It’s really too late to write a post. It’s Sunday night. The sun set hours ago and the air has turned decidedly cooler. My eyelids feel the delicious pull of gravity. The weight of the busy weekend sits heavy on my shoulders and I’m yawning almost as much as Michelle Bachmann at a Mensa meeting. The difference is I know why I’m yawning. Potential topics to write about skip through my brain, but they hold as much appeal as seeing Carrot Top in concert. It’s quickly becoming clear I’d stand a far better chance of Read the rest of this entry »
falling chips
Posted: October 23, 2011 in UncategorizedTags: Cadillac Ranch, chips, earbuds, flannel, Friday Friday, Honda, humor, iPod, Mensa, random, random thoughts, really random thoughts, really really random thoughts, sleep, World Series
the blue water café
Posted: October 22, 2011 in PhotographyTags: Action Aquarium, aquarium, Camden, fish, humor, lovely Ms. Trask, Photography, sushi
I love sushi.
Before I discovered I loved sushi I hated sushi. This was curious considering I had never eaten it. Generally I consider myself an open-minded person. Yet when it came to this particular Japanese delight my mind slammed shut tighter than Scrooge’s wallet. It’s a belief I stuck with for a long time for the silliest of reasons: an imagined reaction. I imagined once a piece of sushi hit my mouth I would Read the rest of this entry »
Note: This was written a few years ago as a project for Utata.
The barren land stretches before him like a benediction. Gonzalez’s voice fills his head, tense and straddling the fine line between a plea and a reprimand. “You have to pull up, Captain! We’re coming in too low!” He ignores the warning. He knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Too soon and radar will flag them. Too late and they will be caught in a thermal wave. The timing must be perfect. That’s the thrill of it! Read the rest of this entry »
music for special occasions
Posted: October 19, 2011 in Humorous BitsTags: Basket Case, celebration, Dirty Laundry, Everybody Hurts, Green day, humor, life, Meatloaf, music, Talking Heads
Today Sandy wrote about a conversation she had with a friend concerning the song she’d like to have played at her funeral. It’s an interesting thought and makes for fun, lively discussion. Unfortunately, no matter which song(s) we request be shot over the loudspeakers during our final above ground moments, we can never be absolutely sure these musical instructions will be followed. This concerns me.
It’s not as if we can’t trust those tapped to deal with our going away soiree. I’m sure they’re fine people. It’s just that mistakes can be made, even by those with Read the rest of this entry »
decision time
Posted: October 18, 2011 in ArtsTags: books, choice, decision, Dickens, Huck Finn, John D. MacDonald, life, novels, Occupy Wall Street, reading, TC Boyle
The time has come for a decision. What an exciting occasion! What a stimulating moment!
This is a moment filled with unbridled expectation and wild choices. With possibilities. What lies before us is a tableau shining with life and it winks seductively, bursting with promise and unlimited potential. We know our future is in play and we unabashedly love it.
This is a moment to weigh and understand what Read the rest of this entry »
Digging into the archives for a few last glimpses of summer sensations…
These photos were taken in August 2009 and August 2010 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in and around the town of Corolla. I hope they fill you with warmth as we head deeper into autumn.
in the blink of an eye
Posted: October 16, 2011 in Observations and CommentaryTags: age, Bohemian Rhapsody, Grapes of Wrath, life, Mindset List, perspective, random, time, youth
Every August Beloit College publishes what they call The Mindset List. It’s a puddle of facts designed to illuminate the rest of us about things which help shape the worldview of the incoming college freshman class. (The most recent list contained such sobering thoughts as “Amazon has never been just a river in South America” and “The Communist Party has never been the official political party in Russia.”) But the list does more than that. It also shows Read the rest of this entry »
i shot lee marvin
Posted: October 14, 2011 in Humorous Bits, TrasklandTags: alcohol, camera, fleet footed, hijinx, humor, Kansas City, Lee Marvin, Marine Corps, Marines, tale
Lee Marvin may have been a film actor, but don’t let that fool you. He was a tough hombre. He excelled at portraying hard-nosed characters who would as soon pummel as talk to you. There was never a hint of artifice about him. He had the gift of making his acting appear effortless, lending real credibility to the roles he played. At least I think that now looking back on his work. Maybe that’s because when I was nine I saw the real Lee Marvin in action and learned he was every bit as fiery off screen as on screen.
Each year when I was a kid we schlepped to the annual convention of the Marine Corps League. (The Marine Corps League is the Marine Corps official veterans association.) Schlepped is an unfair depiction since it was always tremendous fun. From the moment we’d Read the rest of this entry »
I used to carry around a pocket-sized notepad to jot down random thoughts and ideas, including the vital task of assembling my Christmas wish list, but I stopped doing so several years ago. I’m not sure why. I probably simply forgot it one morning and that was that. Apparently, it doesn’t take much to establish a new pattern with me. I hope I don’t forget to slip into my pants one morning. Now I realize I need to smash that new pattern, which is now Read the rest of this entry »
Trask Avenue 
slipping away
Posted: October 24, 2011 in Observations and CommentaryTags: journal, life, memories, obsession, random, time
They live secure in our vault where everything we hold dear is ferociously guarded. We understand their importance, their irreplaceability. Make no mistake, we appreciate their value. We know this as instinctively as a hungry child reaches to suckle her mother’s breast. The way we act, what we feel, our perceptions, our jealousies and our fears all possess a direct line to them. Often we close our eyes and drift, opening the vault in search of Read the rest of this entry »