“There’s something weird to me, daddy,” my six year old girl said.
“What’s that, baby?”
“The more I listen to directions in art. The worse it is.”
I smiled.
“When I don’t listen to directions, it’s good.”
I gave her a hug.
Another poor, yet talented, artist in the making.

Three political lessons from the 1943 Chicken Little Cartoon:
1) To influence the masses, aim first at the least intelligent.
2) Undermine the faith of the masses in their leaders.
3) By the use of flattery, insignificant people can be made to look upon themselves as born leaders.

I trailblazed through the woods today, looking for the bald eagles that migrate here each Winter. There was only one bird so far, and he flew away before I could snap a picture. So I decide to investigate the campsite I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. At that time, I had determined it to [...]

But Santa Clause is still a great and magical con.

Sometimes the universe is an embryo.

The river seems more alive in the winter. The eagles are on their way. And the beavers have been hard at work.
Seeing how efficiently they can peel a tree, I hold my arms in a little closer, and heed the warning of their angry, slapping tails.

Walking in the park this week, I came across a wounded birch tree.
Perhaps Mother Nature has finally surrendered.

Walking my dog in the woods is therapeutic. Especially when we’re trailblazing along the river. I find something new each trip. A beaver slapping the water with his tail. A dead duck laying in an angelic pose. Baby dolls hanging from nooses in the trees. Or a lone flower, colored a shade of purple I’ve [...]

The evolution of the modern bookstore – Borders. I took my three-year old there today to spend a giftcard.  A children’s book for her, and a novel for me.I had a shortlist in my mind: “Belly of the Beast” by Jack Henry Abbott; “The Brotherhood of the Grape” by John Fante; or anything by Jim [...]

Some people feel writing it as “x-mas” is sacrilegious.
I say, lets embrace and promote the abbreviation.
Just like in Algebra, the X can be a variable.
Then everyone can celebrate it as a time of love, charity and goodwill…

Synopsis: A collection of published and unpublished fiction for drunkards, deviants and derelicts. These twenty-three grungy yet whimsical stories explore the simple pleasures and punishments that we all experience. Especially those who find it hard to escape the barstool.
ISBN: 0-9673758-0-0
Published in 2008
Available from:
Amazon.com
MTV.com
Barnes & Noble.com
Or by special request at your local bookstore.
Authors Note: This [...]

“Sponsored By…” was my first full-length novel, and took nearly three years to write. The idea had been in my head for years, and I finally put it on paper while I was supposed to be working in my cubicle. I quit that job after it was published, and have been working for myself ever [...]