Author: Victor

What Movie Makers Do Not Want You To see Nose hairs.  No movie ever shows nose hairs.  Nor ear hairs.  Nor armpit hairs.  Never hairs on breasts.  Hair on the head is good, but bald spots are concealed. For film makers, some body hairs must be denied.  Bad teeth—not white, broken or even missing.  Bad […]

Peas and War Peace was very upset that peace was in pieces.  Few felt appeased.  Their lives had become a shell game with peas.     Most folks around the world had peaceful lives.  Most never threw a punch much less deliberately harm someone.  They knew of terror from the sky only through TV.  During wars, […]

Arnold Fights Aging What is the solution to aging?  Arnold felt his body changing and his personality with it.  He felt uncomfortable, minimally in control of his body and thoughts.  He had never thought much about his body, although he should have lost some weight, exercised more–he went to a gym, caught athlete’s foot.  When […]

Beach Time We all need memories of beach time.  Summer was fast approaching and Bernie knew his family would want to go to the beach.  Bernie remembered beaches as a child.  His memories started when he was five, in 1950, in Brooklyn.  Summers were hot.  The white sand was  hot.  The Atlantic Ocean was a […]

Using Your Time When Retired Stanley finally retired at 70.  He had worked diligently since 20 and just as diligently looked forward to no longer working.  Suddenly, after decades, he was here.  Where was here?    He knew he would not miss working—what he would miss was doing something, that sense of purpose a job […]

Common Knowledge Common knowledge is that the best way to start your day is with a decent breakfast.  Arnold’s mom told him that.  So did his dad.  Later, his wife.  And his children.  It was common knowledge.  Yet Arnold rarely ate a good breakfast.  It was common knowledge he should be malnourished, tired all day, […]

George Does Not Read Novels As he grew older, George read less fiction.  In his teens and twenties, he devoured novels and short stories but by the time he reached sixty he had not read a novel in five years (since Stephen King’s latest, which he finished because of the narrative drive.)  George read, but […]

Living Apart From Your Children Most parents living apart from their children settle on frequent dinners or, when living in different cities, zoom calls.  Where families once lived together, now the kids move out when  they hit adulthood.  Families physically distant keep in touch with a mix of love and anxiety (usually with more love.) […]

Alfred’s MacGuffin Alfred loved movies and enjoyed many favourite parts–the end confrontation in The Maltese Falcon, the swordfight with a skeleton in The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, the redemption of the anti-hero in Stalog 17.  Gene Kelly Singing In The Rain.  King Kong in New York.  Lawrence in Arabia.    Whether using his TV, computer […]

Nothing To Say In a world full of people who had plenty to say, Irwin had nothing.  His friends had lots of opinions, Irwin zero.  His friends thought it odd that he had no opinion he wanted anyone else to hear.  He kept his opinions to himself.  What was wrong with that?  Plenty–in these days […]

Facts?                                                                   Harold had a tough time processing each day’s news.  Truth was increasingly hard to find.  His friends struggled through the same problem. The news media mirrored the divided nation.  For truth, people loyally believed their political side, either on the right or left.  Major events were impossible to get the truth.  A war was […]

Do You Have An Escalator?  Can you avoid the rough steps of life by riding over them on your personal escalator?  Rising effortlessly above life’s disasters?  It is a wonderful image—gliding upwards through life, taking not a single step, riding over problems, gliding past bad patches.  Better than wings (where you have to keep flapping […]

The Summer of 2036 The summer of 2036 was tough for everyone–humans and animals and plants.  Drought for some, flooding for others.  Rising oceans washed away coastal areas.  And the heat.  Dreadful heat, surrealistically bitter cold every freezing winter.  Followed by summers that scorched. Pierre lived near Paris.  One morning he looked at his large […]

This Access Radio features a great discussion on disabilities and medications, with host Dave Thompson and guest

A Modern Career Choice Carl’s choice was critical to his future happiness.  He was 18 and ready to start the rest of his life.  Work would dominate his waking hours, five days every week.  What career should he choose?  He ruled out student loans–with their forever debt—which in turn ruled out education and training.  His […]