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A Weekend Away
I am not, by nature, one of those types who thinks that men need to get away to the woods for a “get in touch with your primitive side” retreat. One of those ridiculous things were men who have more income than I set things on fire in a desperate attempt to battle their insecurity. […]
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Gaslight
Are you familiar with the term “gaslighting?” The term is given to a type of psychological abuse where the victim is purposely and gradually manipulated into questioning their own reality. The moniker comes from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 English stage play “Gas Light,” in which a young woman is purposefully duped into questioning her own sanity. […]
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The Lawnmower Person
My non-existent wife Sheila and I own a lot of acreages thanks to the dowry her parents offered when we were married. We don’t keep this vast amount of land up as much as we should, as with my allergies mowing the lawn isn’t all that fun—even with a mask on. But the other night, […]
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The Magazine Fantasy
For most of my adult life, I’ve subscribed to a cooking magazine. For years it was Gourmet, but when it went defunct I began to search for another one, and for the last couple of years I’ve subscribed to Bon Appetite. Last year, or the year before—I can’t quite recall when—they ran a feature for […]
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Terror on a Monday Morning
It had been a nice morning. I slept well, woke up on time, had a nice breakfast, and was generally feeling good about life. I took in a deep breath of fresh air as I stood on my front porch in my underwear listening to “More Than a Feeling” by Boston. The neighbors didn’t […]
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For Dad
You may have noticed that in last week’s issue of The Loafer, my column was nowhere to be found. That wasn’t a mistake, this was done intentionally. The week that I would have prepared and sent in my column, I was dealing with something. On May 26, my father, Gary Ross, passed away. It wasn’t […]
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The Light Bulb Adventure
In the last twenty plus years, lightbulb technology has come a long way. We’ve gone from incandescents and their familiar shape to a wide range of LED powered bulbs that are more efficient. With this evolution, we have begun to place bulbs everywhere. My parent’s bed even has LEDs under it. But one of […]
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Summer Stock
It was slated to be a reunion for two of MGM’s most popular duos, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. The pair had starred in nine films together, the last of which was 1943’s “Girl Crazy.” The script was even tailored to bring back memories of the films the two had been made before—the central plot […]
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The Seats Are Buzzing: The Films of William Castle (A Rerun)
When my column celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016 I re-ran a few select columns to celebrate that. It was the first, and only time I had done so. However, this week I’m dusting off a favorite from 2014 and running it again, my piece on Director William Castle. My father is ill and I’ve […]
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Oh, No! There’s a Bear!
It was late this past Saturday and I was tired. Not just the “Oh, let’s get to bed early” kind of tired, but the “I’m juggling all the things and coffee is now all I am made of” tired. I got home around 11:00 after a gig, fed my cat, then got ready and climbed […]
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A Face in The Crowd
I’ve been aware of director Elia Kazan’s 1957 film “A Face in the Crowd” for well over a decade, but until this past weekend, I had never actually seen the entire movie. I had caught snippets of it, and years ago a friend went so far as to tape it off of TCM for […]
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Thoughts While Being Abandoned by the Waiter
I walked into the restaurant alone, feeling OK about life and hungry. It had been a long day and I thought I would treat myself to a nice, quiet meal. It was a Tuesday and the restaurant I had chosen was oddly hopping on that particular weeknight. Did I miss that it was some kind […]
