Photo overload

They say the first step toward curing an addiction is admitting you have a problem. Well, I’ve got a little problem. I keep way too many digital photos. At best, I’m a novice photographer; in fact, “photographer” is too strong a word. I just take pictures — of people, buildings, bridges, nature and other things [...]

Read Full Post »

Swimming in memories

STERLING, Mass. — Took a little trip yesterday. I drove over to Lake Waushacum and walked along the beach — then down memory lane. In my youth, the lake was a big part of my life. It’s where I learned to swim. It’s where many of my earliest memories were formed. It’s where many a [...]

Read Full Post »

Only in New England

Ayup, I’m back in New England, for a little while anyway. How do I know? Well, there’s a nip — some California natives might say a chill — in the air. There’s a flurry of fall foliage. Mcintosh apples (my favorite) are in season. Words like “sure” and “here” are being pronounced in such a [...]

Read Full Post »

Lessons learned

So, I went to the Czech Republic to learn how to teach English as a foreign language, which is why I haven’t posted anything for awhile. As it turns out, I learned a few other things as well: Regardless of the subject, teaching is a very humbling experience. Anyone who thinks it’s easy is wrong. [...]

Read Full Post »

Bad with math, good with words

As a child, I was a horrible at math. Atrocious, really. How bad was I? Well, I got my first “F” in math in the third grade, then, from the third through the seventh grades, I averaged — averaged, mind you — a D-minus. Quite the brainiac, no? Generally speaking, word people are not very [...]

Read Full Post »

Touch

I admit it. I have a hard time letting go. Especially when it comes to people. Things, not so much. They can be replaced — easily, most of the time. But people can’t be replaced. Especially the ones who have: Touched your heart. Touched your soul. Touched you in places you didn’t even know you [...]

Read Full Post »

Old dog does a new trick

OK, kids, pop quiz time. Which of the following is more difficult? (a) Quitting an old habit. (b) Starting a new one. (c) Resuming one you haven’t done in, say, 20 years or so. Depends on your perspective, I guess. Well, here’s mine: I recently started running again, for the first time since 1986. Why [...]

Read Full Post »

The N-word

I’m thinking of a word. It begins with “N” and ends with “R.” No, not that one. I’m not the sharpest tool in the drawer, but I know better than to go there. I’m talking about that other N-word. You know the one, because you use it, too. And you still do, even though you [...]

Read Full Post »

Brother

“There’s a table sitting in heaven, how I want to go, “There’s a table sitting in heaven, how I want to go, “Brother, you’d better get ready, how I want to go, “Brother, you’d better get your ticket, how I want to go.” – Jorma Kaukonen, “There’s A Table Sitting In Heaven” I never had [...]

Read Full Post »

For what they’re worth

What’s the worth of a few words? Depends on your perspective, I suppose. Some words are cheap, some aren’t. Some words are used cheaply, some aren’t. Be that as it may, it seems I have a few to spend. (If you’re a Robert Cormier fan, you might know the origination of that phrase.) Sometimes there [...]

Read Full Post »