Posts by tag
life lessons
Noir the Savior
Senior year my mother did two months for larceny. That August she tried walking out with two carts full of groceries. I lived noir. I managed a story that became my first published in the school magazine. She was still in prison that October when my birthday rolled around. I woke up at three-thirty in the morning and read James Thompson’s Snow Angels until I left for the bus.
The Strange Case of Derick Johnson
For some reason, my first instinct was to assume that Derick Johnson was a figment of Nick’s imagination or a sort of creative in-joke between some of the players. The name, I observed, sounded like a character from Mad Men. I imagined a dapper fellow in his mid-thirties turning up to play, with a short glass of scotch on the rocks in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
Do You Remember Friday?
Do you remember Fridays? The indescribable feeling of utter joy that signified that thankfully school was over for another two days. The misery of sitting in a classroom against your will was to be alleviated and replaced with the respite of resentment from parents who didn’t know what to do with you. Yes, Friday was a fine time. Friday represented hope a brief, fleeting window in which anything was possible and the misery of school, with its press-gang style education was exposed for what it was, finite.
Bidet: A Most European Experience
I had shat literally all I could possibly shit, but somewhere, deep down, I knew I would need to shit again imminently. Such are the joys of food poisoning, or in this case some dodgy Albanian tap water. In fairness, the foreign office advice had been fairly clear cut.
Things I Haven’t Said
Michael Herrington recalls his childhood of growing up with a stutter. Commonly misunderstood, living with a speech impediment can affect you in many ways often invisible to the listener.
The Inner Dialogue of Retail
The inner dialogue between a cashier and an overworked mother in small town America. A must for all those who have worked behind the counter.
I Survived 27 Surgeries
I may not have a stomach but I sure am hungry for life. 10 years and 27 surgeries later, this is my story.
A Fire for Help
It had been years since our father left. Our mother held a secretary job during the day and was no match for Dominic and I working to extend our freedoms.
Why I Kill the People I Love…Inside my head
I murder the people I love inside my head. I fantasize about where I’ll go, what I’ll do and how their funerals will be.
Words of Wisdom: Career
Words of Wisdom about career and work by acclaimed aphorist Yahia Lababidi, featuring illustrations by Allen Forrest.
Did you wash these dishes?
Family life can be a real lottery sometimes. When bullying permeates home life who do you turn to?
Replacement
How do you cope with the death of a child? “Replacement” deals with the fallout from family tragedy.
Working in a Canning Factory
I took a job in a factory that cans peas, a less than rosy introduction to the working world.
The Boy after the Boy who cried Wolf
I have lung cancer, stage 1, prognosis says two-to-five years if I continue to refuse treatment. I’m not lying.
A girl with tutus and point shoes
Sometimes I wish I had a normal childhood. One where there is time to play with other kids. When I was born my mum exclaimed joyfully: ‘She is going to be a ballet dancer’.
Does anyone else remember being born?
Does anyone else remember being born? Perhaps one’s birth is so traumatic that we wilfully erase it from memory. If only I had been so blessed.
