Category: memoir
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Memoir: a near miss (1972)
Far surpassing the brightness and rapidity of burning firecracker powder, the shell’s gunpowder burn is intense, a satisfying reward for the effort it takes to dislodge the pin.
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Memoir: My father the war veteran (1970)
Sarah and I exchange a nervous smile. This is so strange! Where is this going?
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Memoir: Ofrenda para mis padres
On the bottom tier are candles: one at true north, whence comes the cold, one to the south, whence nourishing warmth, one to the east, where the sun rises, and a final to the west, where each day’s light goes to die. The candles orient souls on their long voyage back from the spiritual realm,…
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Memoir: from Captain Fantastic (1974) to Quadrophenia (1980)
The music hadn’t changed a bit. But I had.
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Memoir: A skill I’m grateful for
At ten-years old I felt confused by life and my place in it. My sad mood set me apart from my peers, and one day I found myself singing my alienation in a way that soothed me. It went, No one told me why, Sweet Jesus, no one told me why./No one told me why…
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Memoir: football fantasies (1968-72)
As you get older, you’ll see how fantasies change with the situation, but your football dreams reanimated in me yesterday…
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Memoir: Worst job (1982)
“Hello, Mrs. Jones? This is George from United Auto Warranty. I see that your ‘79 Ford’s warranty is about to expire this November, and I’m calling to tell you that we can lock-in a better warranty today extending coverage two whole years, and you’ll actually pay less for more coverage. Can I take just a…
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Memoir: Back to School (2023)
Ah, those two weeks in late July or early August, mesmerized by steady waves on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, the soft cry of hovering gulls, clouds gently morphing and moving across blue skies by sweet summer winds. Precious downtime. Time for me and my family to just be. And then, “When do you…
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Memoir: Lessons learned about delivering lessons (1986-88)
Yesterday I conversed with a young teacher at the start of her first year teaching high school French, something I did many years ago, before I switched to just English. She asked, “What have you learned about how to teach adolescents? Any insights, or ‘lessons learned?’” I shook my head and told her how embarrassed…
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Memoir: What’s in my closet, part 2 (2023)
These shirts and other swag were a pathetically big part of my payment for several years. And in retrospect they were a long time coming.
The Wikiness 