Can’t you show me nothing but surrender? It’s a quote from Patti Smith’s punk poem/anthem Land. I’ve already written all about the song, so I’ll spare you my unabashed praise, I just want to use the quote as my jumping off point for some thoughts about new year resolutions. Surrender: As used in the song, … Continue reading Surrender
Repo Man
Debbi: Let's go do some crimes. Duke: Yeah. Let's go get sushi and not pay. --Dialogue from the 1984 cult-classic movie Repo Man I called it a cult-classic. For the past thirty-seven years I’ve called it a cult-classic, but I just watched it. Nothing classic about it at all. Truthfully, it kind of sucked. Repo … Continue reading Repo Man
Patreon
Thatababy. Comic strip by Paul Trap - http://www.gocomics.com/thatababy Don’t worry. I’m not asking for money. Last week, I subscribed to a Patreon page. Is that terminology correct? Subscribe? I have no idea. To say it my way, I decided to pay a dollar a month to the podcasters who make Discord & Rhyme. “A dollar? … Continue reading Patreon
Average, Ordinary, Run of the Mill
In my favorite scene from the movie American Beauty, Mena Suvari, representative of a typical high school cheerleader—blonde and thin—spars with Wes Bentley’s character Ricky Fitts. Suvari’s character compares herself to Fitts’ girlfriend Jane: Yeah? Well, at least I'm not ugly! Yes, you are. And you're boring, and you're totally ordinary, and you know it. … Continue reading Average, Ordinary, Run of the Mill
Life-Changing
Life-changing. How often do you hear this term? I, for one, certainly overuse it. Possibly weekly, at least monthly. “Oh man, switching to decaf, that was life-changing!” If I take careful stock of my history, how many events actually changed my life? Like changed *all* of my life? Just a handful: marriage, kids, relocating to … Continue reading Life-Changing
Killer Robots from the Future
Why leave a comment no one will ever read? I do this regularly at washingtonpost.com. My go-to news source offers readers an opportunity to comment on their articles. I did this today. Alexandra Petri, a Washington Post opinion columnist, knocked out a mildly amusing five-hundred words on her dislike of San Francisco’s killer robot plan. … Continue reading Killer Robots from the Future
Don’t be a Karen
Maybe you’ve seen the meme. A photo shows a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut poorly on the diagonal. The left ‘half’ is about sixty percent larger than the right. The caption: Serve this to your OCD friend. It’s not really funny at all. There’s nothing clever about it. It breaks no new ground. It’s … Continue reading Don’t be a Karen
And Another
Sixty isn’t old, right? I browse the obituaries daily. As part of my job managing finances for the county library system, I keep up with local current events. In a small town like mine, knowing who died might be the most important part of that effort. As I inch closer towards the end of my … Continue reading And Another
…it’s my blog that struggles
My star is falling, dropping fast into the sea. People stopped reading my blog—not all of them, but many. Fewer now than six months ago. And fewer then than before. Way fewer. I turned them away. I offended. Or I turned them off. Maybe I’m dull. Yes, hopefully I’m dull and not offensive. Tonight, I … Continue reading …it’s my blog that struggles
Crows
Crows in Australia go Vrark. Or so I hear. I keep writing about crows, and given the international nature of WordPress, it’s natural to get a global perspective. I heard this Vrark description from two sources. Both are bloggers who live in Melbourne. In a conversation with David W Don contrasting my small-town experience living … Continue reading Crows
Stuck
When I tumbled off my mountain bike two months ago, I knew immediately that I damaged my shoulder. Crumpled on the ground, the sensible side of my brain took over: Get up, get riding. Most people who grew up playing sports know that after a significant muscle strain or joint injury, there is often a … Continue reading Stuck
People Who Died
Q: Is punk an attitude or a musical genre? I’m getting an early start on the punk themed Song Lyric Sunday. No, the challenge isn't this Sunday, the last Sunday in October, but December twenty-fifth. Christmas Day. I began thinking about this a month ago. Jim Adams, the host of Song Lyric Sunday left a … Continue reading People Who Died
More stories about crows
The wait for sandwiches drove me insane. When we placed our order, they said to expect forty-five minutes. We grabbed a couple bags of chips and two twenty-ounce sodas and picked a table. We settled in, the four of us, onto barstools around a raised table. Each of us beyond hungry because we hiked through … Continue reading More stories about crows
David Sedaris
I saw David Sedaris read again last night. How many times now? Three come to mind easily. The time in DC, George Washington University. We didn’t have tickets. A rumor spread, more seating would open up, people should wait at the door. Susan and I got there first, the front of the line. Our friend … Continue reading David Sedaris
Mortified
My workplace closed on Columbus Day. No, we didn’t get a day off to celebrate the violence and pestilence Columbus inflicted on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Instead, we held our annual all staff meeting. Forty of us gathered in a conference room for a day of briefings and trainings. I went first. Get … Continue reading Mortified
Fight, fight, fight!
Sometimes there's nothing to feel Sometimes there's nothing to hold Sometimes there's no time to run away Sometimes you just feel so old —Lyrics from Fight by The Cure I realized this last winter: the day after my sixtieth birthday, I would lead a group of teenagers on a mountain bike ride. Me, four … Continue reading Fight, fight, fight!
Molly’s Lips
We are the new AmericanaHigh on legal marijuanaRaised on Biggie* and NirvanaWe are the new Americana — Lyrics from New Americana by Halsey (2015) August 10, 1995 “Hey Tiffany, I’m really sorry to hear that Jerry Garcia+ died.” “Thanks, Jeff. It’s such a shock.” “Yeah, I remember how I felt the day Kurt Cobain++ died.” … Continue reading Molly’s Lips
…and I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks!
Let me set the mood: October 1, 2017 – Las Vegas shooting, 60 dead, 413 wounded November, 5 2017 – Sutherland Springs church shooting, 26 dead, 22 wounded February 14, 2018 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, 17 dead, 17 wounded February 15, 2018 – Anastasia Bernoulli wrote her viral blog post “Fuck you, I like … Continue reading …and I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks!
Walk Away, Baby
The 5th Beatle Walking TallThe Walking DeadWalk on the Wild SideLong Walk to FreedomI Walk the LineThese Boots are made for WalkingWalk this WayWalking on SunshineThe Long WalkDead Man WalkingA Walk in the WoodsHow to Walk Movies, music, books—it permeates our culture. We even know catchy sayings like walk a mile in his shoes, and … Continue reading Walk Away, Baby
Am I Arthur?
Regrets, I've had a few —Lyric from My Way by Frank Sinatra Are we still on this theme? The readers who saw my last blog post about the book The Midnight Library know I’ve been poking the topic of regrets for a week. Coincidence, or maybe fate, kept the subject front and center. Unsurprisingly, it … Continue reading Am I Arthur?
The Other Stuff 