Archive for September 2017
My favorite billboard
The billboard is up on Southern Boulevard, which is one of the only streets that links directly to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. With Hurricane Irma now battering Florida, my thoughts are with everyone whose lives and property are at risk from this cataclysmic storm. My thoughts are also with this particular billboard. Envisioning how angry Donald…
Read MoreI am not talented.
I don’t believe in talent. I believe in hard work. In speaking to a writer recently about her struggles to get published, I said, “Maybe you should write another book. Not everyone publishes the first thing they write.” “You did,” she snapped. While it’s true that I managed to publish the first novel I wrote, Something…
Read MoreWhen you tell your girlfriend via text that you wrote her a poem…
… but it’s actually the theme to The King of Queens. Brilliant.
Read MoreA sad, retired, perhaps unstable man
My friend, Rob, retired last year. Like my previously retired friends, Rob has attempted to rub it in with photographs of his endless vacation. But unlike my previously retired friends, who send me photos of picturesque golf courses and idyllic swimming holes, Rob is not nearly as good at hurting me as the rest. Look…
Read MoreMy son thinks I’m a golfing god
I haven’t beaten one of my golfing buddies in well over a year. I’ve been drastically altering my grip and swing, but I’m also just not as good as the guys who I play with. They hit the ball farther and more consistently than me. I managed to squeak out a tie against one…
Read MoreTime to break the law on behalf of Harriet Tubman
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a Yale graduate and former Goldman Sachs investment banker whose Daddy is also a Yale graduate and and former Goldman Sachs banker (Steve is clearly blazing his own trail in this world), indicated last week that the Treasury Department could abandon plans to replace President Andrew Jackson on the front of…
Read MoreHow do you juggle so many balls at once? The answer is simple.
During a recent interview, a reporter cited my multitude of careers. “You publish novels. Write columns and musicals. Perform on stage. Produce storytelling shows. DJ weddings. Minister. And you teach elementary school! Plus I know there’s more that I’m forgetting. How do you juggle so many balls at one time?” I’ve been asked this question…
Read MoreShortcomings and Flaws: 2017
Years ago a reader accused me of being materialistic after I wrote about my lack of a favorite number, specifically criticizing me for saying that when it comes to my salary, my favorite number is the largest number possible. After refuting the charges of materialism, I acknowledged that I had plenty of other shortcomings and…
Read MoreTrump’s “real” job numbers
On the wake of a less than stellar jobs report, Trump has been touting his “million jobs created” in the first half of 2017. One million jobs sounds great. But look at the first half of 2017 job creation in comparison to previous years: 2013: 1.12 million 2014: 1.50 million 2015: 1.39 million 2016: 1.24…
Read MoreResolution update: August 2017
PERSONAL HEALTH 1. Don’t die. Not even close to death in August. 2. Lose 20 pounds. I remain stuck at six pounds lost. The summer is so full of good food. 3. Do at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups five days a week. Done. 4. Practice yoga at least three days a week…
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