Ten Cents

In my mid-twenties I was the office manager at an insurance adjustment firm, which is a title that meant almost nothing. What I actually did was accounts receivable and accounts payable, and errands, and whatever anyone needed, and on some days taking care of the dog. Ten dollars an hour. The owner smoked cigars at … Continue reading Ten Cents

Out of Tune

Several years back, I had a tape recorder in the passenger seat. Not for anything important. Song ideas, mostly — I'd get a melody or a line while driving and reach over and hit record and sing it at the windshield. Later there was a little handheld one, and after that an MP3 recorder. Same habit, … Continue reading Out of Tune

Empty or Clear?

I've written something here every day since January 1st. The plan was operational. Capture the year while I was inside it — what I did, what worked, what the numbers said. A log. I'm a data guy; logging is a reflex. Somewhere around spring it stopped being a log. The entries got longer and quieter … Continue reading Empty or Clear?

The Margins On The Page

Years ago I sat down with someone I love who was burning out and couldn't hear it from anyone. I pulled out a sheet of notebook paper. The standard kind — blue lines, red margin rule down the left, another one across the top. Everybody who went through American school knows that page. I started … Continue reading The Margins On The Page