BARBER My barber blames his old job as a mafia hitman for why he names all his instruments. “This one here, I call her Karma,” he says as he caresses his gleaming scissors. “Summer cut,” I say, mostly ignoring him, “so take a little off the top and everything off my neck.” He leans my […]
Friends challenged me to complete the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Since I never know what’s good for me, I accepted. My topic, because I have to choose one: SIX SENTENCE STORIES. Hemingway is credited with writing a six-word story. (“For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn.”) Many have attempted the art since. Hemingway was way […]
Reading time: 2 1/2 minutes — You can learn a lot from a trip to the mountains. I learned you can’t use your cell phone and you can’t get an Internet connection. And when you’re not cursed with those (in)conveniences, you learn a lot of other things. A Long Way for a Card Game Which […]
Reading time: 2 minutes — Few people are as adept at getting lost as I am. Unfortunately, one of those few people is my wife, so together we make cartographers cry. I’ve detailed here before how often I drive right past my exit on the highway. Or miss a turn at an intersection. After cruising […]
Reading time: 1 minute — So, I’m vacationing with the family in the Blue Ridge Mountains. No Internet connection. No phone service. No wifi. What’s not to love, right? I had no intention of writing anything for the website. Until my wife said: we’re staying in a blog cabin, you’re gonna love it. A blog […]
Reading time: 3 minutes — Life is filled with choices. Paper or plastic? Baked potato or French fries? Minivan or SUV? Simple choices. Small short-term effect on your happiness and quality of life, right? So let’s go to the big one. Rejection or regret?
Reading time: 4 1/2 minutes My mom turns 49 again today. Good thing I studied English more than math so I believe her. Like I do every year. I’ll try to ask her age when I take her to lunch, but I know that question will stay behind my lips. I also know that after […]
Reading time: < 3 minutes Stephen King said something akin to write a million words and you’ll be an expert at writing. That’s a paraphrase, not a quote. I wasn’t sitting on the porch drinking a beer with him. Unfortunately. Point is, using that as a measuring stick, I’m an expert on rejection. I spend […]
Reading & viewing time: 4 minutes I referee high school basketball. Absolutely love it. The sportsmanship. The national anthem. The constant challenge. Camaraderie with fellow officials. Tossing the ball for the opening tip. It’s a great game, and I constantly find things to inform my writing. And sometimes, magic happens. Special nights, against all odds, both […]
Reading time: 3 minutes. Would you, could you name your kid Adolph Hitler? A father in New Jersey did. It came to light when a bakery refused to scrawl “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” on a cake a couple years ago. It turns out many states and countries have laws for naming your kid. I didn’t […]
JD Frain 