Author Archives: Al

The Whole Truth

Posted on September 13, 2025 by Al

Charlie Kirk wanted to turn the USA into a white evangelical Christian theocracy with Sharia-like justice system. Some Americans agree with that direction, feeling it is what the “founding fathers” wanted. Others find that reprehensible anti-Americanism. The mainstream press has … Continue reading →

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Taken By A Photograph

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Al

[Final Draft] CHAPTER FOUR – TAKEN BY A PHOTOGRAPH [Cheryl] When I moved from my apartment on Breeze into the house on Wavecrest, I’d put the box on the shelf in the closet of our bedroom. Way over to the … Continue reading →

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Fox

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Al

Fox, by Joyce Carol Oates, is a mesmerizing tale. Not unlike the titular character himself. Set in an upscale boarding school incongruously located hard by New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, Oates has infused her story with a miasma of disgust, recursively … Continue reading →

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Hell Of A Honeymoon

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Al

We had no steps to walk down after our wedding ceremony, no ornately carved arched doors to exit a sanctuary. Back at the van, no one had tied tin cans to the bumper, and no hand-painted “Just Married” appeared on … Continue reading →

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Summer In The City

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Al

[Final Draft] CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – SUMMER IN THE CITY With my future employment assured in Tacoma, I turned my attention to the new experience of home ownership. Our south-facing house, in the terraced neighborhood known as The Avenues, took the … Continue reading →

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Summer in the City — iii

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Al

[First draft] With the walls painted, I rented a sander and got to work on the floor. The unwieldy contraption moved across the wood with all the finesse of a pneumatic jackhammer. The rental was for 48 hours. Two days … Continue reading →

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Summer in the City — ii

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Al

[First Draft] “Two hundred dollars for a week,” the hardware store clerk said as we walked towards the back where rentals were kept. “Of course, you could just use hot water and soak the paper off. Get it wet enough, … Continue reading →

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A Concept of a Plan?

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Al

Once again, someone is trying to rein in US health care costs, this time by somehow forcing Big Pharmaceutical to lower its prices for drugs in the US. This is not a new issue. In 1970, when I entered medical … Continue reading →

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Summer In The City — i

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Al

[First Draft] With my future employment assured in Tacoma, I turned my attention to the new experience of home ownership. Our south-facing house, in the terraced neighborhood known as The Avenues, took the full brunt of Salt Lake’s high desert … Continue reading →

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Get A Job

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Al

In March, Al decided to start looking for a job. “A real job,” he said. “The money from Kaiser’s going to run out by August, September at the latest.” A shudder bubbled through my heart as I asked, “Where?” I had another year left … Continue reading →

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