I write short stories of a certain type. Fundamentally I am a beach bum, I rate high in cynicism, sarcasm, and insubordination. Those are my strong points.I am no writer, but have a strong interest in short stories (think Ring Lardner, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Welty) and would like to develop my skills in that area. I don't think I have a novel in me. My work is primarily fiction and seldom has much about me. However, places, events, and details often have a basis in fact and experience.I am older, married, and love my dog. I struggle with work / life balance. I am a profound introvert and struggle in social situations where I have little in common with others. Catch me on my subjects, and I can talk all night. I am a fan and student of history. Right now I am studying medieval English / European history. My Ren Name is, "Runs with Swords." I love to cook and to eat paring it with a good English Northern Brown Ale. Other beers are also good. Art and Architecture are a passion. I build art furniture and participate in most artistic activities. I survived cancer and am now cancer free. I continue to recover.The scars don't show.I write short fiction typically in the 1200 word range. Big on dialogue, low on description.
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Pleiotropy - occurs when one gene influences two or more seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits
Chatoyance
TasteLips together, another single tastePalliative to the lonely soulWeightThe trials of men and womenAs they bear the struggles of lifeTogetherApart they long for another touchTogether they refresh their unionTomorrow?
Jeremiad - a long work, usually prose, where the writer laments the state of society with severe invection containing a prophesy of imminant downfall.
Stout > trout
Merit > timed
Ichthyophagous - usury
Troubled
Lazy - frenetic
I got this
Charlene and I weren't dating. Or were we? I just didn't know. What I did know is that I liked being with her. Maybe she liked being with me, too. We had an uneasy peace; I was desperately afraid of hurting her, she held back when things got too personal. She was far too nice for to be treated as a conquest. Anyway, that really wasn't my style. I was a bit afraid too. We spoke of books,...
Added 25 Oct 2017 | Category Drama | Votes 5 | Avg Score 5 | Views 598 | 6 Comments
Morning was my favorite time of day, sitting with a good cup of coffee, listening, watching the world awaken. This Friday morning, I sat in the dunes overlooking the Pacific Ocean, my coffee cup in hand. I thought I would winter over in San Francisco by couch surfing with friends. The same friend had offered me a temporary job at her framing shop. I strove to get up and out of the house...
Added 02 Oct 2017 | Category Drama | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 693 | 6 Comments
I am sorry. There is little more that I can say. I was not the man you thought I was. In a better world, I would have loved you from afar, crying as I saw you pair up with another but seeing you happy. I have always known that I was different and not in a good way. You deserved someone who could support you and hold your trust. I, clearly, am not that man. Sooner or later, I drive everyone...
Added 21 Sep 2017 | Category Musings | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 551 | 6 Comments
I walked up from the Ventura River bottom where I spent the night. Nighttime in a homeless camp is very different, a strange mixture of camaraderie and distrust. Not unpleasant, but not great either. I was only interested in sleep without spending money. Short on funds, I decided that sleeping in the dry river bottom was better than an alleyway waiting to be rousted by the police. ...
Added 07 Jul 2017 | Category Drama | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 783 | 7 Comments
I wrote my obituary today. It feels strange to write that, a surreal experience to say the least. How does one take stock of his life? If it is by money and status, then I am very poor indeed. If it is by the number of his friends, then I again fail. Did I have the most toys? Take the best vacations. Drive the fanciest cars? Will people remember me in one hundred years? The answer to all...
Added 06 Jul 2017 | Category Memoirs | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 706 | 9 Comments
The storm was building in the distance, but there were stars directly overhead. I had sat out enjoying the warm evening and marveling at the wind waves through the short grass prairie. Evening comes with a storm building to the west. The blanket I lay on was still warm from the afternoon sun, and the only sound was the wind rustling the grass. I had been hitchhiking my way up to Mitchell...
Added 16 May 2017 | Category Drama | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 687 | 7 Comments
"I need a job." The boat owner looked up at me for a long time. "Let me see your hands." I put the backpack down carefully against the pier and held out my hands. "You're no fisherman." "No, but I'm strong and work hard." The man looked at me as he took off his dirty Mariners hat and ran a dirty hand over the back of his neck. "You know mistakes kill you here." "Yep." "Well, my mate is...
Added 12 May 2017 | Category Drama | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 702 | 9 Comments
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