The Crotchety Old Man

Category: Friends

  • An Update on My Healthy Lifestyle

    Two years ago, because the monthly membership fee was cheaper than paying by the class for Zumba, I joined a gym. To make sure I didn’t pay for something I never used, I got the most expensive plan available. Having never set foot in a weight room in my life, I figured the weekly sessions…

  • GayRomLit: A Virgin’s Tale (Part 2: Thursday)

    Last Monday, I wrote about my preparations for GayRomLit in Atlanta. Today’s post picks up with Thursday morning — the first full day of the retreat — before I really knew what I’d gotten myself into. What an experience! First thing Thursday morning, the organizers offered an orientation session for newcomers. All the newbies got cherries…

  • GayRomLit: A Virgin’s Tale (Part 1: Getting There)

    Readers and writers of gay romance novels from around the world come together for the annual Gay Romance Literature Retreat. The first GayRomLit was in New Orleans in 2011, moving to Albuquerque for 2012, and this year — from October 17-20 — the biggest event in the gay romance genre was in Atlanta. Being so…

  • A Writer’s Temperament

    Anything I’ve done — whether writing a novel, losing fifty pounds, becoming a runner, or whatever — I tend to believe anyone can do. On the other hand, just about everyone I know does something I could never do.  I’m not smart enough, don’t think that way, or lack the talent. I’m an ordinary guy…

  • Friends

    Through second grade, I didn’t have friends who weren’t also kin. Before you shake your head and think, “Poor Michael,” you should know my parents came from large families. I have fifteen blood aunts and uncles plus spouses, and nearly all lived in Lexington. Never mind all the seconds, greats, and grands around at the…