To keep me from getting to true… At 8am, the three men gathered on the mountain ridge, prepared for battle. The Man on the Left: “I’m ready to go. Let’s do this!” The Man in the Middle: “Me, too! I been waitin’ for this day for a long […] | Continue reading
Me again, back with more cover concepts for my “I’ll publish this mess someday” short story collection. I realize I should quit delaying things and just make a decision, but I clearly have some emotional issues concerning this quest. I can’t stop piddling! (Hmm, the previous sent … | Continue reading
Hey Folks, I’m taking a break from my lackadaisical once-a-month posting routine to ask for your help concerning a Very Serious Matter. Okay, maybe not all that serious, but it’s an issue that has been bugging me for decades. (Okay, maybe not decades. Years? Definitely many month … | Continue reading
Food for wrought… The alley was dark and empty. Well, that’s not entirely true. There are always things in alleys, some intentional, some discarded, some unwanted. Something sticky. Questionable, gelid pools of “what happened here”? It’s just the nature of alleys at night, especi … | Continue reading
Friends in Low Places… Note: This bit was originally scribbled just a few days before the election last November, a stunning development that has shifted this country toward autocratic madness. Still and all, I firmly believe in the message the words convey. Enjoy. Zeke knew that … | Continue reading
To each his own… Celina opened her eyes, awakened by the camera flash. Those eyes landed on the youngster in front of her, giggling and nearly dropping her phone as she fiddled with some setting or other, preparing to snap another image. Celina smiled. “Darling, why are you […] | Continue reading
An allegory, of sorts… As Berina stared out at the vast ocean before her, she could sense activity in the jungle behind her. As was common with her people, she knew she shouldn’t react immediately. It was always best to assess any given situation before making any life […] | Continue reading
Reflections and riptides… Emily could hear her mother hollering from the back porch, but she chose to ignore the voice, the same choice she often made these days. There was no point in answering, as no one ever heard her answers. And even worse, they never heard her […] | Continue reading
Or is it? Bertrand turned off the red light in his darkroom, then hit the switch for the white light. He studied the still wet photo more closely. Something was not quite right, but his mind hadn’t yet made the connection. Then he saw it. And then he […] | Continue reading
The morning after… Looking back, Thelma realized that perhaps she shouldn’t have gotten into the absinthe whilst unsupervised… Then again, looking back had never proven much of a deterrent in the going forward of her choices, with the same mistakes echoing in the soundtrack of he … | Continue reading
I can get it for you whole cell… The patient opened his eyes. The attending nursing assistant didn’t immediately notice this, what with her intense perusal of an article in the latest edition of “Gossip Weekly”, fascinated by the wretched discourse concerning a famous actor who m … | Continue reading
A wonky mystery in 8-part disharmony… Once upon a time I took a random travel photo during a family excursion, concerning nothing and writer-dreamed into something more. This is what we scribblers do in the middle of the night… This is my family standing just outside the […] | Continue reading
Wandering Whimsy Setting the Scene: A reimagining of a section in a travelogue book I published years ago, concerning a family vacation in France… And with this chapter, we encounter an interesting dilemma and a slight break in the narrative. In the original blog post for this bi … | Continue reading
Possible redemption, just up yonder… Setting the Scene: Family vacation, 8 people trapped in a rented van, somewhere in France, trying to find the Chateau de Chambord. After several hours of Lost in Transition, wherein wrong turns and poor decisions were made, resulting in us bei … | Continue reading
The tiny things that pivot our lives… ——— Setting the Scene: Family vacation, 8 people in a rented van, somewhere south of Paris (we hope), trying to find a castle (still hoping) but I’m beginning to realize that our quest may not be a satisfying one (hope doesn’t […] | Continue reading
The tripping of a road trip… Setting the Scene: Family vacation, 8 people in a rented van, lost in Paris, desperately trying to find a certain street that will supposedly lead us to a highway that will then lead us to a vaguely defined destination south of the […] | Continue reading
And a bit of trivia concerning sacrilegious pasta… Setting the Scene: We’re on a family vacation in Paris. We have just rented a car at the Gare du Nord train station… After much tribulation and wrangling of certain group members who have focus issues, we manage to […] | Continue reading
Coordinating the clueless… Setting the Scene: We’re still on a family-and-friends vacation in Paris, and we’re a bit tardy concerning the proper acquisition of a transport vehicle. Things ensue. So, we’re standing in the middle of the Gare du Nord train station, and we have just … | Continue reading
Never trust front-desk royalty… Setting the Scene: We’re on a family-and-friends trip to Paris, in the midst of that first foggy day when you’re trying to adjust to the time change from the States. I’ve been doing my best to ensure that our clan stays awake for something […] | Continue reading
Things I wish I hadn’t done… Hey, Folks. I know, it’s been forever since I shared something on WordPress. Mea culpa. But here’s a little sample of what I’ve been doing as I mess around over on Medium… 1. Listen to people who did not have my best […] | Continue reading
Delusions of Grand Fir… Boris, left: “Don’t you think it’s time we took the Christmas tree down? It’s mid-March, springtime. We should be planting things, not looking at dried-out shrubbery.” Ginger, right: “Oh, heavens no! Can’t you see that Fluffy really likes living in it? Whe … | Continue reading
Pretension and Posturing… The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League holds an annual Tour of Homes in our little neck of the woods, an event that is quite popular, with thousands of people plunking down money to analyze and criticize what other people do with their money. The […] | Continue reading
On the other side of the wall… Note: The following is an alternate take on the action in the previous post. And yes, this one is twisted. Things happened when you couldn’t leave the house during That Covid Mess… Saffrogette, left: “And then you bounce the ball and […] | Continue reading
Random Randiness… Note: During the first few crazy months of the Corona Virus Mess, I ran a series of daily posts trying to make light of the matter, despite the actual seriousness of such. (Humor in the dark, so to speak.) This is one of those entries… Babs, […] | Continue reading
Note: The following is an excerpt from one of my books-in-progress, a sordid tale of the time when a mass contingent of my family stupidly decided to go on a Carnival Cruise, wherein we were expected to behave in wholesome manner. (This was never going to happen, the […] | Continue reading
Setting the Scene: We’re nearing the end of a friends-and-family vacation in Paris. Since such was the case, we got a bit festive with the alcohol whilst ensconced on the patio of our hotel. In a rare moment of personal responsibility, I had gone to bed at a […] | Continue reading
Setting the Scene: My family and friends are in the final stages of a vacation in France and, having returned from an eye-opening experience at a nearby restaurant, we’re ensconced on the patio of our hotel. Laughing, imbibing and reminiscing about the past week, crazy as it was. … | Continue reading
Setting the Scene: After a rather rambunctious and shame-inducing series of events, a group of my friends and family members are about to feast on the fare proffered by a semi-posh restaurant in Paris… Our food arrives. I cross my fingers that everyone enjoys the selections tha … | Continue reading
Setting the Scene: Several family members and friends are gathered around a long-ass table in a moderately-fancy restaurant in Paris, a happenstance arranged by the owner of the hotel where we are staying during our sojourn. We have just survived the challenge of requesting food, … | Continue reading
Setting the scene: A contingent of my family and friends are headed toward a restaurant in Paris, greatly relishing a fancy but happily free meal that has been comped by the owner of the hotel where we are staying. (My mother was good friends with said owner, so […] | Continue reading
Note: The following is a short excerpt from my first book. All you really need to know is that we are doing the tourist thing in Paris, and in the previous scene one of us had done something that we shouldn’t have… After that little bit of […] | Continue reading
It had never crossed Muriel’s mind that this selfie might attract unwarranted attention. But as she gazed lovingly at herself in the hand-crafted mirror, she noticed Mrs. Claus rushing up behind her, bellowing something about Santa delivering presents where he shouldn’t, as evi … | Continue reading
The damage and the determination… Note: This is an unedited snippet from last month’s writing experience in my annual NaNoWriMo journey. It’s not my usual festive absurdity, and it’s a bit out of sorts considering you don’t know what was written before and after this scene, but I … | Continue reading
Hey, Folks! I know, I know. It’s been a long time. (A little over a year. Okay, just shy of 14 months, if you want to get into specific details.) I know some of you were not thrilled with my “exit” from WordPress, not so much concerning […] | Continue reading
I know I’ve been a very bad boy, off doing my own thing and (mostly) ignoring WordPress. It’s been a full two weeks since I’ve posted anything here, and I’m mildly blue about such. That being the case, I thought I’d best share something extra fun (at least […] | Continue reading
In a random moment of erratic thinking, I thought it might be fun to compare my own psychological development with a fictional TV family. Here we go… 1. Cindy At first, this little urchin seems to be a non-starter, as we have little in common on the surface. […] | Continue reading
Background Note: This is a post from one of my long-abandoned sites wherein I assumed the persona of a pompous therapist and answered “real” questions submitted by the readers. Dear Dr. Brian, Why do people try to put round pegs in square holes? submitted by Serena L. Sweetie, [… … | Continue reading
Laura thought she had the perfect existence. After all, four suitors were vying for her hand in marriage. Of course, three of them were related, although it wasn’t clear if they were related to her or each other or some combination therein. (This is what happens when the […] | Continue reading
Note: This is a piece I recently shared on Medium, “my other blogging network”… I’ve been tagged a number of times regarding this concept, gentle nudges of inspiration, and I was feeling a bit guilty about ignoring said prompts and not jumping into the fray. And so it […] | Continue reading
Here’s the deal. I was tidying up the house the other day when I noticed that the on-hand stock of a certain “relationship enhancement” product was alarmingly low. Now, I normally wouldn’t think it appropriate to publicly share details of the bedroom. But in this particular cas … | Continue reading
1. Wow, those kids look like they’re about 6 years old. 2. Hermione was pretty bitchy back in the day. 3. Daniel Radcliffe/Harry has exactly two facial expressions: “total surprise at being famous for basically doing nothing” and “grim determination as he prepares to face off aga … | Continue reading
Note: Another revised yank from the archives, so it’s inevitably a bit dated. But it’s about cows and pop culture. How can you go wrong with that mix? Enjoy. Dear Viewers, I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am about the upcoming new shows on our […] | Continue reading
Once upon a time, there was a nifty digital world known as Our Big Gayborhood, a “writer’s collective” type of thing run by Lori Hahn and Margo Moon. Essentially, Lori and Margo enticed a variety of folks into contributing regular pieces on a very wide range of topics. […] | Continue reading
McDonald’s was the pivotal food-purveyance establishment where all the young uns developed life-long addictions to fried, processed, protein-void food that would ensure we would grow up to line the pockets of the healthcare industry. (We didn’t know squat about “healthy eating” … | Continue reading