Author: Matthew Groff

  • ODDS and ENDS – Stop Drinking Apps, Kids n’ Oysters, and Harry Kane

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    Last June, I took a month off from drinking. Not that I felt I was out of control or anything, but more a matter of having a drink everyday isn’t the healthiest. This year I decided to do the same thing, again for health, and also wanting to help lose the Covid weight. Then, yesterday morning, I noticed an ad on my Instagram feed for an app to help you “cut back.” And that was the phrase they kept using; to help you “cut back” on things in your life. Drinking, it’s clearly talking about drinking, but oddly not saying that. Not that I need the app, but the Cloud/Algorithm knew. It knew I was going to stop drinking in June. We’re living in The Matrix, people.

    We went out to eat as a family the other night. It was strange to be inside of a restaurant again, but we are vaxed, and we want to support the local places in the neighborhood. Anyway, the place we went had oysters on the half shell, and the wife and I couldn’t resist. When they came to the table, the kid wanted to try one, which took me by surprise. I told her no, that raw oysters aren’t safe for kids, as their immune systems haven’t developed enough. I didn’t know if that was true, but I felt like it was something I was told a long time ago. (We looked it up, and the FDA says that kids over five are safe to eat raw oysters and fish.) I want my kid to be an adventurous eater, but, even though she is six, she still seems too young to me. Still, I proud she wasn’t icked out by a raw oyster. In fact, she tried to take an oyster shell home.

    And is Harry Kane coming back to Tottenham, or is he going some where else? The last thing I really want to see is him off to Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea. I really hate to see Kane, Son, Bale, and Lucas split up, especially that Dele was worked back into a starting position at the end of the season. The defense does need work, and I understand why Kane said what he said about leaving; he wants to be on a team that wins trophies. I just hope the Spurs Management get their act together and build a proper team.

  • Making My Own Writing Work

    We started the conversation last night about my returning to work. It was an open ended, “let’s just start talking about this topic” kind of conversation. We were just sharing our thoughts a feelings, before we actually have to sit down and make a plan.

    The first fact of our situation, that we both agreed on, is that I am taking care of the kid while she is in remote school for the next three weeks, and for the Summer vacation as well. Come September, when the kid is back in school, like actually back in the school building, then that will be my first opportunity to work.

    And I need to work. We are getting by, which is good, but we are not getting ahead. I’ve talked about our debt before, and that is the albatross in our life. Until that’s put to rest, we can’t save in a meaningful way, or get a new place to live, or retirement, or the kid’s college. So… the second income is needed.

    Now, what will that work be? That’s the trick.

    I will clean up the old resume this Summer, and keep an eye out in the theatre and arts world to see if something shows up.

    Professionally writing fiction is about a ten-year journey, and I’m about year one into it. I say that because all the people I know who are published, it took them about ten years of writing, submitting, networking, and just persevering. And there is still no guarantee there.

    I like blogging, but that also isn’t a guarantee either. All the professional and unsolicited advice I have received has all told me the same thing; blog about something that you are passionate about, and that no one else does. My first response was, ME, but that seems narcissistic and counterproductive. After having created a list of topics I care about, the only one that popped out to me was to blog about the puppetry community in New York. That seemed to make sense to me.

    I mean, I have been working as a puppeteer on and off since 2006. I have friends in the community. I go and see puppet shows on my own accord. Then, I see that there aren’t a lot of people writing about puppets. Maybe it’s worth exploring.

    Either way… Albatross!

  • Looking for Writing Work

    I am down to the final three months before the kid is back in school, and I need to have a job. I will be honest, working from home would be ideal, but when push comes to shove, and if it’s a good job, then I will be willing to go where I am needed.

    The other thing is that I have been at the blog for 11 months now, and I do value the 4 of you, on average, who come by to check it out. It is a huge improvement over my daily average of .5 people when I started on July 20th. The goal was to write about what I was interested in, and try to craft it in a short, concise way, 250 words per post, that was entertaining, but also made a point. The fact that the blog grew, from 60 subscribers to 215 in less than a year, might not be earth shattering, but at least showed there was interest.

    The other goal was to work on the skills that would enable me to go forth and find employment as a writer. That one is all on me. I think my first desire was to be able to purchase a new computer from the earnings of writing, which is still an admirable objective. I would like to add if I could bring in about $500 a month, I would be over the moon happy.

    So, I stand at this crossroads. If I am serious that this is what I want to do, then I need to start putting in the work to make it happen, at least, more than I am doing right now.

    But, the lingering thought in the back of my head is, I have no idea how to get started… Who do I talk to? Do I need a resume? Writing samples? An introduction? What is the first step? I am here, but I want to get there… Just, how?

  • Talking to Friends

    I had a friend come in town the other day (We’re back to doing that again. Awesome!) and we planned on going out to get a drink and talk. “You’re going to sit and talk?” my kid asked. “Pretty much.” “Why?” “That’s what grownups do.” She shook her head at me, “That’s boring.”

    Now, my wife’s birthday is coming up, and you know what she wants more than anything? To go out with friends and talk. Minus a husband and a kid. Our daughter was again disappointed that this is what her mother wanted to do on a birthday. “All you do is talk,” the kid concluded.

    She’s not aware that she does talk a lot, as she talks to me and her mom all the time. Soon, my kid will start talking and communicating with her friends constantly. I’m trying to value the conversation time I have with her, because it’s a cycle; she’ll form those life long important bonds and enjoy just talking to friends.

  • Hiking Review: Rockefeller State Park Preserve – David’s Loop and Swan Lake

    The Summer of Hiking is under way. At least it was on Saturday. We used the AllTrails app to look for a place to go, and though we enjoyed the Old Mine Trail from last week, it did take us over an hour to get there. The idea this week was to find something closer to home, which meant under forty-fine minutes to get there. The wife found a high rated trail, David’s Loop, which is in Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

    We got on the road by 9am, taking the Saw Mill Parkway, which isn’t know for being traffic free on weekends, but at that hour it was an easy drive. Exiting off the parkway, we made our way to Bedford Road where the trailhead was. We did have to park along the road, which wasn’t awful, but with a kid, it did make me a little nervous to walk there.

    The hike went well, even though it was a very hot day. Now, I wouldn’t necessary call David’s Loop a trail, so much as it was a well-maintained gravel path. For that reason, it was easy on us, and never felt too taxing. I did enjoy the fact that the forest made a canopy over the path, so we never felt the direct heat of the day. The Preserve itself was quite beautiful, and peaceful. We crossed at least two streams, which the kid got down and splashed in. It took us about forty-five minutes for us to reach Swan Lake. We had an early lunch picnic on the shore of the lake, and saw several different varieties of bird flying through the trees. We finished the loop back to the car, which was more uphill, and though the kid wasn’t happy about it, this was more of the “workout” part of hiking, which I was looking for. We made it back home in the City by 1pm, so all on all, it took us for four hours for our adventure, which still gave us enough of our day to do other things. Like nap on the sofa.