(Fear of School¹) — I graduated high school in 1983. I did not enter another K-12 school again until 1994. I was not there as a student or parent, but as a citizen doing a good deed. I was out for a walk that day and found a moderately expensive looking pocket calculator laying…

People Need Skills, Not Trivia — In my high school second year algebra class, I had a reputation as kind of a brain. I could factor quadratic equations like nobody’s business. And word problems? Those little suckers stood no chance with me. I ended the year secure in the knowledge that if my future boss ever…

A Sci-Fi Short — The mood aboard the starship Zephyr was jubilant. A major interstellar war had been won, and won by forfeit. This victory with no loss of life for the Earth forces sent to deliver destruction to the doorstep of Earth’s ancient and implacable enemies was unexpected, to say the least. To…

A Simple Suggestion for Better Living — Back in the 1990s, I was working my first job out of college. I had a co-worker who was in her late fifties. She and her husband were excited about buying a new house. They were empty nesters. All their kids were off to college, and the parents had their…

They Made You, They Don’t Own You — Stupid holidays. Always making people introspective and stuff. But as they say, “When in Rome, don’t fight City Hall.” Or something like that. This is the time of year when people reassess, re-evaluate and take stock of their lives. …

(I know, just go with it) — When I moved out of my parents’ house to go off to college, I did not know how to cook. I wrote a previous article on this topic, encouraging people with kids to make sure those kids learn how to prepare healthy, nutritious meals before going out into the world: Learning to Feed Myself Parents, teach your kids to cook!medium.com …

Table the Gifts, Give of the Heart — “Don’t bother your father, he worked hard today and needs to relax.” “Get out of this kitchen, you’re in my way!” “Go away, I’m reading.” “You damn kids are really pissing me off! “Not now, this TV show just started.” …

Keep Your Rules Off My Life — I was exactly eleven-and-a-half when my Aunt Ruby died from brain cancer. I was born in mid-October of 1965, so that would put her death at mid-April of 1977. I don’t know the specific type of cancer she had. I guess the adults all figured a kid wouldn’t understand anyway…

Life’s Too Short — “Finish what you start.” “If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” “Don’t start something you can’t finish.” “Don’t start Project B until you finish Project A.” “Close only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades.” I Googled for platitudes on finishing what you start. The lines above are…