Smiling In Hell 2.0 - Life After Retirement and then some

There aren’t many things that REALLY scare me.  But there was one night where I really thought, through a total lack of good judgement on my part, I might have just bought the farm, kicked the bucket, cashed in my chips. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2021/07/31/smiling-in-hell-2-0-17/

So every now and then I surprise myself that I actually get something sort of right. It certainly doesn’t happen when I’m trying to hang a new light fixture on the front porch or install a new garbage disposal.   This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2021/07/22/smiling-in-hell-2-0-16/

So it was the week before Father’s Day (or is it Fathers’ Day, Fathers Day or Phahthurs Day…?) and certainly, as a card carrying member of that worthy and honorable brotherhood, I deemed it a worthy topic to spackle in this edition of Smiling in Hell. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2021/06/18/smiling-in-hell-2-0-15/

At the risk of putting off some of my friends, acquaintances, family members and others whose paths I may have crossed at one time or another, in light of the incredible evolution and revolution of new policies, philosophies and processes occurring in the world, I felt a personal obligation to be faithful to myself and my upbringing by sharing the following. This episode is also available as a blo...

The following story is true to the best of my somewhat historically misaligned memory. The names haven’t been changed to protect the innocent so if anyone sees themselves in the story, well, that’s what you get for being around when this all went down. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2021/05/15/smiling-in-hell-2-0-chapter-18/

The following story is true. The names haven’t been changed to protect the innocent so if anyone sees themselves in the story, well, that’s what you get for being around when this all went down. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2021/04/02/smiling-in-hell-2-0-13/

So I just woke up from a dream where I was visiting my dear departed mother in Heaven.  What follows is the capsulated version of what was captured.   Enjoy… This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2021/02/01/smiling-in-hell-2-0-12/

The author remembers back to being one week away from the 2020 Presidential election, a very scary night for all, and it is preceded only by a couple of days by the scariest holiday of the year, no, not Valentine’s Day, but that night of goblins, ghouls and cos-play aficionados, Halloween and recalls memories of Halloweens past.   This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smiling...

Where the author shares some sweet memories of a sweet, tough, strong and incredibly loving women, his Grams.  This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2020/09/04/smiling-in-hell-2-0-9/

Written about six months after I had been an official “RG” (Retired Guy) and made the emotional decision to hang up my collection of khakis, calendars and sweater vests back in January, it had actually been over six months since I mentally clocked out of the work-a-day-world of the employed. So, with that mini-milestone under my belt, I thought I’d do a reflective brain dance to see where I was an...

Speaking of ‘Global Warming,’ now I actually have a theory about that and what this here heat is really going to do to this little blue ball called Earth (hmm, does anyone call it Earth OTHER than us locals?). See, even if we inhumane beings amazingly don’t find a creative way to do our own selves in through our particular brand of shortsighted foolish abuse to each other, well there’s sure to be...

Where the writer shares how the family started and still enjoy an Independence Day tradition of watching “Yankee Doodle Dandy” starring James Cagney and the film version of “1776” starting William Daniels and John Adams and other patriotic vitriolics.  This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2020/07/03/smiling-in-hell-2-o-3/

Being the week before FD2020 and, as most of you who have treaded these lines with me thus far know, I am a sucker for sentiment. So, in keeping with that particular artery, I just have to fill a few more staves with thoughts, memories and reflections on my old man and his effect on this particular fodder…me. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/202...

Since the thermometer has been creeping up a little, and maybe because I’m retired and on permanent summer vacation from school, I‘ve had a whole swimming pool full of summertime memories falling out of my ears like lobsters. Going all over the place, too.  Most of them have been showing up from my past voyages though the “Land of Cleve” smelling of honeysuckle, lilac, chlorine and Coppertone...

Smiling in Hell 2.0 - Chapter 7: The Winter of My Snow Ball Nightmare Knowing the unprecedented Covid challenge that we’ve all recently had to deal with, and how we're dealing with the deep heat of summer, I thought I’d share some mini-vignettes of how those early chapters in life were where we first had to learn to “Smile in Hell.”  This one will hopefully serve to cool ya'll off a little. T...

Where the reader wrenches a few dreamy visions from my cranial fog and drop them off here, like a big old mayo-filled tuna casserole, for the listener's enjoyment. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2020/05/17/smiling-in-hell-2-0-3/

As Father's Day nears and Mother’s Day has passed I find myself thinking of my mom even more.  Here's a Blog to Mom that I shared about a year ago.  Enjoy. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/smiling-in-hell-2-0-2/

In sharing my idea in the past for my book/screenplay/comic book/musical called “ INJECTION ” with a number of folks, there was enough morbid curious-ness about it that I thought, heck, why not share it as a serial (ala Sherlock Holmes in ‘The Strand Magazine’). Since I was looking to take a different subject tact in this chapter of Smiling in Hell 2.0 anyway, I thought I’d share my first segment...

From "Covid - The Musical" to The Twilight Zone, come along as we review a bunch of perspectives on what we can possibly do with all of the conspiracy and origin stories of everyone's favorite virus.  Don't forget, this episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wordpress.com/2020/04/23/smiling-in-hell-2-o-2/

Chapter 2 “The Covid Conspiracy” DISCLAIMER: Those who know me know that this is just a speculative spoof and wacky idea and no offence is meant to any group, individual, political organization, company, neighborhood, mammal genus, unknown fish species or insect family…except maybe spiders. I really don’t like spiders. L.P. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smilinginhellcom.wo...

For those who have been reading my "SMILING IN HELL" blogs over the past year or so, you probably don't know that I always read them out loud to my wife and daughter for their valued opinion before posting them.  My wife always said that they sound better when I read them so when the chance to create a podcast version of the material through Anchor was offered, I thought I'd give it a whirl....