In 1997, comedian George Carlin published his very funny book, Brain Droppings, which, according to the cover, contains “jokes, notions, doubts, opinions, questions, thoughts, beliefs, assertions, assumptions, and disturbing references” and “comedy, nonsense, satire, mockery, merriment, sarcasm, ridicule, silliness, bluster, and toxic alienation.” With apologies to Carlin and most of my fellow Hoosiers, here are…
My father-in-law died. Tom Tappan. Down in Athens. Heart issues. A time bomb ticker. He was an ideal father-in-law. Super nice. Good sense of humor. Our politics matched. He was the sensitive type, like me, unafraid to display vulnerabilities in full view. A lover of life, though at peace with the letting go. He liked…
(Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Next Avenue on Oct. 31, 2024.) Last October, Brynne showed me an advertisement for a psychic fair. I arched a quizzical eyebrow, in jest to her kookiness. “I have something to work through,” she said, shrugging. “I’ll wait in the car,” I said, anticipating time alone to work…
GUY RAZZ: I’m Guy Razz, host of How I Broke This. Welcome to my narrative journey about business ineptitude and the failed leaders who failed to learn from their failures. Listen as my guests reveal what led to their crushed entrepreneurial spirits. Today’s guest is Hash Benedict, former president of Hardly Working Lemonade stand. He’s…
One good way for a writer to lose delusions of grandeur about his or her own literary prowess is to self-publish a failed book. I’m a slow learner, a glutton for punishment, for I’ve self-published several volumes of columns (supposedly humorous) to little, if any, fanfare, thus keeping me in what could best be described…
In 2022, Brynne and I visited the sacred grounds of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Inside, I saw a portrait of my high school classmate’s (Stacey) face. I choked up. It still seemed so surreal, so fresh. We took plenty of Kleenex. What follows is an account of my first visit to the memorial a…
Last year, in anticipation of a much-needed escape to the Caribbean, Brynne surprised me with a few “fun” shirts to populate my wardrobe for the tropics. My favorite was a Hawaiian-like button-down shirt patterned with colorful pineapples—upside-down ones, right-side-up ones, some with eyeballs, some wearing reading glasses, others donning sunglasses. It earned a surprising amount…
In 1997, comedian George Carlin published his very funny (how could it not be!) book, Brain Droppings, which, according to the cover, contains “jokes, notions, doubts, opinions, questions, thoughts, beliefs, assertions, assumptions, and disturbing references” and “comedy, nonsense, satire, mockery, merriment, sarcasm, ridicule, silliness, bluster, and toxic alienation.” While I’m not a stand-up comedian (I’m…
“And I’ve been from Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to TonopahDriven every kind of rig that’s ever been madeDriven the back roads so I wouldn’t get weighedAnd if you give me: weed, whites, and wineAnd you show me a signI’ll be willin’ to be movin’ ”-Lowell George (Little Feat) I saw a great, new band this summer: the kids…
Like most Parrot Heads, I haven’t fully processed it yet—the Sept. 1, 2023, death of Jimmy Buffett. A sort of “tropical depression” sunk in once heartbreaking headlines detailed the demise of the mogul of Margaritaville at 76, colorful parrot feathers falling from a September sky, like a rainbow’s collapse. That he lived three-quarters of a…
