So Louie, the other dog has taken to jumping in through the open window of my car in the cool shade of the carport and sitting there like a cool cat, (even though he's a dog) waiting for me to discover him, which I typically do after a very short period of time, since I am so crazy about this crazy dog I miss him after about five minutes and thirty seconds. He apparently is expecting to go somewhere. If it's not an opportune time to take him and Libby for a spin, I … [Read more...]
If You Don’t Stop That, You’ll Go Blind
April 29, 2012 By
The email from her Blackberry said it all. “At a funeral. Back in the office soon.” It is a telling reflection of the world in which we live when a person feels a compunction to return an email in the middle of a funeral. This is beyond the pale. I am not throwing stones however, as I live in a glass house, which you’ll understand in a minute. The person who felt an overwhelming obligation to respond to one of 9,000 emails she probably gets in a day, I’m sure, just … [Read more...]
Just One Minute of Real Love
February 13, 2012 By
I’m a hypocrite. From shabby motel rooms, made less lonely by my dog on the bed, from Toledo to San Luis Obisbo, last summer I waxed poetic about the wonder, the glory and the healing tide of love. But I never waded into the topic of the kind of love which opens your every pore by the mere thought of the object du jour of your desire. It’s because I’m a hypocrite and a chicken. I drove nearly 9,000 miles, just me and a big yeller’ dog, who neither drives nor changes … [Read more...]
Be Careful What You Ask For
February 9, 2012 By
Wanted to pass along an update I put on my Kickstarter page tonight, which went to all the financial backers from last summer. The moral support that I've gotten from those included here is no less significant. Thanks to all y'all who remain the best friends a person could ever hope to have, even in two lifetimes. And to show, that collectively, y'all are some of the funniest people on the planet, I'm lifting some of the supportive comments I've rec'd to date, David … [Read more...]
I Will Never Leave You
February 7, 2012 By
* This is a re-post from September. Apologies to long -time readers. I am re-posting for some new visitors to the site. September 2, 2011 I hear the low rumble of trucks on the freeway from my porch, back home from my 8,600 mile odyssey. What just last night felt like a predator, the rattle and whirr of tractor trailer rigs, crowding me closer, closer and closer with each mile nearer home, now seems a seductress calling from a distance. It’s like a pack of … [Read more...]
It Gets Settled
January 1, 2012 By
If I could reach out to the victims of Jerry Sandusky with a single message, it would be this: someday it just won’t matter anymore. Before somebody throws a molotov cocktail through my front window, please hear me out. I’m not saying that what happened to them wasn’t criminal. I’m not saying that the perpetrator and the people who served as his de facto accomplices with their silence and accommodation, shouldn’t be punished. Heads should roll. It’s just that in the … [Read more...]
Wild Horses and French Horns
December 28, 2011 By
My mother used to have a saying, “Don’t count it a day lost when you learn something new” and she especially liked, “learn a new word.” She was big on vocabulary. I’ve modified this treasured maternal maxim to include any number of lesser, albeit, practical goals to further edify my life. For example, “don’t count it a day lost when you can talk a cop out of a speeding ticket” or “don’t count it a day lost when you can dodge every call from a bill collector.” And the … [Read more...]
The Last Detail
December 4, 2011 By
Here’s the thing about going on a road trip across America alone with your dog. She can vouch for nothing. When I say, “Hey Lib, remember that herd of big horn sheep in Colorado that were really close to the highway?” she just looks at me with this blank puppy-dog stare. I’ve been engaging in this a lot lately, this one-sided reminiscing. As other duties, like raking up the the 9,000 pounds of autumn confetti littering my yard, now supplanted by the terror of … [Read more...]
Thanks for Coming, Don’t Forget to Tip Your Waitress
November 11, 2011 By
So I’ve got all this neglected content from the journey, you know. And I’m weaving it into the book, seen from the rear view mirror now, and some of this material will make the cut and some of it, well, we’ll see. I’ve been juggling a freelance job, a part-time job, plus nights and weekends at the Webster University library. A lovely, elderly Chinese man and I occupy the same two tables on the fourth floor where the rituals from the road have now been replaced by the … [Read more...]
If You Died Tomorrow Would You Live to Regret It?
October 11, 2011 By
Hi y'all, I'm working fast and furiously on the book, but wanted to share a short OP ED I sent to the New York Times today after reading about Steve Jobs, being born in San Francisco in 1955 under less-than-perfect circumstances. Sound familiar? A lot of this is old news to you, I've lifted a few lines from previous posts. But I was hoping to stimulate some thought outside my circle of readers. Mostly, I just wanted to say hello. More soon. Peace and love, Jean If … [Read more...]
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