In the long ago days before eBay cornered the market on people selling their household castoffs, my wife and I frequented flea markets on a regular basis. Each Sunday morning, when the weather was nice (and sometimes when it wasn’t), we’d strap our unwilling young son into his car seat and head out to the …
This week Illustration Friday word is “water”. “Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man – who has no gills.” — Ambrose Bierce “Speak for yourself, Ambrose. “ — The Creature from the Black Lagoon
This week, the Illustration Friday word is “mirror”. The coolest movie I ever saw was Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise. It was a camp, over-the-top, rock and roll take on the Phantom of the Opera … and I ate it up. The production was unbelievably low-budget. The songs, by prolific songwriter Paul Williams (who also starred as …
Let me start out by saying I’m not going to vote, so fuck you. But, if I were to vote, it would be for Barack Obama. Why? Not because of his political promises or his vision for the country or his plans for the economy. He’s probably full of shit, just like every politician before …
Continue reading ‘from my sketchbook: they’re feeding our people that government cheese’ »
It was late in the 1977 baseball season. Dusty Baker, the Los Angeles Dodgers veteran right fielder, was coming around third base and trotting home on the final ninety feet of his 30th home run of the season. He was greeted at the plate by on-deck batter Glenn Burke, a youngster in his second year …
Aunt Nancy is awesome! In the thirty years since I was introduced to her, I have known her to be devoted to her friends and family (even family-by-marriage). She is a hard worker, reliable and dedicated to her employer. She is quiet and reserved. And, she is one of the nicest, sweetest, even-tempered people I …
Continue reading ‘from my sketchbook: the party’s just begun, we’ll let you in’ »
The Illustration Friday word this week is “book”. When she wasn’t writing poetry, Sylvia Plath spent a good portion of her life trying to kill herself. At 21, Sylvia made her first attempt at suicide by taking a handful of her mother’s sleeping pills. When she was discovered three days later, in a crawlspace beneath her house, she chronicled the …
This week’s Illustration Friday challenge word is “crooked”. “Canada Bill” Jones would shuffle and trip into a room, wearing ill-fitting clothes and a cocked grin. His hair was mussed and he’d ask stupid questions. And it was all part of his master plan. Born in England in the early part of the 19th century, Bill moved to Canada while …
Nineteen-year-old Peggy Knudsen debuted on Broadway in the title role in the popular play My Sister Eileen, replacing Jo Ann Sayers, in the role she originated. Soon, Peggy headed for Hollywood, appearing in her first film A Stolen Life opposite Bette Davis. That performance led to her being cast as the icy Mona Mars in …
On September 4, 2012, the struggling Philadelphia Phillies dropped another heartbreaking loss – this time to the National League Central-leading Cincinnati Reds. It was during this game that shortstop Jimmy Rollins racked up his 2000th career hit as a member of the Phillies, joining an elite club of only three additional members – each in …
