[May 13, 2025] The average kid who lives his life outside, playing in his yard or neighborhood, is usually much more aware of their surroundings and more stable emotionally. Despite the fear they have of the dangers of spending their time outside, they seem also to have a more realistic and accurate view of themselves and others. This… Read More »
[April 6, 2025] Growing up on a bayou or a swamp gives a kid a sense of danger and self-awareness. That’s because those waterways are full of snakes, wild pigs, alligators, and other vermin that can make your life an adventure; few things can. “Don’t drink around the water,” good advice from my Dad, who told me that… Read More »
[March 20, 2025] In 1953, Orson Wells’ The War of the Worlds hit the big screens across the nation. I would see it in 1964, along with my brother Philip, two years my junior. I remember us both being scared of the Martians in their great machines. Perhaps this is what sparked my interest in Science Fiction. Our… Read More »
[March 18, 2025] Another official trailer for the soon-to-be released Snow White movie remake was released this weekend. If you’re planning to see it, you might just be one of the few in the theater. The movie is going to be a tragic disaster. Disney and the Company’s senior leaders are in damage-control mode and for a long… Read More »
[December 23, 2024] An old-timer in the Army once said to me, “If you come back dry, they hate you.” I was a new Infantry Second Lieutenant and fresh out of the Officer Basic Course. The unit I was in had just returned from a three-week brigade-sized Field Exercise. My platoon was washing their Armored Personnel Carriers on… Read More »
[November 15, 2024] President-elect Donald Trump just announced his pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. The choice took me by surprise but only because I knew very little about him and he is atypically young. I’d planned on writing about Pete becoming SECDEF but NY Post writer Miranda Devine wrote that she is an enthusiastic supporter of… Read More »
[October 13, 2024] Growing up in the South part of the United States my biggest fear was getting eaten by an alligator, bit by a poisonous snake, and stung by a scorpion. One of the first scary films (I cannot remember the name) I saw as a kid showed a man falling into a pit of alligators somewhere… Read More »
[August 29, 2024] Among the many moves my family made during my teen years, one allowed me to join the Boy Scouts. Despite the brief time in scouting, it would remain a valuable part of my life. “Mom & dad, I hate scout camp. The scoutmaster told me to write this letter. I promise you I am OK… Read More »
[June 11, 2024] Being a prankster is like being a comedian. Both are working hard for a good laugh. But, the prankster is more devious because any successful prankster must be anonymous. And, yes, there was a brief time I wanted to be a standup comic, too. Growing up, I was a bit of a prankster and, on… Read More »
[May 20, 2024] I went to High School with Jonny Dirt, at least that is what he called himself. Jonny was a senior, and I knew him only because he sat beside me during my sophomore English class. He’d repeatedly failed English and was retaking the course for the third time, and Jonny was not someone you would… Read More »