Stubbornness

This is one of my worst faults. I know, I know, how can it be that I have ANY faults, but I am serious about this one thing. If I think I am right about something, good luck getting me to change my mind. I will go to time immemorial before I acquiesce. Karen usedContinue reading “Stubbornness”

The Bus Trip

It was supposed to be a first-class plane ticket home, but I ended up squandering my grant money from school on a doomed football bet. I had to take a bus all the way across the states, and it turned out to be quite the adventure. I boarded the Greyhound bus in South Bend, IndianaContinue reading “The Bus Trip”

Timelines

Such as in when is it OK to swear around children? Parents will go to extreme measures to shelter their children from hearing any curse words. They will interrupt you in mid-sentence if need be, to remind you to beware as you proceed. As you may know, Karen and I were not blessed with childrenContinue reading “Timelines”

Boo-Hoo

Crying is one of my favorite emotions. I find it to be at once cathartic and cleansing. Laughing until you cry is the best. I’m trying to think of the last time I laughed so hard I cried, but it has been awhile. It seems like when I was a young man I did itContinue reading “Boo-Hoo”

Ice

Where would we be if there was no such thing as ice? Warm beer. (But if you know anything at all about beer, that is a good thing). But no cold lager. Them’s fighting words. Ice storms would just be storms and those old ice skates in your closet would never have been made inContinue reading “Ice”

Power

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Thomas Jefferson wrote that and if anyone was in a position of power for the United States, it was him. Power comes in many forms. There is the physical power of athletes who spend hours each day lifting weights and getting bigger and (hopefully) more powerful. Actors and actressesContinue reading “Power”

The Return of Maddogg

We know the Satin Latin is back, but guess who showed up at an open mic tonight in the coolest little venue I have ever lifted a guitar in? Maddogg is back. Two days removed from the Cardiovascular post-op ICU I finally make my way out to a little town called Pleasant Plain. (I wishContinue reading “The Return of Maddogg”

I Was Scammed

Who done me wrong? That fat Gregory the Groundhog or Chucky the Woodchuck as Karen calls it, is nowhere to be seen. After reporting his existence on the weekend, his presence and the danger he represented to my two Cocker Spaniels prompted me to call a Wildlife Rescue organization to remove and relocate the pudgyContinue reading “I Was Scammed”

Bigger Than I Ever Knew

I am on record as saying my big brother Ed is one of my biggest heroes and I always wondered what it would be like to bear the responsibility of having a younger sibling. I had a chance to find out when I was in my late thirties. I was living in Norman, Oklahoma andContinue reading “Bigger Than I Ever Knew”

Don’t Ever Give Up

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” Those words have been spoken millions of times but never so impactful as when North Carolina State Men’s Basketball coach Jim Valvano used them to characterize his impending exit from this planet. I vividly remember his words and I still have my signed card with them handwritten byContinue reading “Don’t Ever Give Up”