Straight White Man Seeks Knowledge

In my writing group, we had a brief discussion of Daylight Savings Time. Someone mentioned how they’re usually awake at 2 a.m. and have a moment of realization that they’ve just lost an hour. I try not to be awake at 2 a.m. any day, but I remembered the last time I was for the DST change. It was three years ago when I was out on a bridge dealing with a suicidal person. St. Patrick’s Day is…

I’d been meaning to work hikes back into my workout routine. I finally made it happen recently, and I can’t believe it took me so long. It’s a great change of pace. I’ll keep at my usual walking around my town, but I’ll be incorporating more wilderness wanders as well. Speaking of my walks, I’ve been working maybe a little too hard lately. Being unable to take my walks for a month inspired me to…

Writing has not been bountiful for me lately. I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m just not in the groove. But I keep on trying. And this is part of my trying. My Army anniversary passed a few days ago. It’s been 19 years. Had I stayed in, I’d be a year away from retirement. But I took a different path, and instead I’m retired now. I’m so glad I did it, but there’s no way I could’ve held up…

I’m trying to figure out some kind of educational pursuit. I think I have an idea. But I know I’ll need another one in short order. I’m willing to listen to ideas, but please omit anything involving technology or languages. I get those suggestions all the time, and I need fresh ideas. Also, I’m already studying a couple languages. I reminded myself recently of the benefits of stretching. I’m…

I didn’t watch the Super Bowl halftime show. This isn’t a political statement. The fact that many will construe it that way is part of why I don’t talk politics. I never watch the Super Bowl halftime show. I sometimes don’t even watch the Super Bowl. I didn’t see Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction. And I didn’t watch the first Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl. I’m funny that way. My…

The rematch of the Patriots and Seahawks in the Super Bowl has brought back memories of their previous meeting and the infamous play that turned the tide at the end. I have always disagreed with the common opinion. Considering the situation (second down, 35ish seconds left, one timeout), I thought a pass play was the best idea. The exact play might not have been the best one, but I think the real…

I missed Three Things last Thursday. I realized in the middle of the day it was Thursday. This is a thing with retirement. Sometimes you lose track of the days of the week. I thought about scrambling and throwing something together. But then I decided to give myself the freedom to just miss it. And I was all the better for it. I’ve been working on little things to improve my health. I’ve been…

I joined a writing group over the summer, and I am loving it. I’ve been loving it from the start. I’ve published some of the stories I’ve written for the group on here. And I’m thinking of collecting my group stories and some others into a book at some point. Writing is my first love, and I am so grateful for this group and their inspiration. Issues with my ankles, particularly my right Achilles…

I do a video every morning. One day this week I decided not to do it. And giving myself that freedom made me want to do it. So I did. I’m not keeping track of how long my streak of doing it every morning is. Doing that would pretty well guarantee that I end it. But for now, it’s still going. I avoid discussing politics and often current events in general. I’ve written before how tribalism has so…

Here’s another little thing I wrote for my writing group. Maybe one of these days I’ll get into a real writing groove again. “Please leave the room as you found it.” I remember seeing that sign the first time I was in this room. It struck me like some kind of joke. I knew the scene I found wouldn’t be left. It would be cleaned up, covered up. But that sign inspired me. I’d make sure the whole…

Holiday or not, it’s still Thursday. So I’m doing Three Things. Christmas was my mom’s favorite holiday. That has often made this day difficult for me. But somehow this year, I’m just enjoying it. I’m intentionally doing very little and being rather anti-social. It’s not even about hating people or anything like that. I’m just enjoying my solitude. I’ve made a couple attempts at making fudge…

Here comes another one I wrote for my writing group. I can’t say I like this one. It has potential, but some day I might just rewrite it into something I do like. “In the meadow we can bulid a snowman…” The old song creeps into my head as I look around the clearing. The snow is completely undisturbed. The kids were all gone by the time this latest blanket came in. It was just as empty but all…

It’s coming on Christmas, and today is a Thursday. So here we go with Three Things. Generally, I tend to shy away from commenting on current events. The air gets so thick with people’s opinionated farts about this, that, and the other thing. I hate violence, but one of the things I find so disheartening about our society is how people feel the need to say hateful things in the wake of violence.…

Here’s a little holiday thing I wrote for my writing group. It’s been slightly altered for reasons unexplained. I can’t remember the last year I put up a tree. But something this year has put me in the mood. Somehow it all feels so different. I guess that makes it so much less painful. And that reminds me of the last time I did this. I remember how she’d get all picky abut just the right tree.…

As I try to get back into a groove with the written word, I’m posting things I’ve written for my writing group. So here we go again. I feel my anxiety spike as the train pulls into the station. My heart is racing, and I’m questioning everything, all my decisions. Should I even be here? There’s still time. I could run away. Just disappear. But then I’ll never get my answers, not that I really…

If you ever doubted that I’m a nerd, this should disabuse you of those notions.

I won’t say what I did say. But it sure wasn’t wiener.