Cold hands, warm heart, lousy at smuggling…
It was 1986 and Sasha was barely a year old. Phyllis found a wonderful housekeeper, Julie H. Julie was from El Salvador, and if you...
Three quarters of a second (a work of fiction)
{While I actually have been attacked by three men simultaneously, this isn’t that} I could see the punch coming. If the yahoo had...
“When the Music’s Over, Turn Out the Lights…”
What is life? In its most basic form, life is simply the awareness of the passage of time. I think John Lennon said it best: “Life is...
You’re not gonna believe this one…
It was a mild spring day and I was taking the shortcut through Jimmy Daney’s backyard to get home. Jimmy and I lived a block and a world...
It’s 10pm. Do you know where your data are?
Not to toot my own horn (but I’m going to anyway), way back when computers were in their infancy I designed some of the primary software...
It’s Gotten Weird Enough for Me
I don’t take drugs (excessively) and I don’t take hallucinogens (intentionally). I had already had my first cup of coffee this morning so...
And then Along Comes Mary (Part One)
Funny how one small action can change your life for years to come. A female feral appeared in our backyard one day. We named her G.I....
And Then Along Comes Mary (Part Two)
Mojo was happy to return home to her mom and her brothers and sisters. There was a lot these kittens had to learn about. We helped the...
And Then Along Comes Mary (Part Three)
Wherever he is, inside or out, hot or cold, day or night, he is at peace. The only demands he makes on us is that we brush him for 3-4...
And Then Along Comes Mary (Part Four)
Mojo is our ‘little lady’. She is petite but ferocious. She doesn’t take any nonsense from her bigger brothers and gives as good as she...
I'm a Seoul Man
Back in 1966, Seoul Korea was a single dirt road -- some ramshackle stores with corrugated metal roofs. If a gent had his back to you, he...
Made in Japan
Back in the 60’s during the transistor radio rage, the market was flooded with inexpensive items from Japan. Many Americans took great...
Food
Food is sacred to me. Once in Los Angeles many moons ago, my wife and I visited our favorite Thai restaurant (Chan Dara), and requested a...
My New Friend
I do not flirt with strange women, but for some reason they flirt with me. At 72 I figured I have little to offer, but that does not seem...
It was rocket science!
Europe in 1970 was an idyllic place: It perfectly enumerated the fundamental assessments I learned to apply to temporary housing later in...
Jumping
People tend to get overly impressed when they find out I’ve made 530 skydives. Consider this: The most intensive portion of the jump...
Me and Motels
Never ask me advice on where to spend the night. You’re liable to end up with an ‘E’ ticket ride to hell and back, and I’ll be minus a...
Animal House
Long before John Belushi popularized rogue students behaving in unusual ways in the movie ‘Animal House’, me and my buds on the 16th...
Bikers
I bought my first Harley in 1976. It was the key that opened a door into a world that few get to walk through. I was sitting in the local...
Malfunction
In 1955 my father took me to Coney Island to experience the ‘Parachute Jump Ride’. This was a gigantic wooden structure with a cable...