One of the first things Karen wanted to do when we got back from our honeymoon was find a good job. The job market wasn’t that bad in 1985 and so she had a lot of choices. One ad that … Continue reading
I had never considered myself to be a particularly funny person. Oh sure I could tell a joke if I was forced into it, but I was more known for the bizarre way I looked at things. (See Temperature or … Continue reading
This is such a simple thing. It’s used as a greeting, a salutation, a parting gesture, and sometimes even an epithet signifying the owners’ ignorance. But we all wave at people that we know and don’t know as a way … Continue reading
I got home very late Thursday night, completely exhausted (that happens when you get 3 hours of sleep a night), and full of thoughts of San Francisco. I spent my day off on Friday walking and thinking. I walked to … Continue reading
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Well, my children this is the one. This is the story that you have heard at the dinner table countless times, debated by your mother and I as to how this or that happened, and always ending the same way … Continue reading
The strangest thing happened. The one person that had been tearing me down for years, the person that had confederated with Barbara to find fault in everything I did, called me on the telephone. Elinor told me that I had … Continue reading
My decision to return home and marry Paula was not well received by my family. Generally they were pleased that I was doing well in San Francisco and pleased that they didn’t have to deal with ‘that’ girl. Elinor and … Continue reading
I had a nice career in the computer science field. In almost every respect my daily life was highly technical and high pressure, but I loved every minute of every day. But it was all very accidental. I had worked … Continue reading
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” – probably Mark Twain. I arrived in San Francisco on a sunny Friday afternoon in August 1975. What a beautiful city! I was having dinner at a small … Continue reading
In the five years since I had lived with Greg and John there were some substantial changes to my life. Despite my efforts to the contrary, I had learned a lot at school. The Viet Nam war ended, and with … Continue reading
Sophomore year was ending and the cycle of looking for an apartment for next year was beginning. I don’t know how it happened but we all had decided to part ways and get an apartment on our own. That might … Continue reading
The cocktail party was the main adult social event for upwardly mobile couples in the 1950s. If you were going to host one of these parties, it was important that your home had some essential elements. The first was a … Continue reading
The next time I would play tennis would be at military school. A golf team at a military school wasn’t very likely. But at least I had the tennis. I played in the Florida heat every chance I got but … Continue reading
Greg, Rod, John and I had become really good friends throughout freshman year. The four of us had a lot of good times together then. I even hitchhiked to Charlottesville, VA with Rod for no apparent reason, at least none … Continue reading
I grew up in the age of radio. No, not “The Green Hornet” era of radio, but good old AM rock-and-roll radio. The Casey Kasem Top 40 Countdown was a weekly event where he would tell us which songs were … Continue reading
I was finally allowed to work a real job over the summer and so I arrived in Boston with $750 in the bank. I thought that was a lot of money but it didn’t last long. I was in sensory … Continue reading
It was the summer of 1968. I was a camp counselor at a small boys camp in western Massachusetts. I was the new Massachusetts Junior Smallbore Champion. I had passed my NRA instructors test and so I was qualified to … Continue reading
Academically I was doing fine for my junior and senior years at Tabor. It wasn’t the easy excellence that I had known in elementary school, but I was never really in danger of not passing a subject, except maybe French. … Continue reading
Life at Tabor was all I had hoped it would be. Although I still struggled academically, I was completely comfortable there. Thanks to the Rifle Team, I had made several really good and lifelong friends. But I was still emotionally … Continue reading
During the summer before I had started at Tabor, my father imparted another of his sage stories. This one was very brief and had to do with his experiences in college. He had enjoyed considerable success on the pistol team … Continue reading
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When I was a sophomore at Tabor, I took a class in Modern European History with George Trautman. Many of my old friends will remember him. He was one of the finest teachers I’ve ever had. On the first class … Continue reading
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I was nearing my 15th birthday and much had happened in the previous 5 years. My mother had fallen into a world of prescribed depression. She blamed my father for everything that had happened to her. She felt that I … Continue reading
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I didn’t know any of this at the time, but this idea of sending me off to Miami Military Academy (MMA) was a pretty sweet deal for my mother. It got me out of the house, which was the main … Continue reading
My father wasn’t much of a golfer. His somewhat portly stature, amazing strength, and lack of flexibility helped to create a consistent duck hook that was truly a sight to behold. The interesting and funny thing was that he was … Continue reading
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We arrived in the town of Wilton Manors, FL and I began my new life in another rented house. The neighborhood was cleaner, the people were nicer, and the weather was warmer than anything Cambridge had to offer. But I … Continue reading
By any measure I was a pretty lucky kid. I lived in a small town on Cape Cod, I had a good group of friends, and I had a great family. We had gone on vacations together to Florida, I … Continue reading
There is no doubt that my Dad had an unusual way of teaching. He taught almost by parable, but not quite. He would tell a story, sometimes funny, and leave the rest for you to figure out on your own. … Continue reading
In our house the focal point of every new topic, every new discussion, and ultimately every new clever story was at the dinner table. The evening meal was when every member of the family was present at the same time. … Continue reading
For as long as I can remember there was always a shiny black Steinway Baby Grand Piano in our house. Neither of my parents could play it but I think it served two very important purposes. First it was an … Continue reading
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One day my father explained to me that in the wintertime electricity was stored in the carpet. I was only eight years old and my skepticism was met with a wry smile and the offer of proof. “Take off your … Continue reading
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It’s hard for me to imagine a more intimate activity between a father and his young child than when he begins to teach his child how to shoot. It begins with a fathers judgment that his child is old enough … Continue reading
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I didn’t understand it. It was raining. It was always raining. I had my Davy Crockett fringed jacket and my Daniel Boone ‘coonskin cap and I was, as usual, ready to explore the acres of woods around the house. So, … Continue reading
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My mother’s parents lived in Fort Myers, Florida in a modest trailer park designed for retirees. They had an Airstream mobile home with a beautiful mahogany interior and they were perhaps the happiest couple I had ever known. These were … Continue reading
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My parents were often told that I was a precocious child, not that they needed to be told. I didn’t always know why it was important to do something, but somehow I knew that some things had to be done. … Continue reading
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My sister Barbara was 10 years old and my sister Janis was 8 years old when I was born. Since my parents were both in their late 30s at the time, clearly I was an accident. Nevertheless, in some fashion, … Continue reading
Recently I read the “20 Marriage Tips Everyone Needs To Know,” by Gerald Rogers and the response article “10 Marriage Tips Every Wife Needs To Hear,” by Karen Lodato. While both of these articles are excellent, I began to wonder … Continue reading
Frustration is the difference between what you think it should be and what it is. I used this expression endlessly during my career. I have found that people will be happy with just about anything if they are prepared for … Continue reading
Sugar and Spice, and Everything Nice? By Holly Patrone http://www.hpatrone.com I’ve written two humorous novels, ‘Death Is a Relative Thing’ and ‘Relative Identity’. They aren’t memoirs but it’s hard not to let bits and pieces of real life roll into … Continue reading
DANIEL AND THE SNAPPING TURTLE By E P Snider http://www.readwhyme.com Now that summer has ended, we reflect on and remember happenings at the cottage. The following is one incidence that I would like to share with you. One Sunday our … Continue reading
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Small Town Mother’s Daughter By Robyn Lawson by Blog Woman!!! (robynlawson111.com) Once in a while, my mother plays for me an old country song called, “Idol of the Band.” One of the chorus lines says, “You may just be some small town … Continue reading
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It’s official, I am going to introduce an ordinance in Prince William County that no one beyond a certain age and of questionable heart activity shall be allowed on their front porch after 11:30 pm. Yes, that’s right, I did … Continue reading
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AFTER THE FALL by Rebecca Platt http://Depressionsgift.com Some facts about my mother, the subject of this post. She is eighty-nine and maintains her own home. She’s a size eight with a figure most women fifty years younger would envy. I … Continue reading
When I first met the woman who would become my wife, I noticed that when she became very tired, her left eye would turn in slightly. We would most often call this ‘lazy eye’ even though there are much more … Continue reading
As many of you know, I have been researching the mystical and magical world of marketing. What I have found so far is there are some things in life that are just ‘beyond the call.’ For me, this is one … Continue reading
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I would like to think that this is the last of my wildlife stories, but there are always new members of the animal kingdom that wander in from time to time. There is one important difference with this story; it … Continue reading
I’m beginning to think that perhaps my front porch is not a very good place for me. It is my porch and I like being out there, but … Last night, at 11:30 pm as usual, I was again standing … Continue reading
Last Sunday night I ventured out onto the front porch. It was around 11:30 pm and the waxing crescent moon had already set. Most of our neighbors keep an outside light on during the night so there are always faint … Continue reading
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This summer, as is usually our practice, we put a variety of houseplants out on the front porch to replenish their growth after the long winter indoors. One of those houseplants is a Norfolk Island Pine that we use as … Continue reading
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That was some, er, feet By Terri S. Vanech http://www.pushingonarope.com There’s an old saw that says you should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, but you couldn’t have gotten very far in mine today. I took a quick break in … Continue reading
Let’s say you are a supervisor or middle manager at a small company. Nearly 52% of workers in the US work for small companies. In many ways, it can be a better place to work. There are no big company … Continue reading
