Bob – Writer’s Block, and The Story of Malibu Bobby

Dear Diary …

The current case of Writer’s Block continues well into its 2nd month. It is a horrible feeling, not being able to put words into sentences that tell a coherent story, staring at a blank monitor screen for hours on end, wondering if I will ever be able to write again.

It happens to writers on occasion. It is visual laryngitis , intellectual paralysis, which has no known cure. Like the common cold, all you can do is wait it out, taking steps suggested by friends that may have worked for them, but do not work for me. The words cannot be forced, bribed, or cajoled into forming sentences that eloquently, humourously, or intelligently convey what is on your mind.

It is like being trapped at the bottom of a well, unable to cry out for help.

…and rather than leave the page blank, I have, this week, decided to reprint a column from 2011, when the juice was flowing and I could write three of these a week. At least there are some new links and pictures for your dining and dancing pleasure.

There are still more stories to tell, laughs to share, and adventures and opinions to commit to paper …and as soon as I can …I will.

In the meantime ….

Chef Tom, Cowboy Eats, A Short Story, Kempters and Sleepy Man

 

Saddle up, Pilgrim ….

GREG SIMPSON – RADIO MAN EXTRAORDINAIRE by Jaimie Vernon

I type this through tears. At this moment my old pal Greg Simpson is on life support in a London hospital. And I fear for his life. Suddenly a flood of memories come back to a 20 year friendship all of which involved good times.

Segarini’s Short but Sweet Scrapbook for Shut-Ins

DAY 16, 281

The wolves are howling as they draw near. Betty and the baby are swaddled by the fire, the last of the cook books and furniture keeping them warm for the nonce. I ponder our future as the last of the Redenbachers pop in the microwave. Bingeing the final season of Match Game with Gene Rayburn and contemplating calling Innabuggy ….

After a 3 month-long self-imposed exile in Ottawa, my esteemed roommate is heading back here tomorrow to change his socks and justify paying half the rent. …and as happy as I will be to have someone to talk to besides my reflection in the ever-increasing collection of empty bourbon, wine, and vodka bottles, his return poses a problem. In his absence, I’m afraid I became derelict in the responsibility to keep the compound habitable for human beings. Before he arrives, I must turn this Frat House Dorm back into livable space, instead of the aftermath of a 3 month Toga Party. Still trying to figure out how I got spaghetti sauce and hot dog remnants on the ceiling of the bathroom and under the bed ….

SUNNY DAYS: THE SKIP PROKOP STORY (PART 9) by Jaimie Vernon

SUNNY DAYS: THE SKIP PROKOP STORY (PART 8) by Jaimie Vernon

Through most of 1968, Skip Prokop’s band  The Paupers had been touring with new bass player Brad Campbell as they were making their way through recording and releasing their second album for MGM Records called “Ellis Island.” But Skip was getting a taste for session work and expanding his musical horizons beyond a 4-piece rock and roll ensemble.  It was leading him to decisions that would change his life and Canadian music forever…

Gary Pig Gold has UNEARTHED MERSEYBEAT

It was exactly 56 (!) May birthdays ago that I received my very first “big record” …yes, just like the countless Count Basie and King and I albums in mom and dad’s big oak record cabinet. Needles to say, Capitol Canada T-6054 remained lodged on the Pig Player clear through Christmas ’64 …when I received my second big one.

Chef Tom’s Grown Up Grilled Cheeses and The COVID-19 Songbook

Thank You, Cheeses!

Welcome to Grilled Cheese Heaven.

Who doesn’t love grilled cheese sandwiches? Not on anyone’s diet, I know, but SIP requires comforting our aching souls in any way we can, right?

Nothing plain about these recipes. You can always do these as they are written, or you can use them to spark your imagination, then take a close look at your Quarantine Cuisine Pantry and build your own. If you DO make it out to the store, make a list of the key ingredients you’d LIKE to have and then spend the weekend challenging the elastic on your fat pants.**

GARY PIG GOLD – N.Y. DRIVEN WOMEN # 12 & 35

     Bob Dylan’s ex-wife sits on the bleachers in a smoky little Hoboken nightclub watching her latest son-in-law belting out his latest demo tape to an appreciative but slim audience of friends and scene-schemers. Bob Dylan’s ex-wife’s looks certainly belie her too many years of lawsuits and sleepless months:  she’s still slim, dark, and her eyes still sparkle mischievously with the magics of eras gone by.

Bob’s Good Friday for Jesus – GREAT Friday for Amy

Just because Mother Nature has sent us to our rooms to think about what we’ve done, doesn’t mean we have to sit around and eat everything in the house, shave the dog, dress the cat up, or duct tape the baby to the bathroom door. Not at all.

While we’re home rearranging our sock drawers and seeing if we can build a mountain made out of mashed potatoes and some of the dead houseplants on the dining room table like Richard Dreyfuss did in Close Encounters, we can also reflect on some of the good things we have done in our messy, ungrateful, lives.

Today I celebrate. Not Jesus starting a three day vaycay in a cave after a forced march carrying enough timber to build a parking lot FotoMat kiosk, but the one thing I had something to do with in my life, that I am most proud ….

My daughter’s birthday is today, and to mark the event, I am re-posting this column as I do every year, to share my love for her with you and the joy she brings to me and everyone who knows her. Lots of new pictures, some brand new words …and as always …Lots and Lots of Love.
Love you Ames …you will always be the light of my life. – Daddy