Author: Matthew Groff

  • What A House in the Country Really Means

    This weekend, I thought that we, as a family, we going to go hiking. Turns out that we went and played disc golf. I was a little surprised, as I feel like disc golf is my little hobby, so when the wife and kid want to go and do it with me, I am always taken aback. But I wasn’t going to say no either. The kid did put in one request with the disc golf; we had to get pancakes for lunch after golfing. I could live with that.

    The place we decided to go to was Gunks Disc Golf, which is in Mystic Park, Gardiner, NY. It was a bit out on the country, as it was an hour and a half drive from the City. Most of the drive was on I-87, but soon we were off the interstate, and on two lane highways, and state routes. Trees are everywhere, with houses set back off the road, and I wonder what do these people do for a living out there?

    And the wife and I play the game of wondering if we could get a place out in the country?

    It’s a fun game as we are driving in the car, but as the conversation turns from wishful thinking to is this even possible for us, then reality starts to creep in. We are a one income family, who is in debt. And we can’t do anything until that debt is taken care of. That’s our reality.

    A reality that was in the back of my head the rest of the day. Mystic Park in Gardiner, NY was a very pleasant and nice place. The course was fun, and it ran along Wakill River, which added to the sense that you were deep in nature. And I thought about how nice it would be to have a place near here, that we could spend the Summer, and weekends and holidays. To do that, I have to get a job. There is no way around it, if I want that, I have to bring money in.

    I want to have a home, but to get that, something has to change, and change within me. I’m comfortable where I am, but I also feel like I don’t have the drive and ambition that I used to have. If I wanted something, I used to go and get it. I mean, I wanted to be in NYC and work in theatre, and I went and got it. Now, I question if I could follow through.

    So, when I think about that house in the country, it’s not just a price tag, and expense that we’d have to pay for. It’s also means a change in my attitude and resolve. To achieve it, I have to change. And I can’t say for sure that I want to change.

    (Hey You! If you enjoyed this slightly confessional blog, then be a pal and leave a like, a comment, or share it with your friends. It might actually make my day!)

  • ODDS and ENDS: Tough Questions, Hiking, and The 300th Follower!

    (If you’re here, you’re family!)

    I was very aware that when we had a kid, that at some point she would start asking some tough questions. There are all the cliché questions about babies and sex, and I was ready for things like that, as well as, why do bad things happen if God is good and all powerful? But I wasn’t prepared for when the kid asked me how a search warrant works? The kid walked in while I was watching the news, heard the phrase, “issued a search warrant” and asked the question. Now, I know what a search warrant is, but I can’t 100% say I know how they work. Like, I know a judge grants one, law enforcement executes it, and there is the Fourth Amendment protections, But… (shrug) Now, I just need to figure out how the Electoral College works so I can be ready for that question.

    The weekend is coming, and I have it in my head that we will all go hiking. Hopefully, there won’t be a surprise Summer cold to knock us all off our feet, as I would really like to get out of the City early in the morning, and spend the first half of the day walking along a stream in the woods. This Summer, I feel like we really haven’t hiked as much as we did last year. I know that we still have about two and a half months left before it gets too cold for us, so there is time. But as I sit here, I am thinking about how much I enjoy hiking in the Fall. Cool weather, leaves changing, good excuse to put on my flannel shirts.

    And, I got my 300th Follower! And, I’m pretty sure it’s not a bot. There is always a chance that it could be a bot, but I feel I shouldn’t discriminate against Russian bots. Are they any different from me? I’m trying to get people to come to my page to help my writing career, and they are trying to get people to their page for crypto scams. Who am I to judge?

    (Say! If you happen to not be a bot and found this blog to be high on your enjoyable scale, then please take a moment to like, comment or give it a share. You’d do a body good!)

  • Stopping the Publishing Monopolies, and Bookstores

    First of all, you should read “American Literature Loses Out to Consolidation,” by Richard Howorth which was published in The New York Times today.

    That having been said, my favorite bookstore to go to is the Stand down on 12th Street. I’ve started taking the kid there, and I feel like I’m completing one of those “All My Life’s a Circle” moments where I was taken to bookstores as a kid, and I now do that for my kid. One of the biggest reasons I love going to the Stand is that it smells like a bookstore; it smells like stacks and stacks of books. And now, slowly, no matter where I travel to, I have started seeing little bookshops again. In little downtowns, or strip malls, bookstores – new and used – are becoming present again.

    I worked, for a very short time, for an independent publisher right out of college, and I tip my hat to people to run small publishing houses; you only do it because you love it, not because you want to become rich. At those houses, everything seems like it’s on the verge of failing, people outside of the business treat you like your crazy, and there is no good business model other than being bought out by one of the “big houses” one day. But, I must add, some of the smartest people I have ever met work in small publishing.

    And these small publishers are where almost all authors get started. They are the farm leagues of the publishing world, and they are vital to the ecosystem, especially when it comes to giving new voices, subjects, and people an opportunity. The more the big house become centralized, the more likely they take up the shelf space at all level of bookstores, forcing out the little guys, and thus killing off anything new from being discovered.

    Keep this in mind when you bookshop. Look to see who is publishing that book you are looking at. Every dollar truly helps the little guy.

    (Say! If you happen to find that this blog are some knees of bees, be a pal and give it a like, a comment or a share! You’d be doing this Daddy-o a true solid!)

  • Personal Review: second place – a novel, by Rachel Cusk

    I’m getting back into the swing of reading. Like all things in life, if you want to good at something, you have to make it a habit. Make time for it, work at it, do it even when you don’t want to. I’m getting back into reading shape. I read Ezra Klein’s essay “I Didn’t Want It  to Be True, but the Medium Really Is the Message,” and I agree with him that the internet, and especially my smartphone, has dampen my ability to focus and read a book. Hence why I feel like I have to work at reading.

    At the start of the Summer, I took the kid to The Strand, so we could load up on books while on vacation. Though I didn’t go there looking for it, I came across Rachel Cusk’s newest novel – second place. I became a big fan of Cusk’s writing several years ago when I read her Outline trilogy, which left me feeling inspired to write again. So, when I see anything new by her, I gobble it up.

    The story of second place is straightforward; the narrator, M, invites a painter, L, to stay at her and her husband’s guesthouse during Covid. L isn’t a particularly warm or friendly person, and his interactions with M, M’s husband and daughter end up acting as a catalyst for change and introspection.

    What I enjoyed about the novel, which I find true for Cusk’s writing, is that there is such a wonderful serene sense of just pondering life; asking questions of oneself, and looking for answers and discoveries. Her writing is almost stream of consciences, but without all the pretension that can come with that style. The narrator, M, takes in life, and remembers things and stories, and she also describes her feelings about the development of her relationship with her husband and daughter. M is doing what I do with my life, and I hope other people do as well, which is I think about the people and events that have transpired, and how it all has affected us. Not in a narcissistic way, but more is a sense of awe, gratitude even, for the ability to have a life with people we care about, and a tiny bit of resignation and loss for the people that aren’t there anymore.

    (Say! If you are a person who finds these words which I have strung together entertaining, please take a moment to like, comment or share this blog. You’re high school English teacher will thank you!)

  • Premier League Week 1: Tottenham Won, and some other stuff happened…

    The one advantage I had with being sick this weekend was that I was able to watch the opening matches of the Premier League.

    And I will reiterate yet again, that I know nothing about the Premier League, other than what I have picked up over the past five years of watching, which really isn’t that much, being that I follow Tottenham Hotspur, and don’t pay attention to much else in the league.

    At the conclusion of Week One, Tottenham is sitting on top of the table, and I’m going to enjoy that as much as I can for this week. Yes, Spurs did beat up on Southampton, but I would like to point out that Kane and Son were pretty silent in the match, which isn’t a bad thing, and may have been by design. Kulusevski, on the other hand, looked amazing and completely in control of the pitch – putting the ball where he wanted and setting the pace of the game. Now, Tottenham did have a slow start, and gave up a goal early, but unlike last season’s team, starting out in a hole didn’t seem to dim their aggressiveness at all. In fact, that early set back seemed to have inspired the team to play harder.

    With Chelsea coming up this Sunday, I will bet that Son and Kane will play a much more aggressive role. From what I understand about Conte as a manager, he will want to send a message to the League, and beating Chelsea at home would do that. It’s an early test for them, and could set the attitude for the first half of the season depending on the outcome.

    Other than that…

    Man City seems to have signed an honest to god Viking to play on their team. Erling Haaland is from the land of the ice and snow. Yet again, it does seem unfair that Man City can keep adding these dominate players, year after year, which makes the League feel like a two-team race between them and Liverpool. But, I cannot deny watching Haaland play was impressive.

    My dark horse team of the season will be Brentford again. No real reason, I just like the fact that it’s a scrappy team working their way up. I was a little sad that they lost Eriksen to Man United in the off-season, but I also knew that he had a high value, and little Brentford wasn’t going to be able to pay those prices. My hope is that they will finish in the top ten.

    On to Week Two.

    (By the way, if this blog is enjoyable to you, like a well-worn tweed blazer with elbow patches, then take a moment to like, share, or leave a comment. It will make this anglophile very happy. Chip-chip! Cheerio-o!)