I. Introduction I used to smile more. I don't know that there was a significant change in the number of tears I've shed, but they were nonetheless different. A good deal of the difference no doubt relates to the injuries and other medical dookie I've gone through in the past year. Those who follow me … Continue reading Smiles and Tears
encouragement
It’s Just Nuts
I consider myself a fairly even-keeled guy. That could come across as a brag, I suppose, and perhaps it's been said for just that purpose. I don't know, because I haven't monitored every phrase spoken during my lifetime, and those prior to but that were not written about, well those may have never happened or … Continue reading It’s Just Nuts
I’m goin’ down…
...down, down, down, down, down. - Freddy King, "Going Down" There are far worse things if you've decided to make your living as a blues musician than to have the last name King. You can ask Albert, (not really a King, shhh,) or B.B. (a real King). You can even tell everyone your name is, … Continue reading I’m goin’ down…
The Holidays
So then, here we are, smack in the middle of "the holidays." Such a bizarre state of affairs to approach this season for the second year in a row with the pandemic trending upwards, and every day, more and more and more and more... everything else seems to be trending downwards. You know things like … Continue reading The Holidays
798
I have a friend who says, (and I'm paraphrasing, probably incorrectly), "You can only call yourself a writer if you write." In other words, on the days you don't write you're not a writer. On a technical level this seems pretty obvious, and I often wonder: what is a plumber on the days she doesn't … Continue reading 798
Life is So Weird
Has it occurred to you lately how freaking weird this world is? All the insane stuff going on each day brings you to a point where ultimately you just have to shake your head. It seems there are just no words. I find myself writing that frequently of late. "No words." This is a very … Continue reading Life is So Weird
At Last…
Etta James, people, had one of the most soulful voices in the history of modern music. I remember hearing her song "At Last" used in a commercial several years ago, which brought it back onto my radar after first having heard it in my teens. Now "At Last" is, of course, a love song, and … Continue reading At Last…
Finis
There are many variations. Some authors harken back to the Latin, which you've got to admit - if you're looking for the most unnecessarily pretentious way to end a book you can't do much better than the Latin, Finis. The Sumerian equivalent maybe, in cuneiform. That might be slightly more pretentious, but only slightly. I'm … Continue reading Finis
Sensational
This pic gave me elementary school flashbacks. It's not particularly late. I think it has just turned midnight as I began typing this sentence. I used to stay up much later than this to write, sometimes until the sun started to insinuate itself around the edges of my window coverings which, though I measured twice, … Continue reading Sensational
When it Feels Like Work
On September 25 of this year I began the twenty-third chapter of my work in progress. I had a feeling then that there was a chance it might be a tough one. It was not the first such chapter in recent history. In the second book of my Cleanup Crew series, The Count of Carolina, … Continue reading When it Feels Like Work
S.J. Varengo - Author 