I hate hospitals. I hate doctors. And yet, here I sit in a hospital waiting room, standing watch as my wife of 39 years goes through surgery. It is a helpless feeling, a situation in which my wife and I know that even though it is a relatively routine surgery, it still involves general anesthetic. … More The Biggest Lie of All
Todd and Bristol ran through the backyard, the puppy right on their heels. Their six-year-old voices squealed through the evening air, accented by the sharp barking of the terrier with them. They were in a make-believe world that would be incomprehensible to an adult, but made perfect sense to the twins and to Yip, their … More “A Dog’s Best Friend”
My students have gotten used to the silent treatment that I have been giving them on and off for the past three weeks. You see, I have a bad case of laryngitis. My wife got a bug, then I got it, then she got it again, then I got it again. In hopes that we … More Giving the World the Silent Treatment
Last night I had yet another confirmation as to why I am an indie book author. For those of you who don’t know, I started out as a book and magazine editor and published with two traditional publishing houses, starting in the 1980s and continuing until about 2000. Two of my six books in those … More Twenty Seven Dollars
The following is the result of an exercise on intimacy that my Narrative Writing class did this morning. I felt it was only fair that I participate in it as well. We sit on the back porch, he and I, facing the setting sun. And the irony of it does not escape me. His face … More “Sunset”
It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day, and Shelly and I decided to celebrate early by going to a concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas last night. The performers were Sting of “Roxanne” fame, and Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel fame. It was a great concert–for the most part–even though we had to pay … More In the Moment
My father was a man of few words. Me, not so much. But this week I have been taught a lesson in choosing my words wisely. My wife graciously gave me her cold last weekend. Friday night we had students over, and I was fine. Sunday morning I was coughing up a storm. Monday my … More Speechless
In his immortal book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, William Pirsig tells of an incident he experienced as a high school composition teacher. He told a classroom full of students to begin writing–something, anything. They couldn’t think of anything to write. He then suggested they write about something in the room. They still … More Why I don’t believe in magic
For those who have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I have been struggling with a form of writer’s block. I have said many times that the way to deal with writer’s block is to recharge your batteries by reading and watching movies, always watching for technique and ideas. … More Baby Steps
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people. Click here to … More 2013 in review
