If you don’t know, that’s the difference between a fairytale and a war story. Which is where most of my encounters took place, in the military. I was assigned to personal security details, so there were a lot of senators, Ministers of Extremely Useless Stuff and Military Brass from around the world. What fun? Dealing with high power schmucks leads to meeting reporters and escorting them around through bad places and saying don’t do that, a lot.

There was a mission where we gave a final ride to ten of the HVTs in Iraq. It wasn’t very thrilling but it drove home what the cost of war could be. That was the last time those men saw anything besides the inside of a prison. Just a block of cells, a mosque and a green house.

Then, there is Philly. Just hanging out in a bar, there is a high chance that you will run into a professional athlete. I played shuffleboard and drank all night with a linebacker and didn’t know he was famous. Ump (Umpire for MLB) worked at Chickies on the boulevard. In 2018 the Eagles won the Super Bowl, and it was all hands on deck for the parade. Try not to arrest a “somebody” during the Mummers Parade. At the Airport, I remember meeting Meg Ryan (pretty) and Hulk Hogan (big) a few more were, “wow that was cool. Who were they?”

My vote for the coolest, Jakub Voracek. During the Mostly Peaceful Protests (RIOTS!) in Philly, this guy walks up to a group of us. In a thick Cech accent starts thanking us and shaking hands. Nice kid, I thought he would be cool to have a few drinks with, just hang out. He took some pictures and waved. Voracek for the win!

Daily writing prompt

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

View all responses

The most expensive thing I’ve ever paid for is experience. There are some fairly large price tags on travel. Even adventure travelling can cost a lot because of unexpected events. Learning life lessons tend to add up. Learning my dating rules cost me three houses and some encounters with angry people that don’t need to be rehashed today.

Purchases only cost money. Experience can cost a lot more and have surprising repercussions. It’s too bad that we can preview what we learn from our decisions before we make them. Since we can’t, I’ll continue to leap in with both feet and wallow in the experience and damn the costs.

I would be happy to send a few people on a one-way trip. Maybe we could get a discount if we sent large groups, like congress and other useless parasites. There is a pretty good chance that they would even vote in a land give away, a 5-acre homestead land grant. 3 years to prove the ground and an option for 5 more acres after that.

Look at the selling points:

A pristine environment and zero chance of contamination.

No drilling, fracking or nuclear power plants!

No internal combustion engines!

No need to commute! There are no jobs to commute to.

No noise or need to worry about neighbors crowding you.

No need for a green new deal. Everyone would be dependent on solar power from the start!

I’m not interested in going, but I’ll pitch in for a few seats.

Daily writing prompt

How much would you pay to go to the moon?

View all responses

I never really learned to stop. You just work until the job is done and find the next thing. Doing nothing? I don’t know, there is always something. So yeah, unproductive is a good word for it. It’s all about the words, isn’t it? A “lazy day” is ignoring work. Even when I take the time to play golf or ride a bike, I’m doing something.

There’s a difference between sleeping in and being lazy.

Daily writing prompt

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

View all responses

I have liked my neighbors for the most part. I would have to say it is probably because we didn’t intrude on each other much. Don’t mistake me, there have been many whom I consider friends and were always welcome in my home. But there was distance, we were no more involved than we wanted to be.

A good neighbor is there when you need them or when they need you. They don’t intrude. That includes intruding with their music, arguments (or excessively loud motorcycles). Yep. Good neighbors are hard to find and wonderful when we find them.

Daily writing prompt

What makes a good neighbor?

View all responses

Every time I’ve tried to resist it, something in me just breaks down. Like it’s predestined or some law of nature that I can’t resist. If I manage to build something good, as close to perfect as I can come, it still seems to wear out.

Does anyone else have trouble with entropy?

Daily writing prompt

What principles define how you live?

View all responses

Unknown is a category rather than a name. When I travel, I look for the unknown local artist, even if it is just down the street to the local fair. The local eye or style always attract me. The ability to distill the feeling of a place and transfer it to a canvas is what has made past unknowns into grand masters. It just takes time for us to catch on to the brilliance.

I enjoy walking through the grand art museums around the world, Philadelphia fine arts museum has the largest collection of Rodan outside of the Louvre. The Mutter Museum is a lot of fun if you like the darker side. The Louvre takes days to appreciate. Just getting a chance to see the Mona Lisa is worth the trip, but don’t run in and out and miss full the experience.

Go to D.C., New York, Philly, Paris, Frankfurt and maybe you can see it, that all of the past masters were just local artists at some point. Most of them were unknown and died broke or broken from feeling like failures. There are stories attached to most of them talk about rejection and criticism for their style. They looked at the world and through new eyes.

I like the unknown artist. I look for them. Who knows? Maybe my kids will inherit a future grand master.

Daily writing prompt

Who are your favorite artists?

View all responses

When I was young and knew all the answers, I had no problem judging others. I was so smart’ I could make a snap judgement about others without any real information. Give me a nonverbal clue or even a verbal clue, like having a different opinion and I could take it from there. Fortunately, as I grew up, I actually learned to listen to others.

Still, after decades of learning, I cannot understand how someone would voluntarily ride a Jap-bike when they could own a Harley. Sport bikes? Okay. I’ll let that slide, because they make good race bikes. But to go out and spend money on a cruiser and then spend more to make it look like a Harley. Just breakdown and take the plunge!

Just look at this beast! It’s got an engine the size of a small car, six speed transmission and a thumping stereo. It’s not even my favorite. Little Red, ’98 Softtail, straight shot Cobras, old school and low tech. Not really mine anymore. My girlfriend claimed it.

I spent a long time traveling for the military, living in other states and overseas. When I went home, I realized that home wasn’t there anymore. The people I knew from school had aged but didn’t seem to have grown up. I suppose, that’s not a fair statement. They continued to live their lives, getting married, having children, careers. They tried to put me back into the box I fit during high school, small, poor, awkward.

My best friend Brian told me that, “I was the nicest person he knew” back then. He was still taller than me, but at least he had a Dad bod. That made me feel a little better in a petty way. Of course, I had already lost most of my hair, so we were probably even.

I didn’t slip back into the easy conversations, catching up just highlighted the ways that we had grown apart. The old neighborhoods didn’t look the same. It felt like I had lost so much and gained so little.

My life is rich in memories and experiences, but I still miss the comfort of home.

Daily writing prompt

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.

View all responses

Take several deep breaths and scream!

Run around in circles uselessly. Be sure to interfere with First Responders and Emergency Workers trying to deal with the situation. Bonus points if you can be enough of a problem to get arrested.

Find a news crew and complain how no one from the government has shown up to help. Major networks are best, local networks are good if you can make a hysterical plea and cry. If a news crew isn’t available, post a few dramatic videos on-line. Weep in front of a destroyed home, even if it isn’t yours.

Start a Go Fund Me page, mention sending relief to the hundreds of victims, keep the money for yourself. The goal should be around twenty thousand dollars, enough for a good trip to the islands for you and a couple friends.

Planning is everything. A good cause can fuel a lifetime of self-aggrandizement and launch your career as a victim advocate. You could be the next David Hogg. With enough planning, you may never have to work again.

Daily writing prompt

Create an emergency preparedness plan.

View all responses