Humor
Why is playing the ukulele like playing with myself?
When I was thirteen, I saw the movie Palm Springs Weekend, which was one of those inane Frankie and Annette movies but with Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens. They made it in 1963, the year before I was born, but I was watching this around 1977. Sure, there were cute women dancing in bikinis, but … Read more
Did you ever forget someone’s name, or call them by the wrong name?
A few years back, one of my coworkers called me by the name “Marty,” rather than “Mickey.“ I’d stopped into his office, chatted, and we were saying our farewells when he said it: “Take it easy, Marty.” It took me by surprise, and I didn’t correct him. I’d already shifted my weight to make my … Read more
Animals can’t break out of a Zoo, but can humans break in?
Fulton Avenue in Cleveland runs along the top of the hill overlooking the valley carved by Old Man Creek. There’s a fence in the brush at the top of that hill, and my father found a hole in that fence. I don’t remember how he found it, or if he heard about it from some … Read more
What Life-skill Learned in Childhood Do You Love?
Grade schoolers are malleable. In fourth grade, the music teach put anyone interested in band through an assessment to determine what instrument they should play. Most of the girls were told to play flute, while most of the boys were told to play trombone. Mr. Duck, the band director, said it was because of our … Read more