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Weekly Contest #322
“Your spirit guide will change your life!” I hear this from the attractive young woman on the stage. “Just tap into the wisdom of your spirit guide, and they can help you navigate the pitfalls of life and become a success.” Being a young man deathly afraid of failing, I tend to try it all. In school, failure was nothing. In adult life, failure means poverty and perhaps homelessness. The whole pitch sounds quirky, but it may help me stay motivated to weather the challenges of young adulthood. Around me sit about thirty people. Most are young;...
Weekly Contest #319
“I can’t do this!” The perky real estate agent’s mood changes abruptly once she realizes what she is seeing. We both enter the house with portable floodlights. It looks like a deranged hoarder has been living here. Stepping over the trash, and looking down at the remains of the carpet, I notice the maggots. “I can’t go any further!” She turns around and starts back toward the open door. “Look up there; those white bumps covering the ceiling are some kind of bug eggs.” I haven’t been to my parent’s house in over five years. First, my fathe...
Weekly Contest #318
I stand in front of the class for the first time. This is going to be difficult. What am I even doing here? This is the class I didn’t want. Usually, the first day of school has smiling students dressed in new clothes. The children staring back at me have clean clothes; they aren’t smiling. These are kids from the Colonias. Not all of their homes have running water and sewer. Before the end of the year, many will do a seasonal migration up north to pick crops. Spotty school attendance and frequent migration have somehow caused these studen...
Weekly Contest #316
“We were used,” Maxman tells me. “They never told us the effects would be temporary. Have you got another beer?” I get up and head to the refrigerator in my ‘man cave’ and go for the beer. The room is actually just a converted double-car garage with some lounge chairs and a large TV. “When the insurance companies formed an association and came up with the Hero Program, we all thought it was a great job opportunity. We gain a ‘superpower’ and the insurance companies have extra help to protect their customers.” Maxman gives a wry smile. “You m...
Weekly Contest #315
“Welcome, sir, welcome to the senior interest night. Is there anything that you are looking for specifically?” “My wife told me that if I didn’t stop bothering her and find something to do, she was going to kill me in my sleep.” “Oh! I hope you find something here then.” Since my retirement, my wife and I have been seeing way too much of each other. We’re getting on each other’s nerves. My friend John and I retired about the same time. He is having a similar situation, but with him, it’s his children. There are also the less spoken-of aspect...
Weekly Contest #314
“I have to find her star tonight!” The attendant behind the desk at the assisted living looks at me with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy. “I need to be taken to the back of the property so I can gaze at the sky, please.” I know there are no rules against wandering around the property at night. After all, we are not patients but residents. The trick is to find someone who will not forget you are outside, especially if the shift changes. “Alright, Mr. Thompson, I’ll take you out. Remember to use your portable call button to come back in....
Weekly Contest #309
How do we really know when we know someone? "We could do the dead cockroach," Ray pantomimes holding his hands in front of his chest with his legs slightly raised. Six young men doing that around a table would certainly be enough to get us thrown out. We are sitting in the Petty Offers Club. A friend; Harvey, suggested we come here for a Friday night. My rank isn't high enough for me to be here. He suggested, “Just walk in like you belong there.” It worked. I am not here to get drunk and act stupid. Like some other twenty-year-old sailors...
Weekly Contest #308
How could a celebration change the way I view myself? “This anxiety is getting bad the last few days.” My friend sits across from me in our favorite diner looking sympathetic. “Last year was rough, teaching at that intercity school.” The hours and stress were horrendous. "Some clear plans would be nice." Dave just listens attentively. He is going to give me some kind of advice like “just don’t work”. Sorry, I didn’t have a career in Silicon Valley, have meetings all over Asia and make tons of money. I was a teacher, retired now. Extra income...
Weekly Contest #307
"You love serving Nona." What the hell did that mean? Why did I have a shimmer of pleasure when my department looked in my face and said it? I look out at my empty classroom, my students will start filing in any minute. I am having trouble shaking this, I can still see Joe's face staring straight into mine and saying "You love serving Nona", how bizarre. Then I had this shimmer of pleasure, it must have been obvious to Joe because he smiled and told me, "I think you've graduated." Then he just wandered off. Of course I graduated, I gave up a...
Weekly Contest #306
Personal Exercise Journal July 7. 2023 I took my regular bike path today. It has been too hot lately so I did my ride well before dawn. The paved bike path was about the width of a single driveway. It wound its way through the city and extended into the desert toward the next town. It was dark. The air was warm and clean. On my right was one of those expensive residential neighborhoods hiding behind a high block wall. To my left was a railroad track and lighting was spaced regularly. Further out, the path just passed through a bare desert, n...
Weekly Contest #305
Attend the show or be part of it? Does it really depend on who you think you are or is chance just laughing in the background. I'm one of the guys who puts the love into the building. Most people would think it is the lead architect. No, the “Great Man” normally comes up with the overall design and then hands it off to an underling to execute. Did I just hear Captain Picard say “Make it so.” I think so. Once you go into the building and start interacting with it, that's me. Structure, electric, hvac, plumbing etc. I make sure it fits togethe...
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