Month: February 2025

  • ODDS and ENDS: Goodbye Moustache, Super Bowl Prediction, and New Music

    (The best thing you’ve had has gone away…)

    On Monday, February 10th, at some time, I will shave off my moustache. It was a good run. The kid seemed to like it, and the wife didn’t mind. I even found myself twirling it as I contemplated things – like taking over the world. In the end, I think the moustache made me look older, and it defiantly made me look like my two uncle who also had moustaches. You know, as a balding man, it feels weird to not have whole lot of hair on my head, but have a very full amount of facial hair.

    I am picking the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. Not that I think they are the better team, but because I despise the Philadelphia Eagles. There! I said it, will say it again, and live by it!

    I’m really getting into the music of Khruangbin. I saw them on the Grammy’s and totally dig it.

  • Gross – Inside and Out

    It’s a gross day here in New York, and that seems to be matching my overall mood.

    The world feels like an awful place again, and I really don’t want to spiral down into the doom hole of no salvation. I try to stay positive for the kid, and most of what is happening in the country and the world goes over her head. But those days are numbered. She’s getting older and more aware each day. But, besides that, I don’t like using my kid as the excuse for why I need to get out there and fight for what I believe in.

    No. The reason I want to get out there, protest, speak out, and do something is simply because it’s the right thing to do. I will still hold to the day I die that the overwhelming majority of people on this planet know what the right thing to do is. It is our duty as human beings to encourage all people to listen to their moral code, to that voice in them that wants to do right, that’s wants justice, that wants fairness, that knows that all humans deserve dignity and respect.

    It’s gross because, we are here, again. Again, basic human decency and respect has to be defended.

    I’m tired of this shit, but here we are.

  • Short Story Review: Two Micros by Jeffrey Hermann

    (The piece “Two Micros by Jeffrey Hermann” appeared at Okay Donkey on November 29th, 2024.)

    And these are two truly micro pieces that Jeffrey Hermann created, each under 250 words. The first is titled, “The Voice of God Gives Up the Act,” and the second is, “If it’s Not One Thing it’s a Million Things.” Both are efficient, idiosyncratic works that brought to me such an innocent and lovely feeling of joy in their simplicity. Yet each micro was inventive in its imagination and storytelling, and left me feeling better about life.

    “The Voice of God Gives Up the Act,” spoke to me about how at some point parents stop being authority figures, and become people, and in some cases small people. And also, how our children can become little deities in our lives, but they, like our parents, will inevitably transmogrify to their human form, too. I appreciated that these observations were not at the expense of the gods, but more like melancholic observations. Especially with the little drama of the small god spilling the smoothie, which provided this piece with a slight bit of drama, climax and a touching resolution.

    “If it’s Not One Thing it’s a Million Things,” struck me as more like poetry than prose, but it was prose. Maybe stream of consciousness prose? It was reminiscent of my mind wandering gently as I drift off the sleep. There is an ease to these words, and how the sentences flow together, and one point repeating a phrase, like your brain is stuck on a loop. It felt like this was the memory of a good day, not life altering, but a good day where the little things and are seen and acknowledged.

    Besides enjoying these two micros, I must admit that I was rather envious of Jeffrey Hermann’s talent and skill as a writer. In a very small package, he created two works that caused me to view my day differently, and change my mood. He made me wonder about the people I love, whom I give power over me, and how they will change over time. And all those moments we spend in our short little lives – those moments do mean something.  

  • The Feeling I’m Not Having (Unedited)

    I have been trying all day to come up with a blog, but nothing came to my mind.

    So, looks like I’m doing one of those “Can’t Come Up with Anything,” blogs. I don’t like these, and I seem to do them a couple times of the course of a year.

    It’s a cop out, I know, but here we are.

    I could blame the Alt Side Parking that I had to do this morning.

    Or all the grocery shopping.

    Or the hour I spent playing Axis & Allies on the iPad.

    Maybe the time I spent reading the news.

    Or the I hour I spent with my wife eating lunch and watching the “Mexican Week” episode of GBBS.

    I even found myself reading the Wiki page on Lady Jane Gray… And I’m not sure how I found my way there.

    But most importantly; I’m just not feeling it. Not feeling inspired to read anything, let alone write anything. I tried listening to al the Grammy nominated Best New Artists to see if something would catch me, you know, get something going. It was all good music, but nothing caught.

    So, here I am on the couch at 6:02pm writing about nothing, if only to check the box and say that I accomplished writing a posting a blog today.

    Even if it is a cop out.

  • Spending the Night

    The kid is at the age of “Peek Sleepovers.” Such as, the success or failure of a weekend can be determined if a sleepover occurs, regardless if the sleepover is a success or not. The kid has taken part in a few “slumber birthday parties,” and a weekend away with a friend whose family has a place out of the City. I do use the term “Peek” not only because the kid is super excited about having a sleepover, but also because the kids are still at the age where they will go to bed at a relatively decent hour, so we can all get some sleep. Once they get to middle school age, then it turns into staying up all night and watching movies, and there is no guarantee that I or the wife will be able to get any rest. But, as of now, the kid is happy, and that makes everyone happy.

    There other thing that I am happy for is that the kid has no issues with spending the night and being away from us. Not all kids are like that.

    I wasn’t – I went through phases though. When I was little, I had no problem sleeping over. Then somewhere around nine, it began to bother me being away from home. Like the first few hours would be fine, then all of a sudden, a feeling of dread came over me, like I would never see my family again, or ever be happy. I know that I was feeling home sick, and that’s natural, but the feeling was so controlling and paralyzing, and the only thing I could think of was getting home. And then when I got home, I was overcome with shame, that I didn’t have the courage of strength to spend the night, and, you know, be a normal kid. When friends would invite me over to spend the night, I would come up with excuses why I couldn’t.

    Then, it just all went away. The fear, the anxiety, all of it was just gone. I remember it was 6th grade, and I was over at my friend David’s house with some other kids. We all stayed for dinner, and then his parents said if we wanted to spend the night we could. There clearly was a bit of it was peer pressure to stay over, but also, I didn’t get that sinking feeling in my stomach. I remember calling my parents to ask if I could stay, and my mother asking me over and over and over if I was sure I wanted to do this. I said that I was, and then not thinking about it again. I ran home and grabbed some clothes and a sleeping bag, and I was just excited to hang out with friends, and stay up all night.

    I think we watched “Let’s Get Harry” on Cinemax because we thought it was a dirty movie. It’s not a dirty movie, it’s just a really bad and dull movie.