Stories of Suspense with a Sense of Humor
Back in fifth grade, I started having panic attacks over being late to school. That was the year my older brothers had moved on to high school, leaving me to walk by myself. It was an odd combination of growing social awareness, self-image, and basically being a baby about things. I could have walked with … Read more
When I was a kid, I memorized all the dialogue in the old sit-com Hogan’s Heroes. Unless you’re of a certain age, you probably haven’t heard of the show. It made a mockery of the suffering caused by World War II, portraying Germans as buffoons, and made space for Colonel Hogan—a prisoner of war—to get … Read more
This is a story about my life in politics, but it won’t be political. At least not the way you might think of politics today. For instance, I’m not a billionaire, so I won’t ever be invited to the White House to consult on how to establish a monopoly. Or even how to win at … Read more
I grew up in the hey-day of sugar cereals, back when they didn’t even bother to disguise their main ingredient. Back then, Corn Pops were Sugar Pops, and Honey Smacks were Sugar Puffs, and Golden Crisps were Super Sugar Crisps. Our father hated the idea of sugar on cereal, and he periodically banned them from … Read more
Many years ago I took a job as a UNIX Systems Engineer. It was cool, and I liked working with Unix, but, one day, I found myself locked in a half-assed server room on a Saturday night with a woman who, like me, had no idea what we should do. UNIX is an operating system … Read more