Afterall, she's much better at it. (443 words, 2 minutes read time.) Really, but I can understand why so many people manage stress differently, mostly because they are anxious or worried about any number of a thousand things that terrify us in this modern world. Some of them are serious matters, like losing a loved... Continue Reading →
~ It’s a long, close reach to Avalon
~ Brett Cavanaugh ~Private Spy ~ (2,198 words, 12 minutes read time) ~ never be too sorry... I had thought to have great fun with this one. A college cutie, nervous, insecure, and sometimes devilishly insincere. She bought my stories, my lies of being a published poet, and my tales of college prowess. It all... Continue Reading →
~ don’t count on my books.
by Susie Cavenaugh (417 words, 2 minutes read time) Some say that size doesn't matter. I've met very few women who will agree with such nonsense. They will state that it is a misnomer, intended only to placate inadequate husbands, poorly proportioned boyfriends, and temporary playmates. Women know how little confidence most men have. That their... Continue Reading →
~ Carmalita
>~~ Brett ~~< (436 words, 2 minutes read time.) That's an easy one! I wasn't expecting to find Carmalita, my third (or was she my fourth?) wife on Royal Street in New Orleans. At my age, it's hard to keep track of them anymore, but I know there were seven. Three in my early years,... Continue Reading →
~ Whoop it up!
You say you want a real solutionWell, you knowWe’d all love to see the plan (358 words, 2 minutes read time.) >~~~~~8647~~~~~< I don’t think it will take twenty years, but in the next ten years, we will have AI in a box. Once the billionaires, you know who they are, once they’ve spent their… Continue Reading →
~In our dreams…
... our wetish sci-fi dreams... (275 words, 1 minute read time.) Had you asked me when I was ten and building model rockets that shot to the sky, some in stages that glided home or landed gently in trees after drifting softly down tethered to parachutes that popped from their nose cones at apogee. I... Continue Reading →
~ Spring Break #5
...living is easy with eyes closed.* 404 words, 2 minutes read time. "Pardon me, sir... Excuse me, but can you help us to fill in some additional details about yourself? About your medical history? It’s going to be some time before our Health Engineer, Doctor Hapless, will be here to see you. So, is there any... Continue Reading →
~ Spring Break #4
I found my way upstairs and had a smoke, and somebody spoke, and I went into a dream...* 427 words, 2 minutes read time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Someone said, "Be still. Don’t move! Help is on the way!" Moments later, another voice: "We're connecting you with our support team." Then someone else said, with urgency, "The Department... Continue Reading →
~ Spring Break #3
He blew his mind out in a bar... 527 words, 3 minutes read time. "Oh, come now, Bill. You don't believe that. You don't believe in suicide." "Mel, I don’t know what to believe anymore. But, wait! I do believe in one thing. I believe that I love these peanuts!" I’ve been shelling one peanut... Continue Reading →
~ Spring Break #1
I've had a drink or two, and I don't care, (434 words, 2 minutes read time) >~~~~~ 1 ~~~~~< Maybe it's these stupid allergies I try so hard to disclaim, or maybe the thick New Delhi smog that drifts thick here on the northern breeze. It clogs my nose, crusts my eyes, makes me thick,... Continue Reading →
Breathe, and retire early~
392 words, 2 minutes read time. I know how the world of recent has encouraged us all to become more goal-conscious than ever before. A person can barely board a bus or pay a toll without being asked what their goals are. Their short-term goals, their life goals. financial goals, you name it. And some... Continue Reading →
Yes, a hobo. I've always aspired to be a hobo. Even now, after twenty years of serving the Humanities Department as Professor Emeritus of Psychological and Psycic Abominations at Pacific Tech, Malibu, I have never lost my desire to ride the rails and pitch for coin. Sadly, when retirement dawned, that opportunity nearly dissolved on... Continue Reading →
It’s hard to say…
Was today typical? Which day? Or which moment of any day can be considered typical? If you live your life consumed by the present, then your presence is consumed in the now. Consider that 'within the now' no time exists! No time to spend, no time to waste, no time at all! Without the burden... Continue Reading →
~ Livid (v2) ~
"I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved" * (199 words, 1 minute read time) She lived, but less well than she had anticipated. Her youthful hopes prevailed, but only as time allowed, and his harsh short tolerance permitted. The hurt he withheld was nearly tolerable,... Continue Reading →
The Salvations of Abda (part one )
(from: Sixteen Hours in Qatar. A collection of short stories) (492 words, 3 minutes read time) My wife, Nalini, meant it as a joke- "Why not register Adba as an ESA animal, now, before we go to India?" Abba, which means 'calamity' in Sanskrit, is our rescued animal. We recently saved her from the Santa Fe Animal... Continue Reading →
Ms. Understood
Many, if not most couples don't understand their mate. Originally I was going to say their wife, but then realized that would be unfair. To be politically correct about it I should have said I know that sounds harsh, and I had tried to find the modern correct way to "identify" the proper terms to... Continue Reading →
Cleaning the litterbox (draft 2)
This list would be too long, so I’ll keep it short: always being the one to replace the near empty toilet paper roll. Checking out friend requests from scantily clad women. Cleaning the litterbox, and spending too much trying to develop a “website” that likely won’t become more than a fancy LinkedIn, or a place… Continue Reading →
Missing Miss Smith
Seventh Grade, Miss Smith. Not skinny, just cute and petite. She styled her blonde hair around her head like Tippi Hedren. Her eyes were as the Earth looks from space. Sure, I had a puppy crush on her, all the guys did, but how she influenced me had nothing to do with her being attractive.... Continue Reading →
Cheating on the world, well, not really.
top gums* morning chai God doesn't bother with the small stuff anymore. The guy you mentioned has an injured ear and could damage it and the world with a handset. This injury makes it impossible for him to hear from the right side of his head. At his core, he is very fragile and insecure,... Continue Reading →
The Salvations of Abda (part three)
from: Sixteen Hours in Qatar. A collection of short stories From part one---->>> The young girl's dreams of a 4-H ribbon and a future grass-fed only dairy farm were over. It became a sad story for all concerned. Begin part two below ------->> Most readers are probably familiar with the National ESA pet program. The acronym stands for... Continue Reading →
Tattoos are for girls…
(A brief, updated, encore) 221 words, 1 minute read time. Having accumulated more than enough visible scars from racing sailboats, motorcycles, waterskiing, and other semi-active sports, my doctors and even casual observers will notice that my flesh is also accented by related and subsequent knife and bullet wounds. Obviously, my skin is scarred adequately enough... Continue Reading →
The Little Match Girl
The best compliment I've ever received? Well, I'd have to say, paraphrased, it would be that I was good in bed. But that was very long ago, and only after an exchange of what at the time seemed a fairly large sum of money. After these many long years I still cherish her words, now... Continue Reading →