Month: March 2024

Then and now… Holy cow!

Apparently your characters aren’t the only things who change over time…

Eight years ago this Monday, I signed my first book contract (above left). It was for a collection of my syndicated humor columns called “Humor at the Speed of Life.” I was still a journalist at the time and had finished a 16-year run of my column in 50 newspapers.

Just LOOK at that guy! The youthful joy and hope in the face of a budding author! His eyes are bright! Full of anticipation for the future! I have ARRIVED! he’s thinking. The world is my oyster! Sure, I actually hate oysters because they initiate my gag reflex so bad I can launch one onto the wall from 6 feet away with surprising accuracy. But still… it’s my oyster to gag on!

Ahhhh, it seems like a lifetime ago. Especially when you include the COVID vortex that bent time and aged us all 20 years like when you leave half an avocado out over night.

Continue reading Then and now… Holy cow!

I know we’ve changed, but I’m not ready to break up with my blog

Admittedly, I feel like that guy who has every intention of being a good boyfriend but still ends up being a shmuck. Not because he’s cheating or manipulative or always eats the last strip of bacon without even offering to split it. But I have definitely allowed everything else in my writing life to take precedence over this blog, which was the cornerstone to so many of the good things that transpired IN my writing life since we first met back in 2004.

But like a lot of long-term relationships, we’ve grown and changed over the years — some of it resulting from the daily, monthly and yearly challenges of life, some from a shift in friend circles and constantly evolving social and cultural pressures, and some because (sigh…) I found myself attracted to younger, flashier platforms.

See? Schmuck.

Truth be told, my needs have changed. And while I will always find comfort in this blogging relationship, I recognize that neither of us are the same as when we first met. Not that it’s a bad thing. In fact, if I was still the same person I was 20 years ago, I’d be worried. Or at the very least a case study at mental health conventions. A lot has happened since those first blog posts. I was two years away from divorce and hiding my unhappiness beneath layers of humor — something that was both my fallback position and coping mechanism. Certainly better than drinking, lashing out, withdrawing or binge-watching Wrestle Mania reruns. Or all of the above for that matter.

Continue reading I know we’ve changed, but I’m not ready to break up with my blog