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The Green Flash

I’ve been blessed with more notice, to prepare for my own mortality than most people get. And so, I’ve worried that some of my loved ones have postponed or passed on experiences that might cause them to be absent when I die. That’s fucked. There’s no unfinished business. I know how they love me. And my friends and family know I love them.

I hate the long tearful goodbye thing. And I hate when people wreck parties by thinking that their goodbyes are important enough to stop the dancing. I perfected my Irish exit departures long before I knew they were a thing. Continue reading

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The Green Flash

Initially, we thought the roar we heard was just errant air traffic but then someone ran through our offices telling us that the World Trade Center was on fire. Everyone in the office ran to our southern windows to see. We were standing there seventeen minutes later, when we saw a fire ball erupt from the South Tower. We thought it was an explosion. We could not see that it was another airplane blasting its way through the South tower. Continue reading

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Chapter 8

The pity party was back on. I was in the graveyard of times gone by, of long-ago memories, and questions never asked, in the home of a newly departed mother whose scent still filled the house. Now I had a friend to grieve. And, I was alone. My wife was thousands of miles away. My sister locked down in Covid protocols. There was no one to give me the hug that I needed at that moment, which would have solved everything and nothing at all. I could have filled my thoughts with positives affirmations about how good I had it compared to so many other, but I didn’t have the energy. So, I hugged myself and wept. Continue reading

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Chapter 8

His life was the fairytale I wanted. Or at least thought I wanted. But it was all an illusion. A piece of fiction. His marriage was a sham. Two people pretending that they loved each other until they could no longer put on a show for the rest of us. Façade gone, it revealed two combatants, locked in mortal combat, each one desperate to prove who was right and frantic to claim every spoil of war they could find. Their battlefield had cratered my friend’s life. It had taken his livelihood, his children, his health and thrust him into the arms of a siren whose song had shipwrecked him and left him to drown Continue reading

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Chapter 8

At the gym I make it a practice not to respond to texts, emails, or phone calls. My phone’s only function is to listen to music or perhaps an audiobook. I do not understand why so many people at the gym practiced downward facing Apple (stretching while staring down at their screen) or spend an inordinate amount of time between reps on their screen texting or answering emails. Isn’t this a place where you go to get away from the grind.  Besides, it is rude monopolizing floor space and machine time. You don’t own the equipment and there are better places to take selfie Continue reading

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The Green Flash

PiWhole Donuts is a very California bakery on Manhattan Blvd, in Manhattan Beach California. Started by a CalTech mathematician and her husband, it makes donuts that you will not find anywhere else. Which makes it exceedingly difficult for people such as me who have never been there before to decide about what to order. Their maple bacon bar looks amazing as does their “Thank You Very Much,” its tribute to Elvis, which combines bananas, bacon and peanut butter.  Others such as their Black Hole (licorice filled) and Sacre Blue a blue cheese filled confection far less so. Continue reading

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The Green Flash

I never take my cell phone to bed. Our electronic companions are the worst type of rabbit hole to fall into before going to sleep. A Facebook post that is so stupid, inane, or hateful you feel the need to respond. An email from a colleague that shits in your cornflakes. None of them help you fall asleep, and sleeping is not something at which I excel. I am the guy who gets up at two in the morning and instead of rolling over and falling back to sleep I try to solve the world’s and my own problems. I Continue reading

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The Green Flash

Like almost all who had lived through that 9-11, and witnessed its horrors firsthand, we understood the importance of now. We discovered, over the course of one hour, that tomorrow is a wish that you may not be granted. Only today counted. Continue reading

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The Green Flash

The protagonist stumbles upon a formidable statue in the jungle, and ponders the unpredictable consequences of war. Relaxing at a modest hotel, they reflect on their divorce and advise a friend to handle the situation with wisdom, not vengeance. As the sun sets, they consider their mother’s counsel and the fleeting nature of life. The complex emotions and challenges they face are woven into a narrative that reveals the depths of human relationships and the nuances of personal growth. Continue reading

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The Green Flash

The post details a series of events involving the narrator’s friend, Conor, and his tumultuous marriage. After undergoing a hair procedure, Conor’s wife, Del, abruptly ends their marriage, leading to a messy confrontation and legal issues. The narrator seeks advice from his mother and reflects on the difference between being nice and being kind, ultimately resolving to support Conor despite the complex situation. The story highlights family relationships and moral dilemmas in challenging circumstances. Continue reading

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