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thank god that's over too
1. What did you do in 2019 that you’d never done before? Played several sets of solo acoustic music, in public, without breaks, and got paid for it. Also took care of a friend’s dog for a few days, and housed my own for weeks at a time.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I always strive to make more ( Read more... ) -
what's a year
According to the calendar I have now been divorced for over a year. This seems unreal to me, but there you go ( Read more... ) -
excelsior
In my first memory of Tom Vaught, he was getting thrown out of gym class. That happened a lot; he tended to cause what we used to call a ruckus, and subsequently would often be seen sitting in the chair next to Miss O’Boyle’s desk, waiting to be called into the vice principal’s office ( Read more... ) -
thank god that's over
1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before? Got divorced. I was also thanked by name in a CD reissue by one of my musical idols, but that didn't cost as much.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? As ever, I wanted to make more music, and be a better person. There’s never enough music, and I ( Read more... ) -
some summer, huh? (part 7)
My house is small, a little over 700 square feet, built in 1941 by the federal government. It's half of a duplex, the other half being what I assume is the mirror design of mine. The front door goes into a living room, which has a boiler room (furnace, hot water heater, washer, and dryer, all apparently from this century) and coat closet. Here I've ( Read more... ) -
some summer, huh? (part 6)
Just as it was supposed to, the closing occurred on time, with no real hitches. I did have to go back to where I was keeping the pile of paperwork that had accrued since late June to find the three pieces of paper the bank needed, but everyone was very nice, even the bank attorney who did the "I hate to say it, but I gotta comment on your last name ( Read more... ) -
some summer, huh? (part 5)
Well before I even considered the first place I wanted to move to, I met with a good friend who's a mortgage broker to see if there was any way I could be pre-approved. I didn't think there was a chance in hell, since my share of the savings accrued during my marriage wasn't a lot, my salary isn't exactly luxurious, and I wouldn't have the benefit ( Read more... ) -
some summer, huh? (part 4)
Since I had originally planned to have moved into a new home that was all mine by the end of July, I figured I might as well get out of my dad's house anyway. My friend Richard of the Killian Troupe had offered his home as a refuge several times, explaining that he and his wife had often taken in "strays"; foreign exchange students, friends of the ( Read more... ) -
some summer, huh? (part 3)
Over the past few years I've attempted to stay away from social media on my birthday, so I can get the thrill of seeing a large pile of well wishes when I finally do check in. Facebook has its negative aspects, to be sure, but when it truly works for good, its wonders to behold -- such as lifting the spirits of a recent divorcé on his 50th birthday ( Read more... ) -
some summer, huh? (part 2)
The idea was that I could stay at my dad's for a couple of weeks, or at least long enough until I could close on the place I was trying to buy. Everything was approved on the realtor and mortgage end, but being a co-op I still had to pass the scrutiny of the board ( Read more... )