It’s Complicated…

Winding road with lightning storm on one side and sunrise on the other over hills

A quote that I live by? It's complicated. It's complicated by how I feel at the moment or day. When I'm feeling mellow and comptemplative I like the advice of Petty Officer first Class John O'toole ( the Tool to those who knew him well). He mentioned that: “luck is what you stumble upon in …

On the road & going looking for a ship

There are holidays and then there are holidays. We all have those that we celebrate with others, and then I'll bet most of us have quiet little ones that are personal. Some evoke blue moods and others joyous celebration. Some we share, and some are private. My favorite family holiday is Christmas. It's the time …

Camping Tonight

Louis, jr staffing the booth at a boat show

Camping tonight? I think this summer it's not quite going to be glamorous camping ( glamping?), but certainly not the setting up the tent and sleeping on the ground variety of the old days. The talk among the family, with the kids now taking the lead, is that there is a campground not too far …

Risk Averse?

Two UPS workers loading cardboard boxes into a delivery truck at a warehouse loading dock

I realized a few years ago that many of the people who knew me when I was working various jobs as an applied anthropologist thought that I was very risk averse, and staid. When I "got straight" in 1971, I backfilled over the old life pretty thoroughly. Year by year, I buried it. There was …

No Risk? No Reward

Teenage guitarist plays electric guitar on stage with amazed crowd around him

I was fourteen, and the taunting words of my friend lingered in my ears, "No risk, no reward." He had meant it as a joke. But Bart would not get on stage himself, even though he was a very advanced classical guitar player. I had only been playing for a bit over a year. I …

Sympathy for the Devil

Ingrid smashing cake on my head at party

The Devil made me do it. It was one of those nights when the gang got together and made up an idiotic game challenge. The loser of the dice toss had to do or respond to the challenge. Ingrid chose the challenge that night, and I lost the dice toss. Ingrid smiled, and then she …

Social Media? Meh.

Man typing frantically at computer posting conspiracy theories on social media feed

Yes, that's right, most Social Media. Meh. For me, the heyday of social media was its infancy. It was simple, direct, and genuine. There wasn't a flood of associated apps that you just had to join, or the push to put your entire life online. Back when, I'd heard greater wisdom drooling from the mouths …

Does That Compute?

The new computer is arriving in about a week. Last night I finally hit the buy key and did it. Six years ago, when my "Trash Can" Mac died all of a sudden, I hurriedly bought the first thing I could get. I had deadlines to meet, and couldn't shop at leisure. There it sat, …

Wildflowers

When we moved into our house, the first thing I dumped was the big bag of weed and feed. Generations may have occupied the house and ceaselessly been at war with the wooded bird sanctuary just past the old stone fence. No amount of weedkiller, fertilizer, or grass seed would create a thriving lawn there. …

Choose, But Choose Wisely

Security guard chasing a man on a wooden dock near fishing boats

Daily writing promptWhat place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?View all responses There is a bar in Lower Manhattan that I have vowed never to set foot in again. Besides being that I have "been banned forever," it might be healthier to stay clear. Yes, the events that led up to …