DEEP THOUGHTS (AND SHALLOW ONES) FROM A WRITER-PRODUCER-POET-COLUMNIST WHO'S STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT
Yesterday I returned to larrybrody.com bidding a sad goodbye to a friend. Now it’s time to return to a more joyful side of life.
That’s right. I’m going to share some comic strips! The cultural reality of the one above doesn’t make me laugh, but it’s good for a smile because it says I’m not alone.
No, I’m not going to end this with a sigh. Gotta keep going, ya know?
After seven months of being away from this blog for various and sundry reasons having to do with aging, family health and such, I’m back with some sad news that’s both personal and professional.
I just learned of the death, back in January, of Doug Snauffer, a terrific writer and valued contributor to TVWriter.Com back when the site not only was alive and well but at its peak. I’m shocked, crushed, furious, and just plain overwhelmed. RIP Doug, missing you, your sweet nature, and your talent. Damn!
Looking forward to future more pleasant posts!
Because – oh, you know – he so often shows that he thinks like me.
For example:
It’s a common joke in pop culture how inept seniors are when it comes to technology. They mispronounce GIF (it’s “jif,” according to GIF creator Steve Wilhite). They type their names at the end of text messages. They need help programming anything that needs programming. Ha ha. Silly old coots. (Remember, this is just a stereotype; many seniors are very capable when it comes to tech.)
Some defend seniors’ lack of tech-savvy as a result of how quickly technology changes. Today’s iPhone is tomorrow’s Blackberry. No sooner do you learn how to transfer data from your old computer to your new laptop then they change the ports and cables and you have to start all over again.
I have another explanation. Technology symbolizes optimism for the future. It exudes the promise, however hollow, of solving any and all our problems—eventually. Plus, using the latest tech is a kind of rite of passage into the generation on the fast track to the wondrous future. It is tribal fetishism. Like using slang that old folks don’t understand.
But oldsters like me aren’t interested in acquiring, we’re in the process of decluttering. Youth gathers mementos, gadgets, trendy clothes—the flotsam that both memorializes and invigorates their journey through life. We, on the frozen shores, waiting to step aboard our inevitable ice floe, wish to shed ourselves of the distractions and digressions. Sure, an app on my phone can make life easier, but will it be that much easier than the hassle of learning how to use it, update it, understand the new functions? Usually not.
This is not a screed against new-fangled technology. I actually enjoy the technological innovations. Any song, any time. Love it. Favorite movies in an instant. Wonderful. But, while I once was the first in line to purchase new tech products like the VCR, 8-track tape, flip phone, etc., I have seen them float by on the river of time like the conquered soldiers of a relentless army…
Read it all at Kareem’s SubStack Blog
LYMI,
LaughingEagle
by Larry Brody
P.J. McIlvaine’s new thriller, A GOOD MAN, is the best novel I’ve read in a very long time, and I’ve read a hell of a lot of novels by many wonderful writers, especially in recent COVID-filled years.
Unlike most thrillers, A GOOD MAN is much more than an escape from our current stress-filled reality. As the cover says, it is indeed “An intoxicating psychological crime thriller,” and, yes, the plot is twistily superb and the suspense brilliantly paced, with personal stakes that keep ratcheting up, up, up, but that’s not all.
The bonus here is that P.J.’s writing is so thoughtful, so mature, that it actually put me into a place where I had no choice but to seriously consider and reappraise my own attitudes about love and family. Most impressively, it literally made me feel emotions I didn’t even know I had.
In other words, I don’t just recommend this book, I recommend it unreservedly. And if you know me at all you know I’ve never said that publicly before, about anything.
EDITED TO ADD: Hey, I just saw that A Good Man is available on Kindle Unlimited over at Amazon, which means you can read it for free HERE
