The actors are in place, the stage is set and the curtain on my play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast is about to open.  Whether it will be treated kindly by the public or die in its first performance is something I am unable to predict.  But whether I succeed or fail, I will have achiev

At the turn of the New Year, an acquaintance wrote a long piece on Facebook which expressed his disillusionment with the human race, accusing us of being liars and users in whom he had no trust.   Needless to say, I thought his judgment overly harsh and wondered that a man with so m

Not long after I moved into my retirement center, a resident who’d learned I write novels, suggested I contribute a few to the in-house library.   I declined, explaining that most of my sales were e-sales and that I made pennies per book.  I couldn’t afford to give paperbacks a

Recently, a woman on my Facebook page, a leader in my community, admitted  she had been abused by her father while she was growing up.  Stunned by the revelation, I marveled at the manner in which she’d lived her life, holding positions of great responsibility which betrayed nothi

At one point in my political life I seriously advocated that the County Commission, of which I was a member, reserve every 3rd or 4th year to consider eliminating some of the laws on our books.  My remark always earned a laugh, but I was in dead earnest.  Unfortunately, when someone

I don’t need to explore the universe to live in a state of wonder.  Observing the human race is enough for me.  A number of articles  appeared in the December 19th issue of The Week that should convince the likes of Hawking or Einstein that there is more mystery in human behavior

Years ago, when I was misdiagnosed with a form of incurable cancer, I resorted to meditation to battle the disease.  But, according to Barbara Ehrenreich, writing in Baffler, meditation was the  worst activity in which I could have engaged.  (“Terror Cells,” by Barbara Ehrenrei

A friend visited the other day and as she settled down with a cup of tea, she peered round the room, admiring my new apartment which is larger than my last.  I’m probably one of the few retired people who has upsized her space rather than downsized.  My friend must have wondered h

After reading an excerpt from Jenny Nordberg’s book, The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan, I wanted to throw up my hands in despair. (“Hiding girls in plain sight,” The Week, December 5, 2014 pgs. 40-41, excerpted from The Underground G

When I moved to my retirement center, I soon became aware that a pecking order existed between those who live on the lower floors of the building and those who live on the higher ones.  In fact, “What floor do you live on,” is the question most asked after an introduction.  High