintendent Johnson sat at a large wooden desk. In his suit and tie and pocket square he looked like a fat-cat politician or maybe a bank president, not a school administrator. He took a slow swallow from his University of Central Florida coffee mug and carefully centered it on a mirrored coaster to his side. … Continue reading The Penalty of Today’s World
Gabby, again, still
Gabby Petito, remember her? I read in an article yesterday that her parents just settled an emotional distress lawsuit against the parents of Brian Laundrie, Gabby’s presumed, but never tried killer. It left me wondering: to what end. What do Gabby’s parents hope to gain from this lawsuit? Cash? Punishment for the Laundries, who had already … Continue reading Gabby, again, still
I Believe in Myself
My daughter Sophie sent an article, a book review really, about the legend of Bigfoot. The Secret History of Bigfoot. I love bigfoot, I suppose we all do in my family. Many of us (well mostly me) have bigfoot stickers on our phone cases (above) and cars. I BELIEVE! Or at least I badly want … Continue reading I Believe in Myself
And just like that, the game was over
Mostly, we drank beer together. We sat in my dorm room planted on threadbare Goodwill furniture, feet propped on a scuffed coffee table, Marley playing not-so-soft in the background. My roommate Rob, intense, aggressive, always ready to challenge an opinion, pick at a foible, or poke your proper buttons, brought up the idea. “We should … Continue reading And just like that, the game was over
Ben – A Guest Post
David Don, also known as DD or DeeDee on WordPress, saw my years-old call for guest posts on my readers' impressions on Tourette Syndrome: Write me a story. I think in most cases I would have said “sorry, too late” But DD is truly one of my favorite bloggers. His haiku posts are interesting, cleverly … Continue reading Ben – A Guest Post
Vanishing Act
Did'ja miss me? I'm not sure if I missed you. Two weeks without blogging has been relaxing. As I get farther from my last post, as fewer people visit my site each day, I begin to lose the compulsion to check my stats every hour. But I feel I owe an update. I made an … Continue reading Vanishing Act
The last snow ever…
The last snow ever fell in 2035. I suppose someone got snow in '36, but not where I live. Not in the mid-Atlantic states. We already passed the tipping point, but no one knew this yet. Two slushy inches is hardly worth mentioning, but you asked about it, so here I go. The boys made … Continue reading The last snow ever…
Dear Psychiatrist Sam
Dear Psychiatrist Sam, My husband has Tourette syndrome and OCD. Years ago, before he began a twice-daily dose of antipsychotics to reduce his Tourette tics (unwanted movements and vocalizations) intrusive OCD thoughts regularly dragged him out of bed in the small hours of the morning. As a happy side effect of that medication, those intrusive … Continue reading Dear Psychiatrist Sam
Baby Shoes, Never Worn
The first and only time I wrote a six-word story, I did so as a joke. A bad joke, no one got it. I needed to explain the punchline. Six Word Story – Part II Last week, Bill, the library employee who runs my writers’ group, assigned homework. “Jeff and I have been discussing Negative … Continue reading Baby Shoes, Never Worn
Negative Space
First I searched Google, and later Bing. ‘Crow graphic with negative space.’ I’m planning a tattoo. I have a thing for crows. A year ago, I went on a spree—three stories about crows in two months—the one I killed, the stuffed animal from college, the one that said 'hello.' I Killed a Crow | Crows … Continue reading Negative Space
And Rumors of Wars
Part 1Shakey and out of breath. It’s unclear if I’m anxious or sick. Bombarded with depressing sh*t. A sixth grader shot and killed (too soon to talk about the trouble with guns). ISIS bombed Iran. The U.S. bombed Iraq. Confusing, I don’t understand geopolitics at all. A perpetual headline now: “Fear Grows of Spreading War.” … Continue reading And Rumors of Wars
The Other Stuff 