…and to Read Yours — Sometimes when I can’t think of what to write I log into Medium and read your stories. That usually makes me think, and often jump-starts my brain. This morning I read Tony Stubblebine‘s keynote address from Medium Day 2023, and that’s what got me started (inspired?) on this article. In…

Because Nobody Did Magic by Smoking Tobacco I’ve always thought that in the Trilogy of the Rings, Gandalf the Wizard was smoking something other than tobacco in his ever-present pipe. I got the idea for this story last night after smoking a bowlful of my own pipeweed, aka marijuana. And as is usual, I forgot all about…

I’m Not Medicated, and I Don’t Need to Be — And it’s also my end. I was born in 1950, a time when no one had even heard of ADD/ADHD. Today, at the age of 73, and looking back, I can say it was a blessing, and not the “disability” so many people seem to consider it today. This…

Was He Right? Well… Yes and No — They’re both gone now, but for a time my aunt and uncle — brother and sister — shared an apartment in Hollywood, Florida. They were both in their 80s, and were my father’s older siblings. I remember the time my Aunt Dorothy confessed to me, “I’ve lived here for 30…

I Call Bullshit! — I came across a post today that said something to the effect that “There are no winners in war.” And while this is indeed a noble sentiment, I found it to be quite naive. Let’s take a closer look, and I’ll list some of my reasons for saying it’s naive. …

I Hate it. It Sucks. And I Don’t Friggin’ Want It! — It started innocently enough. Spell Check. At first it was a separate stand-alone program but as computers became more powerful, it was incorporated into the word processing programs themselves. No more did it require a separate step; you could merely click your mouse on the word that was underlined in…

Sometimes I Wish He Had Written Them Down — I’ve written before about the trials and tribulations of growing up as a PK (Preacher’s Kid) and how it’s affected my choices in life. Most of the time it was okay, other times it kinda sucked, and on rare occasions, it was quite instructive. Today I’m going to write about…

Yet We’re Some of the Most Fervent Fans — Just for once can someone make a horror film that takes place in broad daylight? One of the problems I have as a result of being 73 years old is that I don’t see as well at night as I used to. This is a consequence of aging, and it…

And the Coast Guard Took the Credit — Kodiak Island, July 1971. My brother John and I were exploring the cliffs at Ft. Abercrombie State Park when we were drawn to a disturbance at the edge of one of the cliff faces at Miller Point. Directly below the cliffs was the North Pacific Ocean. It seems a young…