From the funny files
Workout not even halfway done: Report OTTAWA - That goddamn clock on the wall that you're convinced is slow anyway just now reported that no, you're not even halfway through your workout. Not even close, not by a long shot. Despite your best efforts to forget about the hour you were about to spend flopping around on the ...
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Una vista sobre Pachacamac
Last October we went to Peru and visited the ruins of Pachacamac, about 40 km southeast of Lima in the Lurin River valley. The site was settled around AD 200 and was named after the "Earth Maker" creator god Pacha Kamaq by inhabitants who predate the Inca. The site flourished for about 1,300 years until the Spanish showed up ...
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You ain’t no friend of mine
Our latest writing exercise was to write 400-ish words based on a standard fortune cookie fortune. Mine was "Beware of an offer that seems to good to be true." He sighed. "Well, this isn't helpful." "What?" she asked, sipping distractedly at the dregs of her Diet Coke. He held up the thin strip of paper between his ...
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Fight song
This month's writing exercise was to produce 400 words based on a song that asked a question. I received Patti Page's number-one novelty song, How Much is that Doggie in the Window? "I hate this fucking song," he said. "I know," she said. "I do, too." "Then why did you put it on again?" He knew why. It wasn't ...
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A Titanic challenge
My writing group meets monthly to hone our craft. This month's exercise was to write a short piece based on a picture of a Titanic survivor (at right), combined with a prompt (below) It was easy for us to hide in third class. Steerage, you called it. That large, slow-moving filth. You were in first class, so you ...
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Three pictures from Old Havana
Old Havana is heaven for
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Looking at Cartagena
This whole sabbatical thing means I have more time to futz with year-old photos. Here are some from ...
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