The things I do for money.
“Thanks for coming in to see us today, Rich.” “Dick.” “What?” “I go by Dick.” “Oh! Ha ha. Okay, sorry, Dick. That’s one of the reasons we call people in…the preliminary screenings don’t really tell us anything. We kind of want to get to know the real you. So, you …
You wake up one morning and go out on the back porch for a smoke (the wife doesn’t like you smoking indoors, or at all, but most certainly not indoors, not with the kid in the house for sure, never indoors) and there it is, fully formed in your mind: …
“Janet, I’m not trying to tell you how to raise your child.” “Oh, really? Because that’s what it sounds like to me.” “I’m only telling you this because I love you. Because I want to help you.” “This is ridiculous.” “You know I’m right. If you would just look at …
Kwa-Ra-Neema, they called him. “The Good Chief”. Christ knows what the Comanch called him, in their heathen tongue, but the ones who learnt English said he was the Good Chief. The Good Man. The Friend of the White Man. Most of the folks I knew, the decent folks, called him …
Hello there, ell p dot com readers! Your stumblebum author, from whom the site derives its name, is working on a major writing project to which he will be devoting the cheetah’s share of his ‘free’ time to completing, so content will be light for the next few whenevers. The …
Hi! I’m Blue! You may remember me from the color of a sunny sky, or the clothes you wore when you were a baby if you were a boy, or from the color scheme of a sports team you may enjoy. Perhaps you’re familiar with the feeling of calm and …
SALES INCREASE UNDERPERFORMS The Household Sundries division reported an all-time high 52% increase in sales this quarter, with strong showings in the cookware and cleaning supplies sectors leading a late-period surge that contributed to the record-setting total. Management notes, however, that its goal for the quarter was a 75% sales …
Hello, readers! As you know, the holiday season is upon us. Posting has been light around here of late due to professional obligations, health care issues, and the usual hubbly bubbly of the season, but we should be back in full swing by the start of 2013 with all your …
That well-fed fellow up there is the Reverend Douglas Wilson. A product of Idaho’s state university system and a recipient of the largesse of his flock, this noble sky pilot is best known for his series of debates with the notoriously godless Christopher Hitchens on the topic of whether or …
Born: 1969. The book: 1921. The movie: 1946. The music: 1984. The moment: 1871. The look: 1988. The food: 1929. The drink: 1825. The car: 1974. The drive: 1934. The show: 2002. The obsession: 1939. The game: 2000. The country: 1776. The dream: 1968. The art: 1884. The leader: 1932. …
Hello, readers! Things are tough all over, and no mistake. But they’d be a little less tough here at leonardpierce.com if you’d consider buying one of the many products and services I have to offer at the moment. If you’re reading this site, it’s presumably because you like what I do; and …
Hello, friends and readers! I’m extremely pleased to announce the arrival of my newest book, Moods from Marbletown. It’s a collection of short humor pieces collected from my previous writings as well as some brand-new material to make it worth the jingle. If you’re a fan of smart, literate written …
Hello friends, readers, and worldwide strangers! If you’re reading these words, it’s because you’ve stopped by on the day I launch a major overhaul of my home on the Internet. It’s the biggest, most ambitious, and most complex upgrade to the site I’ve ever made in ten years of blogging, …
Hello, friends and readers! As you probably already know if you are strangely obsessed with the financial peculiarities of people on the internet, I am a full-time freelance writer, and at the moment, 100% of my drastically tiny income is derived from writing. And although I would never suggest that …
Some time ago, a friend of mine was discussing the painful direction criticism has taken in the internet age. He suggested, in a bit of phrasing that has struck me as extremely perceptive ever since, that part of the problem is that people no longer approach art with any sense …
