October 2011
1 post
1 tag
Stuck In Traffic
This is the longest commute of my life.
Seriously, how long is this going to take? My shirt is stuck to my back, and I need to air out my crotch. That sun is beautiful. Man, it’s too warm to be sitting in a car! How is it 2011 and there aren’t any flying cars yet? Ooo, I love this song! I wonder why she never called me back?
That guy walking on the sidewalk needs to put on a...
May 2011
2 posts
1 tag
The Crazy Homeless Guy
I sat down on a park bench and started scribbling in my notebook. My nose detected the unmistakable stench of sadness, and I looked up to see exactly what I expected: an old, homeless-looking guy. He was clad in tennis shoes that must have been 15 years old, purple-checkered flannel pajama pants, and a dirty white t-shirt covered by an army jacket.
The jacket had a couple of chevrons on the...
1 tag
Bossing Yourself Around
Stare at the window where the sun is shining in. Try to ignore the bars that are somewhat blocking your view. Imagine that you are strolling along, in the sun. Daydream to when you could sit on a toilet in complete privacy, not worrying about whether or not someone was going to be “motivated” by the sight. Remember a time when you were free.
Picture the girls in your life that you...
April 2011
2 posts
1 tag
The Same Thing Happens Every Day
The bell rings as the door swings open. The wood floor rubs against the bottom of the door, and it briefly hesitates before slamming shut. She exhales heavily, as if she is sighing upon realization that she is here again. Maybe she swore to herself that she would kick caffeine and never turn back. She could have tried to quit cold turkey but was just too weak-willed. I’m glad she wasn’t, because...
1 tag
Destiny
Is it just me, or has “Back To The Future” ruined this word for everybody? Thanks a lot, McFly.
I certainly believe in destiny, or at least a form of it. When I look back on my life, I can see how all my decisions led to where I am now. I think that’s destiny. You might think that’s free will. But things happen to us for a reason, and they push us towards a certain end goal that has already been...
March 2011
9 posts
1 tag
A Snapshot of a Brewer Game.
Packing up the car. Grabbing the grill. Shoving the big foam finger into the back seat. Rolling down the windows. Sitting in traffic. Sweating in the sunshine. Popping the trunk. Grabbing the lawn chairs. Lighting the charcoal. Throwing the football around. Cheering with drunk people. Opening another beer. Cooking some bratwurst. Laughing with friends. Walking through the parking lot. Dodging the...
1 tag
Write a Fairy Tale From A Different Characters'...
I’m wondering how I became the “bad guy” here.
This girl pops in out of nowhere - and has all the powers of a witch. I mean, she dropped a house on my sister. Normal girls can’t do that, and I’ve never seen a Munchkin do it, so what other option is there? After she does that, I show up and she had stolen her shoes! If you ask me, that’s pretty sick!
So while everyone else is standing around,...
2 tags
The Entrepreneur
(Today’s idea was to write in a form I’m not comfortable with. I chose poetry.)
Writing words I never would.
Running numbers hour after hour.
Panicking when my inbox is silent.
Creating new ideas every day.
Jotting down notes I will never read again.
My brain moves too fast for my life some days.
A phone call to Houston.
An email to England.
A tweet to California.
Payments trickle...
1 tag
500 Words About Snot.
Writing prompt: “Write one full page - at a minimum - about snot.”
Snot falls into a general category that I steer clear of, which is gross humor. Your farting, your snot, your belching - all of this stuff is involved in simple human functions that we’ve turned into humor for some reason. But I have to write about this, and the point is to steer clear of subtleties. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
...
1 tag
A Page Full of Junk.
Gobbled gook, gobbledy gook, gobbledy gobbledy gook!
What’s in a name other than a bunch of letters that don’t make sense?
How do I write about a webcam?
Can my mind drift off further if I attach it to a dragonfly?
Butterflies creep me out.
The trees in the forest whisper quietly to the man wearing the yellow skirt.
Dust remover can be called many things, but it is just a can of air.
If I...
1 tag
A Memory I Don't Remember
The first time words profoundly affected me was a moment that I don’t even remember, but a memory that I enjoy hearing retold by my mother.
I was a young child - maybe three or four years old. My mom raised me with books: she read to me often as my brain developed, and I learned to love the written word. And, apparently, I paid close attention. While some children hear books being read to them...
1 tag
"I Don't Remember."
I don’t remember why I chose to start writing. Or at least when. I don’t remember why I wanted to be with certain girls in the first place, when my wife was always around. I don’t remember who it was that inspired me the most throughout my life, or who I wound up modeling myself after. Maybe it was a combination of people. I don’t remember what the name of many obscure television shows are, yet I...
1 tag
"I Remember".
I remember when my world was so small, yet so big. I came from a class of 5-6 kids in grade school, and the graduating class wound up being only three. When I was young, that was the extent of my pool to choose friends from. As a result, I had no real friends outside of family members.
I remember the only routes I would take for weeks on end would be within a 5-mile radius of my house. We lived...
1 tag
A 750-Word Freewrite on the Word "Lie".
Lie to yourself - what’s the point? You already know the answer.
I think it’s sad when our brains are so deluded that we think we can lie to ourselves. Yet, somewhere, deep down, below the surface, lies the truth.
Lies are a part of being human. They keep us all together, we all lie to ourselves. Why? What’s the point? Why do we lie? Do we lie because we think life will turn out better for us?...
February 2011
7 posts
The State Championship
A time out had been called.
Peter slowly peeled the helmet off his head as sweat dripped down the back of his neck. He looked toward the sky, breathing heavily, his brain racing as if he were behind the wheel in a NASCAR race heading into the final lap. The beam of the lights nearly blinded him.
He snapped his head down and held his eyes closed, hoping he would get his sight back. Obviously he...
“No matter what the level of your ability, you have more potential than you can...”
– James T. McCay. On my whiteboard for this week. So get goin’!
1 tag
A Single Little Drop
It starts with a single little drop. That drop is the messenger. It cuts through the moist, dew-y air and plummets miles and miles down in mere seconds. As it crashes down onto the sidewalk, it explodes into several drops. As it lays there, broken and busted, the message is clear:
“My friends are coming. A lot of them.”
As you stand underneath the awning outside the bakery, your nostrils fill...
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you...”
– Dale Carnegie. Currently written crookedly on my whiteboard for the week.
1 tag
The Pain of Failure
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I had big dreams of six figures and checks rolling in. I was to be the next great copywriter. I was going to have big name clients and thousands pouring into my bank account every month. I couldn’t understand why this had happened this way.
I stood in line, with the stale, corporate air filling my nostrils. I never understood why all banks smelled exactly the...
January 2011
4 posts
1 tag
Tony's Dream
The smell of well-worn and overused leather wafted into his nostrils. His shoes had seen generations of feet. Moisture seeped into his armpits as he stuck out his hand and the gentle breeze caressed his fingers. A cool shiver struck him as the sweat of his hands evaporated in the wind.
The sounds of destruction were everywhere - he gazed down the line and saw others doing what he wanted to do...
“Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. Most of all,...”
– J. Gitomer
October 2010
1 post
1 tag
"She checked out last night."
“You could get lost in her eyes.” I never quite understood that phrase. It didn’t mean anything to me - “lost”? I know where I am, don’t I? If she’s there, and I’m there, that’s not “lost”! But Cynthia had some sort of power over me that night. When she sipped her fruity little drink and rambled on with her musings on why TV shows...