-
We all had the “cool” teacher in school—do you remember yours? Mine was Coach Mahr (I think that’s how he spelled it). He taught anatomy and physiology, and was also the track/cross country coach at our high school. He was younger than a lot of the other teachers (probably mid-thirties), and could often be seen… Read more
-
This is a sort of pop culture wrap-up for my Saturday (and again, my Saturday=your Sunday). I finished the book I was reading and my wife and I squeezed in three—count ’em, three—movies, and it turned out to be a mini James Gandolfini marathon. Aside from the movie Thirteen, starring Holly Hunter and a teenage Evan… Read more
-
“What’s wrong?” “You look like you don’t want to be here today.” “Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” We’ve all heard these phrases. Maybe you’ve even used a few of them yourself. But did you know these sayings could be indicators of a crippling affliction affecting a large number… Read more
-
Taking a break from rewrites today for two reasons: 1) the synapses just aren’t all firing—chalk it up to exhaustion following a busy work week (I’m writing this on my Saturday, which is Sunday for you M-F’ers, even though you’ll be reading it on your Monday, which is my Sunday, got it?), and 2) I… Read more
-
Her reputation preceded her—in my case, anyway. I was vaguely aware of “Rehab” and thought it was catchy, but it seemed like a gimmicky novelty song playing on people’s nostalgia of the old girl groups of the sixties. I liked the rebelliousness of the lyrics, though as time went on it became clear that rebellious… Read more
-
As I look ahead to having an actual completed novel—which isn’t a case of counting my chickens before they’re hatched, I don’t think, but rather anticipating what’s to come—there are a few things I have to do that are deceptively difficult. For the most part, they all revolve around one basic question: “What’s your book… Read more
-
Ever been talking with someone and the conversation seems to just sort of grind to a halt? Not necessarily an uncomfortable one, but it just seems like there’s nothing more to say for the time being? I think this is the blog equivalent of that. I’m going through something of an identity crisis, I suppose. Nothing… Read more
-
During my teens/twenties, I went to a lot of live events. Mostly concerts—I had (and may still have somewhere) a collection of ticket stubs that would impress even the most avid concertgoer—but other random performances, too. Stand-up comedy, magicians, even an old-fashioned circus freak show. And it wasn’t just big arena shows or “professional” level… Read more
-
Way back in the day, when I was a young, spry booksofjobe.com and my wife and I first started sending out Christmas cards, I used to try and write little personal messages in them. Nothing major, just a couple of paragraphs on how my wife and I were, and some questions about the recipients—how they… Read more
Coastal Transmissions From an Oregon Transplant
