Diary for 1 June 2021: Constructive criticism is seldom tolerated at the grassroots
If there is any one surefire takeaway that springs to mind from my lengthy period of civic engagement — the grassroots era, those "localism"...
The wild, wild Right Bank of the Ohio
Not so long ago, one of the downtown bars within extended staggering distance of our place of residence posted a social media notice in...
The Weekly Wad lives on in the minds of malcontents everywhere
(updated for the 50th anniversary in 2025)
In the past I've expended quite a few words to explain why I try to keep high school...
On Memorial Day, I’d prefer DRINKING beer
A few year ago at a bar I frequented, one of the younger 30-something employees was pushing hard for a Memorial Day promotion to...
Make your own fun, but I will not carry a gun
I will not carry a gun, Frank. When I got thrown into this war I had a clear understanding with the Pentagon: no guns....
Battered, bruised, and crawling back onto the non-band wagon
"The Dutch blueprint for urban vitality isn’t about bicycles. It’s about refusing to sacrifice vast amounts of the public realm to the private car;...
Them ominous vultures
Last week we went for a walk to the pharmacy on a day with clear skies and warmth in the air, too early for...
ON THE AVENUES: A design for life
Originally written in 2016, lightly edited here.
Throughout my decidedly mediocre high school basketball career, members of the coaching staff often administered what they surely...
Out and about, in America, in Europe — and in my cups
This one was written in 2009 and revised in 2014. It hasn't appeared anywhere since, which makes it ripe for a rerun. The biggest...
The house painting job
My dentist practices in a rural community a good forty-minute drive from where I live near Louisville. The route passes through the town where...
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A 2015 column encore: “There’s an indie twist to this curmudgeon’s annual Harvest Homecoming...
When Harvest Homecoming rolled around in 2015, I was:
Running for mayor as an independent, and learning all about the credits and debits of...
Diary: Sweet agony of fuddy-duddy, but our spaceship was wonderful
Diana often reminds me that my cultural references tend toward the time of World War II, as opposed to Trump's debacle with Iran.
Once in...
40 Years in Beer: It’s time for another breather. See you in a bit
For me, the biggest impediment to writing is putting the first word into the machine, knowing how much it's going to hurt before I'm...
