Last weekend, we ate at Hillbilly's Pub and Grub—Donegal, Pennsylvania’s only non-pizza sit down restaurant. Not that I’ve got anything against pizza, but c’mon, Hillbilly's Pub and Grub? Ya gotta try it. Susan got fish and chips. She said it was fine. I got a burger and onion rings. Holy cow, what a burger! The … Continue reading Hillbillies, Fallingwater & Missingteeth
Memoir
The Sweet Scent of Decay
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
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
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
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
At the Checkout
As soon as I pause, she swoops in to assist. I always pause. I need a moment to count items in my head, or figure out how to enter my rewards card, or wonder who that was who said ‘Hi’ in aisle five. This is self-checkout at my favorite grocery store, the small one up … Continue reading At the Checkout
Telling my Story, or Not
I ran into Sandy in the hallway. “Oh, hey Jeff, this is a heads up. You're going to be formally invited to be a book in the Living Library.” Sandy’s statement probably makes no sense to you, so let me elaborate. A big trend in libraries right now is to offer patrons a chance to … Continue reading Telling my Story, or Not
Medication Management
Every time I talk with my father, which can range from three times a week to twice a day, depending on life circumstances, he asks me the same question, “What’s new?” And I tell him, “Nothing’s new,” every single time. He thinks I live the most boring life imaginable. When I hang up the phone, … Continue reading Medication Management
Race Day
This is the last post I'm salvaging from undercrust.blogspot.com. There's more there, but honestly nothing I feel compelled to keep. The following post was written when my OCD was still unmedicated. Take a bunch of intrusive thoughts and mix in a healthy dose of situational anxiety--this captures well what went on in my brain in … Continue reading Race Day
Tidal Wave City
Originally appeared on undercrust.blogspot.com — July 27, 2015 A crashing wave packing unusual force and energy. The water hits the beach and runs. Walls breached. Houses swamped and washed away. A senseless loss. Built too close to the sea. But it's expected. Tidal Wave City has run its course. This is a beach game. An … Continue reading Tidal Wave City
Don’t be a Sissy-La-La
One of a million conversations over the years between my brother and me: “Well I think you’re wasting your dime. You won't hear back from them. Stamps cost thirteen cents now.” “The advertisement says they'll send me the booklet for a dime.” “That comic book is five years old.” Me: Scrawny, tiny, waiflike, weak. Compared … Continue reading Don’t be a Sissy-La-La
Mayonnaise Vignette
Mayonnaise: the cringiest of condiments. A squirt of ketchup, a spreading of relish, but a glob of mayo. Its power is undeniable, though. It takes a burger to a different level. The step up from a Big Mac to a Whopper is more of a climb, best likened to rungs on a ladder: straight up, … Continue reading Mayonnaise Vignette
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?
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
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
Ophelia
Is it irony that the post tropical depression stalled above Gettysburg is named after a literary character who drowned? When the rain started this morning, I folded a blanket and draped it over the armchair in my sunroom. Having a sunroom, does that sound snooty? Is it on par with a billiards room or a … Continue reading Ophelia
The Other Stuff 