Stories - FD Thornton

I know I've told this story a least a thousand times, about how I moved my family out west to the mid-state and that over the years our little family has become part of the area. Yet for the most part, I still remain a stranger in a strange land. It's been 23 years since I left Savannah and even years before that, I had lost a lot of my roots. So here I sit, a little smarter, maybe; a bit wiser, hopefully; and a hell of a lot older, definitely. So why after so many years do I feel the pull of wanderlust yet again? You'd think by now I'd a put down some roots. But hell my kids have more roots in the ground then I do. It's not for lack of trying; it's just that every time I feel some roots growing; they get yanked up like a weed. I often think of my story's not much different th a n my Uncle Mack’s, in that he for so long desired to put roots down, but never really did. I mean he'd live in one place for a while, even decades, then he'd ev...

I tell you what, I am one pitiful sight. I'm lying on the bed, my legs crossed, a heating pad on my back, and a heated massager around my neck. Oh yeah, don't forget the ice-pack draped across my forehead. Although I slept through the night, I woke up feeling a bit rough. So I got up boiled some hot water, shaved, and took a bath. And even though I look and smell better, I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. After working on a project for as long as I could sitting in front of the computer, I decided to take my work over to the bed, which is why I look the way I do. I'm sure to some including my daughter think of this as the lazy way of getting things done. But when you back ache’s when you sit and when you walk you have to use a cane just to keep from falling over; at least I'm putting in the effort to still try and get something done. Considering the number of problems I face, I've had a number of professionals ask, “Why you just put ...

I am an admitted news junkie, politics is my meth. So while my political views are different than those of the upcoming administration, I still have a clear understanding of how things are supposed to work. My problem is not just with the bravado I get from the winners of the last election. But also with the disdain I see from the defeated party. Have we not learned anything? All this saber rattling only going to end up getting us all cut at some point. I don't mind hearing different opinions, but is the name calling necessary? Have we all forgotten how to carry on respectful conversations or is all I see just a show? We are not children anymore; we are adults with real issues to face every day. Why is it so hard for them to understand that service jobs can't support a secure social net? And that it is technology and efficiency that really killed the big ticket jobs a lot more than NAFTA.  The days of grabbing your toys and leaving the playground are over. It...

I often feel the vast majority of the people out there see the stuff I write is nothing more than fluff and being a professional cynic myself I can understand. I mean hell the world’s a shitty place and who wants to read some “touchy, feely” crap about holding yourself to a “higher standard” when the world doesn’t really give a damn. In these times in which we live it's impossible not to think that way. Right?  It's just that way down deep inside me there's still this young broken kid that likes to think that dreams can still come true. That hope still springs eternal if enough sheer will is applied. The world is hard and as adults it's really easy to see that fact. But when you look into the eyes of your grandchild it's easy to get reacquainted with the world of hopes and dreams. Once our youngest hit his teens it was easy to losing sight of fairy dust and optimism of life. You end up focusing on nothing but the hard core realities of this world....

As the title applies this particular piece was created on the spur-of-the-moment. Because sometimes the thing you're thinking right now is what really needs to be said. - FDT WDR Big Band It’s Sunday morning and we have a light fog still hanging over us. But it does give the view from my window a sorta dreamy glow. I finally got my jazz app to work on my computer, although none of the channels seem to catch my current mood. Either it’s too brassy, too loud, or just plain too chaotic; the only thing that doesn’t overwhelm my mind are the commercials. Maybe I should switch over to listening to classical when I’m working. While attending college the student-librarian at one particular school would play Kenny G; maybe that’s what’s missing more elevator music. Anyway, I find myself staring at a list of pieces that need to be reworked. But to be honest those were thoughts from the past, things that were on my mind and where now “gone with the wind”. In order to be succe...