Dereliction of Blog Duty

A couple of folks -- loyal readers of this blog, it seems -- have chided me gently about the infrequency of my postings of late. I plead guilty to the charge. In this season between winter and spring, my life just seems rather devoid of things to write about. I seem to be awash in the warm quotidian bath of which I spoke back on New Year's Day. Thanks for your loyalty, friends. Things are bound to change. They always do.

The Adventures of Jim and Jill

My friends Jim and Jill are a couple who have mastered the art of easy living; not everyone would drive from Reading, PA to New York just to get a doughnut, or to Somers Point, NJ just to get some seafood, or to Ocean City, MD just to get "a crab." Or to Boston just to hear a Celtic fusion band called Dropkick Murphys. On top of all that, Jim is the ace of kitchen quarterbacks. As he puts it, he does all the work of preparing the food until the guests arrive; then he pours a drink, sits down and barks out orders to everyone else in the room to get the food on the table. Truth to tell, Jill is actually the one who keeps things organized, but she has the vital spousal knack of letting the old man think he's the brains behind the operation.Yesterday it was corned beef, colcannon, cabbage, potatoes, a pasta dish and a full bottle of John Jameson's Irish whisky. Happy Saint Paddy's Day to all, and thanks to Jim and Jill for a dining adventure!

Brief Followup

The "Author for a Cause" event at GoggleWorks (see previous post) has been declared the best book-signing event EVER at that venue. We were all certainly pleased at the success of the event, and now we're working on ideas to make the next one even better. I'll post some pictures on here whenever I get around to developing them.

AUTHORS FOR A CAUSE

AUTHORS FOR A CAUSE

On Sunday, March 8, 2009, I’ll be joining fellow authors T.K. Marion, Mickey Getty, Sue Lange and Carol Haile at the GoggleWorks in Reading for an all-day book-signing event – proceeds to be donated to the GoggleWorks (that’s the “Cause”, you see). With Saint Patrick’s Day less than a week away, the theme will be vaguely Irish, with a certain amount of Irish-style shenanigans to accompany the literary stuff. If you’re within range of 201 Washington Street, Reading, any time between 11:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. on the 8th, stop by. If you buy a book, you’ll not only be supporting one of Reading’s cultural treasures, but also you’ll qualify for a raffle prize. For more information, see www.goggleworks.org .

MIDWINTER DREAMS

MIDWINTER DREAMS

If indeed a picture is worth a thousand words, this one speaks eloquently. I gazed at it for a long time the other day, after my still-running car automatically locked itself while I was chipping ice off the windshield. Pictured are the Curmudgeon’s Son, his long-suffering wife Eve, and good friends Dennis and Penny Murphy, on a sunny day in Sea Isle City, New Jersey.

My Retirement Dinner

Now that my retirement nest egg has gone completely rotten, thanks to those Wall Street Masters of the Universe and greedy CEOs, I've had to throttle back my plans for a lavish, festive retirement dinner. Here's a photo from our local paper's society section, taken at a downtown welfare soup kitchen. Now I've taken up residence in a stove crate under a nearby railroad bridge. Always dreamed of retiring to a place near the water.

A New Year's Greeting

THE CURMUDGEON’S SON SITS IN THE SUNSHINE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY AND GRIPES ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION (REPRISE)

At this time of resolutions and good intentions to reinvent our lives, it’s interesting to ponder why this impulse tends to strike only once a year. It’s like opening the windows on the first balmy, breezy day in the spring. The Solstice is past. The days begin to lengthen, however imperceptibly. The urge to shake off the shackles of the past peeks out like the sun from behind a dark cloud. Freedom! Why are we so afraid of it? Why do others get so anxious and disapproving when we talk about it – or, God forbid, actually practice it? In every social environment I’ve ever experienced, it’s been the same: whether they’ll admit it or not, people don’t want other people to start acting too free. I think it’s why New Year’s Day is a holiday for so many of us. It’s how society lets us get this “I’m free” nonsense out of our systems for a day, before we slip back into the warm quotidian bath of quiet desperation in which we’ll soak for the next 364 days – unless death or insanity grabs us first. That’s more than just a little bit gloomy, isn’t it? You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you find a kernel of truth in it. This New Year’s Day of 2009, my take on it is that freedom is for the very young, the very old and the very crazy. So have a crazy new year! I intend to. Unless I slip and fall back into that warm quotidian bath... Clem.