Jeff Likes to Tell Stories

Welcome to my blog. I haven’t kept up with it in a while. But I hope to get back to writing the types of stories you’ll find here. If my life was a sitcom, these might be considered scripts for the show. I write about my life, my interactions with my family and those strangers I encounter on a daily basis. My more serious writing can be found in various places. But I often post them on Medium.

Fairly Odd Parents-Present, Idiosyncratic Celebrations / 26.11.2004

I lost my iPod.

One minute I was listening to This American Life while waiting for my sister-in-law, Janet, to pick me up at the subway's "Kiss and Ride." The next we were in front of her house. As I was getting out of her car that polar white earphone cord swayed in the late November breeze. Naked, empty, and alone.

You know that moment. You stare in disbelief, wondering why your eyes are deceiving you. You know it's there. But you're momentarily blind. Your sight will return with a blink and all will be as it should. And you can continue with your life as planned.

Idiosyncratic Celebrations, News Outta My Control / 07.11.2004

The neighborhood's lawns reflect the great divide between the Dead Leaf Browns and the Dichondra Greens. It's time for our annual Leaf Blowing Festival. We live at the edge of a forest of Tulip Poplar trees and each fall they dump millions of leaves on our neighborhood. Coming from Southern California raking and blowing leaves has never been my forte. In fact when we first moved here I deemed this event a "festival" hoping to coax my friends into coming over to help me. But to no avail. There was no fooling them. The leaves didn't start to fall this year until...

Barely Socially Acceptable / 30.10.2004

It's been an intense week. The election polls are bouncing all over the place. Osama, through his privately funded 527 Organization broadcasts his own election ad. And a bunch of ragged federal workers make their way home on the DC subway. This latest act of The Theatre of the Barely Socially Acceptable is based on a real cell phone conversation I heard on the way home yesterday. A bizarre ending to a surreal week. Hi Dr. Meyer. This is Frank Wilhouse. I know it's late Friday afternoon So I appreciate you taking my call. Yes, well my wife and I were talking with...

Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 27.10.2004

I am an artist: an information provider and interpreter. I am part of a group of people who are masters of the search, often drawing on intuition and practice to reveal the ambiguous and the inexplicable. As an artist I have learned to examine issues critically. I dismiss the obvious while focusing on the subtleties between the shades of gray. In the midst of this Presidential campaign's rhetoric I have had to look closely in my search for truth. With one week to go I am listening more intently to both candidates. During his presidency George Bush has shown an unwillingness...

Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 22.10.2004

I think September 11th changed everything. Apathy is gone from our hearts. Bethlehem, PA Homeowner Print your own lawn sign from Bill Fisher's Yard Sign Project Apparently, I'm not alone when it comes to being on the front lines of the Political Sign Wars. CBS ran a piece (Quicktime, 4.5 MB) on its nightly news yesterday about a neighborhood divided by Kerry and Bush lawn signs. But unlike my own contentious Maginot Line, the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania suburban street of ardent Democrats and Republicans seemed so civilized. While there was a bit of poster tit-for-tat, no political epitaphs were being lobbed into any...

Fairly Odd Parents-Present, News Outta My Control / 18.10.2004

Last night I dreamed my next-door neighbor knocked on my door. After a few days he had cooled down and wanted to talk. I listened to him as he explained his opinions and when he was done I said this: M, look around you. Since the vandalizing of our signs and since you yelled at me your house is almost completely surrounded by neighbors with Kerry posters in their front yards. No matter who is elected in two weeks, you will have to live with us (and we you) for much longer than a presidential term. Is this how you want...

News Outta My Control / 16.10.2004

My neighbor placed his car in front of our signs (inset: one of his bumper stickers). With this sign, he tried to do exactly what he asked me not to do: place objectionable signage close to our property. We had moved our sign away as he asked. The caustic nature of this year's Presidential campaign hit closer to home today. Last week, you might remember my Kerry signs were vandalized the night we placed them in front of our house. As soon as I could I went to my local Democratic Party headquarters for two more. I placed one in front of our...

News Outta My Control / 10.10.2004

Someone Doesn't Believe in Freedom of Speech The Iraqi War turned me into a partisan American. Before that point, I subscribed to the logic learned as a Political Science major in college: the Presidency was an office of compromise. When George Bush was "elected" I thought "how much damage could he really do?" Even though Congress was Republican, a group of intelligent and forward-thinking people could trump anything the President and his cronies could propose. He was a reflection of those working behind him. Surely wisdom would prevail. There was safety in numbers: checks and balances. I was wrong. And so I began...

News Outta My Control / 02.10.2004

Kerry presents his case during first Presidential Debate while Bushlooks on. At 7:30 yesterday morning I was riding the subway to work when were delayed by a dead train at the stop ahead of us. I was tired. I had stayed up late to watch the Presidential Debate and the ensuing analysis and spin. Yesterday I woke up early and immediately went for the morning paper, again interested in the pundits' reaction. But, as luck would have it, the paper never arrived. Instead I sat down with my oatmeal and watched my taped PBS version of the debate. As we sat on the...