Anatomy of a Joke, or Why My Marriage Survives
Anatomy of a Joke I am nothing if not an observer of human nature. It is not only essential to what I do for a living as Security in a hospital environment, but it is endlessly entertaining. Last year, in a kind of fit of nostalgia I had a red dragon, taken from an old … Continue reading
Yard Sale Report from 07/14/12 plus the Widower and the Catholic
It was an interesting weekend at the yard sales. The weather was excellent and the people were friendly and engaged. There were literally hundreds of sales going on and the competition was spread a bit thin, which is not so great for the sellers, but can be killer for the buyers. The juncture of good … Continue reading
Yard Sale Report for 5/30/12 plus a few other weeks…
I have always believed that life is full of extraordinary coincidences and small miracles. They surround us in a series of bright moments that mostly pass by unseen and un-noticed, it’s like walking through a forest filled with magic and wonder, while most of the time we only watch the path and the foot prints … Continue reading
Life Lessons Learned from my Mother
Mother, in her depth of wisdom taught all of us many things. She taught us never to put the milk carton on the dining room table. She taught us dinner was better by candlelight with family gathered around. We used to call it, coming over for shouting and dessert. Everyone bursting with stories and opinions … Continue reading
My Sainted Mother and her Cosmic One-Upmanship
My Sainted Mother always seemed to be one step ahead of the rest of us. Once, when being interviewed for The Sacramento Bee on her new position as Chairman for the California Arts Council, the reporter asked her what her qualifications were and she replied, “I may not know much about art, but I … Continue reading
Scams, Scanners, Taxis, and the Cosmic Cabbie
It was back in the early 90’s and I had just recently returned to Santa Cruz after living 6 years in Japan. So much had changed during my years abroad that it was as if I had returned home, only to find myself still traveling, still adrift in a strange country. One night while visiting … Continue reading
Terrible nasty things in the Presidential Suite.
As I mentioned in a previous story, I once worked as Security for a famous local hotel, which again, for the purposes of this story and to protect myself from lawsuits, I will not name. At the time, I usually referred to myself as a Security Diplomat rather than a Security Guard, and sometimes as, … Continue reading
Yard Sale Report for 4/21/12 plus The Haunted House Story
Just last night my wife and I were sitting in shadows of nice restaurant, you know, the kind of place where the waiter introduces himself and instead of saying he’s going to be your waiter, he says he will be “helping” you tonight, as if he was he were a guru here to guide you, … Continue reading
Yard Sale Report for 04/14/12 Including The Sex Toy Story
The Yard Sale Gods cooperated nicely this last weekend and the weather was nearly perfect for an exuberance of stuff. The season is still young and looking for sales is a little bit like walking in the garden and looking for new shoots, there are plenty to go around, but the ground is not yet … Continue reading
Squirrels in the Garden
Several weeks ago, after work, I went out to my eccentric little Tea House to commune with the cold Winter’s ire and when I went to turn on the lights, nothing happened. The fountain out there was not running either and I have it set so that it is supposed to go on when I … Continue reading
