Category Archives: Uncategorized

Five years ago, my only brother died accidentally after a night of heavy drinking. He died in his 50s, just like my father. As I mentioned earlier, my brother had a difficult time listening to the song Cat’s In The Cradle, a song about a father who never had time for his son. We wereContinue reading “Whisper in the Wind 4”

I’m no fan of surprises—and it’s no surprise around here that I drone on endlessly with my objections to surprises. Well, someone has to set the world straight. True to form I was criticizing a surprise that really had nothing to do to me. The surprise was directed at my wife . . . sortContinue reading “What Goes Around Hurts When It Comes Around”

Despite my dad’s alcoholism, my parents stayed married for 25 years, till his death parted them. In all that time, only once did I hear my mother mention the word “divorce.” I was 12, and by then I had often indulged a fantasy about their divorce, so I was kind of excited when she suggestedContinue reading “Whisper in the Wind 3”

I’m horrible at golf. But that doesn’t keep me from fantasizing about being a professional golfer. When I see the salary that the #1 player in the world makes . . . Well, it makes me wish that I were the 8th best player in the world. That honor went to Harris English, who wasContinue reading “Room at the Top”

People can be so competitive. I learned that after my father died, when I was ready to talk about how I suffered because of his heavy drinking. To recap, he drank himself to death. I was 22 when he died. He was 51. While he was alive, I kept my feelings to myself, even fromContinue reading “Whisper in the Wind 2”

For pure amusement, I tuned in to a podcast. The format is simple—callers pitch their questions on any subject, the host responds, and the world is a happier place. One caller had a mess on her hands. She was estranged from her alcoholic father and was worried that he would die from drink before theyContinue reading “A Whisper in the Wind”

It’s hard to know who you can trust these days. I recently ran into my wife’s friend at Costco. I greeted her warmly. I politely asked about her new job, and I listened attentively to her reply. My wife was somewhere in the store, which I mentioned to this friend, and I spent a fewContinue reading “Stick Fingers in Ears and Say La La La”

When I’m on vacation, I like to get away from everything. The idea is to relax. So, it behooves me to avoid anything that’s going to make me feel anxious or stressed out. (Note to self: while on vacation, definitely avoid a stress-inducer word like “behooves.”) A perfect vacation doesn’t just happen—a little planning isContinue reading “I’m Rubber, I’m Glue”

Like many people, I have struggled with the same two questions. What is good art? And, what are we having for dinner? I’m going to answer the easier of the two questions. Years ago, I walked into a big art gallery and was stopped in my tracks by a huge abstract oil painting. Think aContinue reading “Beholder of Beauty”

A comedian I like was distressing about the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, and he wondered if now was a good time to be joking at all. I wish he had called me. I would have told him, yes, now is the perfect time. That’s why I tuned in to his Netflix special. IContinue reading “Not Cracked Up”