A couple of boys I knew, one in high school, and one in college, always seemed to be big shots in the making. They were destined for the stars. They talked about making a splash as adults, and they acted as if they would be major successes. In high school,…
“…despite having gone back to college numerous times to update my skills…. I think I’ve finally given up on that, considering how little it gained me in the long term.” That snippet is from my previous post. I know my college professor friends think I’m an idiot to believe that…
From time to time I read rants by Gen Xers (the generation born between 1965 and 1982) about how Baby Boomers have stolen all the good jobs and there is no upward mobility because we are hogging everything. How we are completely self-absorbed, selfish, and fatuous. We’re whiners, too. I…
Four months ago, when I thought winter couldn’t get any worse (boy, was I wrong), and there was snow all over the ground (but not the four feet of it that came later), I started writing a novel. Out of sheer boredom and frustration. I haven’t looked at it since,…
Recently, I completed a lengthy e-mail interview with Bryan Stroud for his The Silver Lantern site, which is dedicated to superhero comic books of the Silver Age, the 1960s. Bryan has posted interviews with a lot of people I know from the comic book biz, so I am happy to…
What I really wanted to say was, “Go to hell, you b****. You don’t know anything.” I didn’t, and I don’t think I ever have directly said that to anyone. Yet that’s my primitive reaction to being chided as if I am the ignorant one: My wrongheaded enemy must die!…
Some of you who have known me for many years wonder where my interest in personal finance (expressed in my Lose Your Money Blues blog) comes from. I sometimes wonder myself. I like to be tacky and mention dollar figures out loud, and I see your shudders when I do.…
Sadly, my visit was several weeks too early. I went to a cold, rainy place for a week. I’m tired of visiting when the UK weather sucks. No more! I’m not coming back until it can be during some lovely summer weather. Or at least solidly, gently spring. Not the…
You’ve heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), haven’t you? It’s when people get depressed and miserable, bulk up on carbs, and can’t do their lives well. But only during the months with the least sunshine, and usually when it’s cold. It’s seasonal because it goes away without therapy as soon…
Sometimes, ideas can come from the strangest places. For nearly a year, I’ve been writing a novel of the Tudor court, covering the endlessly fascinating period when Henry VIII broke with Pope Clement in order to marry Anne Boleyn. So far I’ve read more than two dozen scholarly books on…
