Originally posted on Writing Without A Cause:
Tracy Kidder writes in Home Town ‘how small a piece of time the living occupy’. In this instance he is referring to a place where a mental hospital once stood, now a mound of dirt covered in snow where children go sledding. This transformation is just one example…
The Shoes I sat in on an interesting case at the justice center recently. The judge was getting ready to sentence the defendant, armed robbery, when the lowlife said, “don’t judge me, Your Honor, until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes.” Well the justice center is located a few blocks from a university that…
When I was 9 Dad bought me my first Sports Illustrated. May 3rd, 1976. Mike Schmidt was on the cover. We were inside 7-11 waiting for Mom. He was perusing the rack. I was right there beside him, penniless, my mouth watering at the prospect of owning that magazine. I had just started playing baseball.…
Whether you call it necking or making out, let Inspiration Point be your destination tonight. Inspiration Point has been the number one supplier of romantic green space for frisky couples of greater Milwaukee since 1954. A quiet retreat just minutes from Arnold’s, Inspiration Point is the perfect place for couples just starting out, or couples…
She sat on the cooler and drank cold beers in front of him. She had him sitting against a tree, his hands tied behind his back. A pit bull snarled within mauling distance. A gun, 9 mm, sat at her feet. This is what she hit him with, knocking him out so she can bring…
Two men in paper hats clink mugs together before downing their milkshakes. “Today was some day, huh?” “You got that right.” “Still like working here, Nick?” “What’s not to like. I’m surrounded by food and nice people. You?” “I don’t know, Nick. I’ve been here 17 years. Do you realize I have never taken a…
“Don’t you ever check out any books beside books on baseball?” “Try saying that three times fast while holding your tongue.” “Excuse me?” “You said something sarcastic to me, so I thought I’d return the favor.” “But you’re like 8 years old.” “And you’re like 88 years old. Let me check out the kinds of…
I loved purple crayons when I was a kid. Loved every shade of them. Loved the way they smelled, even though all crayons smell the same. My brother and I colored pictures in the living room. He made sure to use all of the crayons evenly so one wouldn’t wear out more than the others.…
Seamus was 31 years old when he stole his first Big Boy statue. Drove it 180 miles south and dumped it in a river. It was big and heavy but no match for his pickup. He chained it down nice and good and took off around 3 in the morning. If anyone had seen him,…
Before gentrification, two rival gangs divided South Newburg. They were the Shirts and the Skins. The Shirts shopped at Banana Republic. The Skins did not. The Shirts consumed large quantities of Orange Julius. The Skins did not. And the Shirts used rocket-propelled grenades while the Skins threw rocks. The Skins were losing until Rambo showed…
Whenever I eat School Days sifted early variety peas, my mind wanders back to when I played football at Bard Military Academy. I’m doing pushups in the rain, coach standing above me grinding his boot into my back, my face plunging headfirst into a puddle. I cannot feel my toes. Fans trickling in with umbrellas.…
Writing and rewriting a paragraph, then reading it back until you feel like you are seeing the plush green grass at Municipal Stadium for the first time is the feeling I want to experience every day for the rest of my life. Of course nothing feels like seeing green grass on a baseball field for…
Although his ended tragically, Ernest Hemingway led an interesting life. Writer, outdoorsman, celebrity. He was also a salesman because he knew how to be persuasive in 6 words or less — “For sale: baby shoes never worn.” He was unconventional (he typed standing up), but he was quite good at satisfying customers with his brevity…
EFG Window Washing, LLC. Cleveland, Ohio. A clear summer day overlooking Lake Erie. Do you like books? One of the things I like about books is their ability to tell stories that make people want to read them over and over again. I studied history in college because history majors are required to read a…
I remember a fortune teller on Pulaski Street named Philomena who pulled in some pretty good business. Her clients were from the neighborhood: teachers, construction workers, stay-at-home moms, never-at-home dads — even Mayor Farley went there during the riots. Philomena was an interesting fortune teller and genuinely nicer than the ones you see on TV.…
“So you see officer, the customer told me he was looking for a fast running shoe. I said, ‘that’s strange, a fast running shoe just came in this morning. I laced it up and put it over there with the rest of the shoes on the wall. Then I left the other one in the…
The street vendor on Literary Road sold three things: hot dogs, Lay’s potato chips and Pepsi-Cola. Four if you counted lively conversation, five if you had the privilege of listening to his radio when Indians games were on. The last two were free as long as you bought one of the first three. In May…
