memories – three good words

June 4, 2025June 4, 2025

The Golden Ticket

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

Again, too many to count, but let’s go with Charlie and The Misanthrope’s Chocolate Factory.

From Prince Pondicherry to 4 Grandparents in 1 bed, Little Me had a tremendous amount of questions while reading. Also, those chocolates, candies, and sweets sounded amazing. Finally, no way the Oompa Loompas never figured out another diet on their own (always bothered me).

Then there were The Chocolate Trials:
At first it was enormously satisfying to watch spoilt brats and bullies have the day they deserved. The Oompa Loompas DGAF and Willy Wonka was a revelation: An adult who stood firm in the face of irate parents? Amazing.

After multiple re-reads, though, the terrible children’s “just deserts” stopped being so perfectly just, given how their parents were horrible already and really weren’t being, y’know, parents. Especially in comparison to Charlie’s family, who clearly cared for Little Bucket.

Eye-opening for a kid.

March 28, 2025March 28, 2025

back in the day

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Being was already a thing. There were wishes, though, big ones.

Winter: Meet Santa.
Summer: Go to the beach.

#childhood

September 8, 2021September 8, 2021

Moment

And there is a moment
And for a second it all makes sense
And then it slips
And you end up chasing that something-or-other all your life

March 15, 2021March 15, 2021

1979

A riff, iconic

SoCal boy band new and young

Time has disappeared

August 20, 2017August 20, 2017

toxic

Corridor, Windows, Dark & Light

I remember this anger
the slow-simmering boil
clenched tight just above the gut
that sleepless certainty of knowing
you have been wronged
on every scale.

‘Stupid is as stupid does’
But I’m no Forrest
I can see the trees for what they are
the beginning of a long Heart of Darkness
where everything is warped
and wrong and upside down
because even the mood is toxic

and suddenly I can trace the battle scars
fading into the foreground
like that tattoo you forgot about
or those combat boots out back
grown dusty in the shed
the ones that helped you cross
that violent overgrown desert.

And now it’s time
time to take down the gas-mask
and strap on the worn leather
find your trusted binoculars
the ones without the fancy bits
but excellent night vision
now it is time to get out the maps
the combat notes, the exit strategies
and scout almost-forgotten terrain

because you know this is no joke.
this is as real as it gets
this is the old and known
enemy.