Consider the beet. Does a better opening line exist in fiction? Confidently giving the reader an earnest command: The beet, consider it! For my return to reading after a year-long hiatus, I selected Tom Robbins’ Jitterbug Perfume from my bookshelf. I often said “this is my favorite book” even though I haven’t opened it since … Continue reading Of Perfume and Pan
Month: October 2023
Podcasters got da Power
I downloaded Episode One of Nothing Is Real, a Beatles podcast narrated by two Irish guys with thankfully coherent accents. Because this was their first episode, they faced a blank slate, a white canvas, they held the power, they could delve into literally any Beatles topic they wanted. They talked about the album Help! Stephen and … Continue reading Podcasters got da Power
Hey Man, What’s Cooking?
In 1996, my soon-to-be wife and I moved into an apartment together. It was an obvious step up from the run-down forties-era garden apartments we both previously rented. This place was in a modern high-rise with a newly renovated kitchen—a room full of sparkling appliances. On our first night in the apartment, we decided to … Continue reading Hey Man, What’s Cooking?
A Losing Combination
Under the knife… again, tomorrow, the culmination of a year-long wait. “Let’s see if it improves,” they said, but it never did. “It’s just a mild case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,” the neurologist dismissed me by turning his back, making this comment already halfway out the door. An affliction of real estate underwriters and insurance … Continue reading A Losing Combination
When decorations get disturbing
Susan walked in our house last night, pissed. “That house around the corner with all the body bags in their Halloween graveyard now has a girl hanging from a tree. Hanging! Like a suicide or a lynching.” “Maybe they're going for a gallows scene?” I tried to lighten the conversation. God, she was pissed. Running … Continue reading When decorations get disturbing
Ember
A muted orange glow emanates from the core. The base, black as the night that envelops it, sits sentry, a stoic guard devouring excess light. No sound escapes save an occasional hiss, an infrequent pop. Insects swirl and dive, attacking the heart and the people surrounding it. Some bite, some buzz, some are simply deranged … Continue reading Ember
Amber Alert
Central Virginia, 1981, I rode shotgun-once-removed. JD sat in the front passenger seat due to his status as the driver’s roommate, I tucked in behind him for our three-hour trip. Scott drove us home for winter break. Scott, or Checks as we called him based on his propensity to bounce them, only stuck around that … Continue reading Amber Alert
The Other Stuff 