Greenland! Bah! My biggest failure. Does anyone even live there? This is a map of my blogging world. If the country is colored, someone in that country has read my blog. Or at least they’ve landed on my blog. How many actually read it? I need better analytics to answer that question. Last week, I … Continue reading World Blogger
Introspection
Farewell
There’s a certain type of guy who sells his pick-up truck for cash. I’m not that kind of guy. That guy is worldly, capable. He’s the sort of guy who can pop open the hood and spot the trouble areas. Me? I know where the gas goes. I can change a tire, but it will … Continue reading Farewell
My Turn
We’ve dodged a bullet, hundreds of times. My kids are teenagers. Well one of them is; the other one is twelve. So not a teen, but almost. And for all these years, they’ve been the least scheduled kids I know—they’re not committed every afternoon and evening. Not on team sports. Not in church youth groups. … Continue reading My Turn
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
“Dancing with tears in my eyes, cause the girl in my arms isn’t you, dancing with somebody new, when it’s you that my arms are calling to. I’m trying to smile, once in a while but I found it wouldn’t do. Dancing with tears in my eyes, cause the girl in my arms isn’t you.” … Continue reading Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
Etymology, Idioms & Blogs
Hit the ground running… have I done this? Not really. Consider this idiom: A parachuting reference? Jumping off a train? Out of a car? I googled the etymology and found “It may come from troops dropped into a combat zone, from stowaways.” Ignoring the weird punctuation, I tried to find out what a ‘stowaway’ is. … Continue reading Etymology, Idioms & Blogs
Another One Bites the Dust
Thump, Thump, Thump, Pap, Another one bites the dust. Thump, Thump, Thump, Pap, Another one bites the dust. This was the biggest song of the year when I was a college freshman—1980-1981. This statistic is backed up by billboard charting, but really, you simply needed to be in a college dormitory to know this fact. … Continue reading Another One Bites the Dust
Everyday Strange
Of the seventy-nine million blogs on the WordPress platform, Everyday Strange is one of my favorites—and yes, I've read them all. Most blogs, like mine, require a time investment. Five or ten or fifteen minutes of reading through heavily preened prose trying to decipher the point, if there is one at all. Conversely, the posts on … Continue reading Everyday Strange
3 ways to become a professional job hopper
Blogger Scott Cyre and I have been friends for a couple of years. I first got hooked on his writing while reading his Christian humor blog Herman’s Neutics (I tried to add a link, but I can't find the blog on the internet anymore). Scott and I decided to trade posts this week in an attempt to … Continue reading 3 ways to become a professional job hopper
Audio Immaturity
I’m oldish. Fifty-five. The sorry side of middle-age. When I hold open the door for a stranger, he always says “Thank you, sir.” Grey hair, wrinkles, balding. Oldish. But I’m not actually old. Not yet. I’ve got years ahead of me. I’ve got kids living at home. I’m still trying to build a career. These … Continue reading Audio Immaturity
A (Name) Poem
Jeanie Jordon was my girl. My squeeze. My better half. At least for a few weeks. To the best of my knowledge, we never held hands, and we certainly never kissed. We were thirteen. For several consecutive years, I went to a music and arts camp an hour away from home. Two-weeks spent sleeping in … Continue reading A (Name) Poem
My Week of Leisure
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” I’ve heard this question six times over the past few days. There is no work. At least not this week. I resigned from my job. It wasn’t working out, I didn’t like it… at all. Friday was my last day. I’ve got something in the works. A part-time … Continue reading My Week of Leisure
Mortality
“Stop fighting us Mr. Cann, we’re doing all we can to keep you alive.” I don’t remember this admonishment—I’d just barreled head first into a minivan on my bicycle—a hospital resident told me the story after I stabilized. But this head injury isn’t what sent me to critical care, it was the internal bleeding. The … Continue reading Mortality
Lather
Throwback Thursday: my first blog post, ever. September 30, 2013. Lather was thirty years old today. They took away all of his toys. His mother sent newspaper clippings to him, about his old friends who’d stopped being boys. How appropriate that this Jefferson Airplane lyric has been stuck in my head for the past few … Continue reading Lather
Careen
Six-year-old me at the top of a hill. Straddling my bike, everything normal except the absence of a chain. “This will be great,” they said. “Without breaks, you’ll go faster.” 1969, a blue Schwinn with a white seat, a twenty-inch job. Still too big for teeny, tiny me. The ubiquitous stingray design that dominated the … Continue reading Careen
Adult
“I have a personal question.” This is Crystal, my coworker—actually, she works for me. Her voice is barely above a whisper. She’s treading on dangerous ground. This is the first conversation we’ve had. “Why is there a bird on your truck?” A couple of years ago, I drilled a pair of holes into my truck-bed … Continue reading Adult
Something to chew
From my Gratitude Journal. 7/20: Bitter, grainy. The aroma, when carefully considered, contains a whisper of something foul—a woodsy rot, perhaps a hint of cat pee. Regardless, each sip, like a bite of a decadent dessert. It fills my mouth and warms my body. Almost something to chew. My coffee is brewed in a stove-top … Continue reading Something to chew
Gratitude
“Don’t let your attitude affect your gratitude!” That’s me talking. “Dad! Shut up! You sound like a stupid kids’ TV show.” This is Eli, he’s eleven. Is he allowed to tell me to shut up? I guess so—when I’m being obnoxious. I’ve been saying the attitude/gratitude thing over and over. I say it like this: … Continue reading Gratitude
Great Expectations
Yes, I know that title’s already been used. ~ ~ ~ ~ “Hundreds of new followers? Isn’t that a good thing?” This was my daughter Sophie. I just told her about having my post featured in WordPress’s Discover. This happened on Sunday morning at 9:00. Seven hours later, Sophie was just getting home. She slept … Continue reading Great Expectations
Live each day without judgement
I’m goal oriented—meaning I aim towards setting goals. And then I nail them. Find the right medication for Tourettes, run a 50K, score a new job; these are a few from the past year, all complete. The year before that had a few as well: publish a book and quit drinking are a couple of … Continue reading Live each day without judgement
A new me
The drinker who doesn’t drink. That’s me. I quit eighteen months ago. No backsliding, no cheating. Once I got through the first few months, it hasn’t really been that bad. I have Tourettes Syndrome. But you’d never know it. My tics are fully in control. Effectively medicated with no obvious side-effects. As an added bonus, … Continue reading A new me
