I was privileged to be one of a handful of media people on hand September 23 when Lt. Col. John Patterson walked by us, wordlessly, on his way out to the last 183d Fighter Wing F-16 at the far end of the ramp. It was parked about as far away from us as you could [...]
Archive for September, 2008
Last F-16 Departure — Looking Back
Posted in writing on September 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Starched and Dazed: McCain and George Today
Posted in writing on September 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If someone had held a candle flame one inch from John McCain’s mouth during his appearance on This Week With George Stephanopoulos, I don’t believe his exhaled breath would have reached it. And it probably would have left a nasty burn on the bottom of his nose, but that’s another matter entirely. You get my [...]
Encore Obit for Vivian Eveloff
Posted in arts, writing on September 28, 2008 | 2 Comments »
If you knew Vivian Eveloff and of her death last July, the publication of her excellent obituary on page 14 of the Sunday State Journal-Register was likely as much a surprise to you as it was to me.
It’s am impressive obituary; it seems to me longer than the one published last summer, easily a full-length [...]
Microwaved!
Posted in writing on September 26, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Last February I told the world of my dismay the day my Sharp microwave oven quit. At the time, it felt as though I had lost an appendage, and in a way I had. It cooked many a baked potato, chicken breast and countless cups of caffeine. It was “Mr. Reliable,” to coin a phrase, [...]
A Fraud; Not an Icon
Posted in writing on September 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A Republican president, a good man with the integrity and moral fibre of Jimmy Carter, Illinois Senators Paul Simon and Richard Durbin reminded the American people when he ascended into the White House following Nixon shameful exit that he was “a Ford; not a Lincoln.” The phrase came back to me after watching the US [...]
A Poem You’ve Not Read Before 40 Seconds From Now?
Posted in arts, writing on September 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A Mystery
— by Job Conger
A mystery to me?
is the force?
which induces some people?
to speak in questions?
even when?
they’re not asking anything?
They end – nearly -
every phrase?
with a sing-song curly-cue
change of pitch?
which grates on some ears?
more?
than the proverbial
BAD ho DISsin CHU Pock dude YO?
(ne nu na-nu na-nu na-nu?)
Yet, there is only one part of modern society?
maligned [...]
Returning to My Groove Which is Not a Rut
Posted in writing on September 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It was a nutty week. I no longer harbor cozy vanities that my opinion about anything matters unless it matters to someone who asks me for it. I’ve found it hard to think about writing about the world in any tone that would not violate (or as #43 would say, vilate) my vow of no [...]
Does It Make You Want to Cry?
Posted in writing on September 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Heard on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered less than 50 seconds ago . . . “Coming up on the one-week anniversary of Hurricane Ike’s arrival in Texas . . . . .”
A college-educated news reader said that. He wasn’t trying to lie, deceive the votors or sell you a car. He just SAID it.
WHY [...]
What a Difference Four Days Make
Posted in writing on September 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If you’ve not read the post that came before this one, please read it and come back to this, Juan. I feel like I am home from a traffic accident. The brakes screeched and my body tensed as though posing to be a human form engulfed by Pompeii’s lava to be anonymous but having BEEN via the [...]
Broncho Broken
Posted in writing on September 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I recited a Vachel Lindsay poem The Broncho That Would Not Be Broken (of Dancing) to State Journal-Register columnist extraordinaire Dave Bakke when he visited me for special attention in the best daily newspaper in the tri-state area. Following the end of the poem, he looked me in the eye and said: “You’re the broncho.” [...]
