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  • THE FINALE: Tap-tap-tapping on heaven’s floor (I finish what I start, I really do)

    THE FINALE: Tap-tap-tapping on heaven’s floor (I finish what I start, I really do)

    My second year of being in tap lessons. There we were. The “Tap” promotional campaign that involved–oddly enough–tap, and I had made it to the Saturday finals. My rivals were many; their talents were intimidating. I had only been slapping my shoes against hardwood for three years; they had been doing this since they were…

  • Was today typical?

    Was today typical?

    Sure. Now, please define “typical” for me. I’m not ever going to share intense details of my personal life, I’m not going to talk about my struggles, I’m not going to brag about my small victories, and I’m not going to give details about what I ate, thought, or did. This is a stoopid writing…

  • What Makes A Teacher Great?

    What Makes A Teacher Great?

    Thanks for this daily writing prompt, WordPress, because I can speak from first-hand knowledge. Not only was I an ESL teacher for many years, I was also a teacher trainer, meaning that I instructed fluent-level international students on how to be effective, creative English teachers in their home countries. I loathed teaching. Despised it. Never…

  • Lady, You Might Have A Drinking Problem.

    Lady, You Might Have A Drinking Problem.

    Wine flies when you’re having fun. In dog wine, I’ve only had two glasses. Keep calm and pour on. Booze is the answer, but I can’t remember the question. Not cute. You might want to start analyzing yourself and what it is that you’re doing to your body, mind, and life, because it’s not cute. …

  • I Got Dem Ol’ Half-Marathon Blues, Mama!

    I Got Dem Ol’ Half-Marathon Blues, Mama!

    [Header pic: very old, but the only appropriate one I could find] …and by that, I mean I couldn’t complete the half-marathon I wanted to tackle on May 5.  Not even “couldn’t complete” it; I didn’t even do it.  A goal that I had set for myself one year prior was decimated thanks to a…

  • ESL, Yet Again And Forever: May Gawd Have Mercy On My Soul

    ESL, Yet Again And Forever: May Gawd Have Mercy On My Soul

    Header pic: Me on my last day of teaching with some students in Busan, South Korea, eating fire chicken (buldak).  2007.  Oh, and that’s way back when chicken didn’t make me want to vomit.   When I find myself in times of trouble, there is no Mother Mary.  There are only the ravaging, demonic memories of…

  • Some Sobering Thoughts About Addiction, Matthew Perry, and Gawd

    Some Sobering Thoughts About Addiction, Matthew Perry, and Gawd

    I recently had a conversation with one of my closest friends that found us jumping to the topic of rehabs, recovery houses, and somehow, Matthew Perry.   I have never–not even once–seen a full episode of “Friends,” though I have been the victim of clips here and there.  Nothing about that show seemed appealing, witty, intelligent,…

  • La Pura Muerte: The Dastardly Conclusion

    La Pura Muerte: The Dastardly Conclusion

    Lots and lots of happy dramatic license employed in this entry.  Oh, and header photo taken at the dinner I had with Jem the night before I stared down both the red guy and his pitchfork, and the robed one with a beard and a mighty forefinger.  Were we ever so young?? And that dinner…

  • La Pura Vida? La Pura MUERTE! (Part One)

    La Pura Vida? La Pura MUERTE! (Part One)

    (Header pic: Francisco de Goya, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters) I feel as though I haven’t been posting as regularly as I should here, because based on what I’m seeing and hearing, there has been a steady increase in readership and / or curiosity: thank you endlessly and kindly for checking out my scribbling,…