Smorgasbord

I’ve been trying to think of a fresh, clever angle for this blog, some magical way to get my readers LOLing, or at least smiling. Or at the very least, thinking. Or at the absolute least, pondering their existence and the future of humankind. Surprisingly, I keep coming up empty. Perhaps I’m putting too much pressure on myself.

So, for now, I’m going to write a little of this and a little of that. Life is essentially just a disorganized smorgasbord of emotions, right? I guess this blog can be the same.  

THE INSPIRATIONAL

This week I finished reading Everything Sad Is Untrue, a recently published memoir by Daniel Nayeri. The author recounts his childhood as an Iranian refugee whose family ultimately settles in small-town Oklahoma. Woven into this account is the author’s family history and stories from Persian folklore. The author seamlessly connects these three elements to create a memoir that will make you laugh, make you seethe at the depths of the world’s cruelty and injustice, and ultimately make you marvel at one family’s strength and determination to overcome.

With a voice that is unique, funny and deeply insightful, Nayeri has written an incredibly powerful and inspirational memoir. I highly recommend it.

THE FUNNY

My five-year-old and I read a picture book biography of Charles Darwin last week. This was my son’s introduction to the concept of evolution. When we finished reading, he turned to me with a puzzled face and said, “So . . . a long, long time ago, YOU used to be a monkey?!”

Sometimes, my son, I still am.

THE MUNDANE

I’m continuing to submit short stories and flash fiction to various literary journals and assorted digital publications. None of my pieces have been accepted yet, but my two most recent rejections came within only three weeks of their submission! So, thank you, editors, for not making me wait. It’s much appreciated.

Here’s one that didn’t make the cut for a journal that only publishes stories of exactly fifty words.

The Combover

Dan entered our apartment with his girlfriend.

“Nice combover!” I joked.

Poor timing, I guess.

Red-faced, Dan charged. His girlfriend and I retreated into my room.

He pounded. “Get out here!”

“What?! I only said ‘nice combover’!”

De-escalation failed.

He kicked. Then paid for a new door at semester’s end.