I saw “Jason Bourne” and “Star Trek Beyond” within a couple of days of each other. I came away all mixed up, dizzied by the audio-visuals and disappointed by one of the scripts. Watching these two action blockbusters back to back gave me a distasteful impression of the prevailing action-adventure trend. Too much action! I’m […]
A Different Drummer: Greedy questions
What the heck is greed and why do we have it? Is it an emotion, a desire, an attitude, a character trait, or a learned habit? Is it universal to all humans, or does it only affect a percentage of the population? Does it lie dormant in us all and only burst forth when the […]
A Different Drummer: Why can’t I read?
Why can’t I read anymore? It’s a frustrating conundrum. I have a mound of started novels by my bed, each with a bookmarker sticking out like tongues wagging at me from the first 100 pages. I keep adding more books to the pile, but I don’t add many pages to what I’ve read. What is […]
A Different Drummer: Old hippies often die young
I attended an Old Hippie Party one Saturday while visiting my childhood home in rural Pennsylvania. A dear friend, Annie Duffy, has been throwing this party for ten years to bring all the children of the Peace and Love Generation who grew up together during the 1960s and 1970s back under one roof again. The […]
A Different Drummer: On Living Alone While Married
I’ve been baching it for a month, living alone without my honey, tucked into our small Pennsylvania attic apartment, doing building repairs. Beyond the emotional loneliness, how did I fare? When I arrived I was able to empty my suitcases and put my clothes into the four-drawer dresser, sorted not stuffed. I put all my […]
A Different Drummer: On being apart together
I had to fly back to Ridgway Pennsylvania a month ago alone to build a new shower in our 100-year-old house and a few other chores. Because it was a work trip and not for fun, Susan stayed home. It’s the longest we’ve been apart in 30 years. It was Susan’s suggestion that I go […]
A Different Drummer: Scammer jammer dropped his hammer
Susan and I almost got scammed by international crooks who contacted Susan with a popup that read: “Comcast Xfinity Customer: Our system scans have detected serious malware originating from your computer…You are subject to permanent account suspension and fines for network damage. Call (888) 367-0212.” At the bottom was a case number. She freaked […]
A Different Drummer: Silence of the Giants
We walked among the giants of nature last week. We strolled the busy shores of Lake Tahoe, stood with the crowd in the mist of Yosemite Falls beneath El Capitan, and finally hiked quietly, contemplatively, along a trail at the feet of the gigantic redwoods of Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Tahoe was its […]
A Different Drummer: Headed for the cliff
“Get outta the car, Mabel. It’s goin’ over the cliff.” “Now, why do you want to do that, Wompus. It’s a perfectly good SUV.” “It ain’t gonna be in ‘bout three minutes. Everybody who watches teevee and the Internet has seen this car and are pointin’ at us in ever’ town we been to […]
A Different Drummer: Of mice tails and men
Fishing report: good. Just got back from a fabulous four-day fishing trip in the Sierras. Last week I shared my trepidation and uncertainty about still being able to fish after a healthy childhood of fishing followed by 40 years of dabbling. Could I reconnect with my fishing muse? Did I still have what it […]