Stories of Suspense with a Sense of Humor
When I was in fourth grade, my penchant for collecting took a strange turn and got me into trouble at school. Shame and fear of being ostracized tormented me. All because of some straws. I had dabbled in collecting before then with stamps, stickers, and baseball cards. Things that were mostly given to me. I … Read more
I know the climate crisis is kicking our collective ass, with heat domes in the south and biblical flooding in the northeast, but my lawn has never been greener during July and August. Twenty years ago, the lawn would be burned to a crisp and I could leave the mower in the shed until late … Read more
When I was thirteen, I saw the movie Palm Springs Weekend, which was one of those inane Frankie and Annette movies but with Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens. They made it in 1963, the year before I was born, but I was watching this around 1977. Sure, there were cute women dancing in bikinis, but … Read more
A few years back, one of my coworkers called me by the name “Marty,” rather than “Mickey.“ I’d stopped into his office, chatted, and we were saying our farewells when he said it: “Take it easy, Marty.” It took me by surprise, and I didn’t correct him. I’d already shifted my weight to make my … Read more
I love riding bicycles but learning to ride was clouded by fear, pain and envy. To begin with, we were not a “cool-bike” family. Our bikes weren’t even decent. We got a couple of hand-me-down bikes from our cousins up the street. Or, rather, my older brothers got those hand-me-downs and then I got them … Read more