PinnedMember-only“CODA” Star Troy Kotsur Finally Gets His Big Break and Wins an OscarUPDATE: At last 50-something Deaf actor/director lands a lead role in mainstream Hollywood film and earns high praise including a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award — I have been following Troy Kotsur's acting career for close to 20 years — since I first interviewed him for a newspaper article when he was directing high schoolers at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont in a play titled “The Three Musketeers, All Swash, No Buckle.”Coda7 min read
May 30Member-onlyPeople Must Be Allowed to Make Choices that They Live or Die WithUS Supreme Court and the Conservatives are about to Father so Many Avoidable Tragedies A long, long time ago when I was first out of college and trying to make some money as a freelance writer, I got wind of a potential feature story via a Sears furniture salesman named Mark. Mark was an older dude who seemed to be longing to get out…Pro Life6 min read
Sep 15, 2021Member-onlyHow I Almost Had a Heart Attack When I Got Back from the Doctor’s OfficeI spent the last week doing all this “stuff” to prepare for an elective medical procedure. I even called my insurance company (that I get through work) to confirm I had coverage on Thursday. I had the procedure on Monday. All went well. However, when I arrived home, still groggy…Healthcare2 min read
Jul 1, 2021Member-onlyThe Bad Idea that I Never Gave Up OnAnd how this writer deals with near-constant rejection The life of a writer is near-constant rejection. Jack London’s Martin Eden — a novel about “writers’ frustration with publishers” — was great for me to read when I was a young writer. (Actually, I still feel like I’m a young writer even though my resume says “senior writer.”) The…Humor5 min read
Jun 14, 2021Member-onlyWelcome Back to the Office Cocktail Party — And Be Very CarefulSome worry about the virus or drinking too much, I worry about talking too much As the pandemic restrictions end in the US and many businesses invite/request/demand employees back into office buildings and workplaces, there’s a lot of issues to consider — including how one appropriately and safely greets their coworkers now. Personally, I worried about meeting my new coworkers in person for the first…Office Culture3 min read
May 29, 2021Member-onlyMy Speech at My Daughter’s Wedding Reception — May 29, 2017When my daughter and son-in-law got married, I had the honor of making a speech and toasting them. Now, on their fourth wedding anniversary, I thought I’d share my words here as a reminder of what a fantastic day it was and what a fantastic couple they are. Hello, I’m…Marriage5 min read
May 24, 2021Member-onlyCan I Select a New Doctor Without Being a Racist, Sexist, Ageist Jerk?Obviously, no. Recently, I started working a new job and because America is stupid, I had to give up my long-term association with a health care institution and find a new doctor in a new medical organization to get covered by my new company’s health insurance. Little did I know that the…Humor5 min read
Published in MuddyUm·May 3, 2021Member-onlyThe Infantizer!Time for the cops to replace their tasers with baby-makers — There have been too many occasions when police officers have confused their guns with their tasers or when tasers have been ineffective. It’s time for a new non-lethal weapon to be deployed in a crisis situation. It’s time for the Infantizer! Conceived, designed, and built in the beautiful mind of…Humor3 min read
Apr 25, 2021Member-onlyGun Violence Pays Another Visit to My NeighborhoodLess than 48 hours ago an innocent young man was killed by a-hole with a ghost gun and on the street there’s barely any recognition of the life lost and the four injured Thursday night at 10:30 pm a couple of blocks from where I live in downtown San Diego, an idiot with a ghost gun randomly shot and killed 28-year-old Justice Boldin, who was working as a parking valet in front of a luxury hotel. …Gun Violence4 min read
Apr 18, 2021Member-onlyA Winning Pandemic Mandate: Women Don’t Man-DateGOP men are least likely to get the Covid virus vaccination, but women can help with a bit of abstinence — Serious medical virology experts say the pandemic won’t end until we achieve herd immunity — and we’re far from it right now. And it’s looking like we may never get there if things don’t change with a very specific group of Americans. “In a recent NPR/PBS/Marist survey, fully 49% of…Vaccines2 min read