Day 901: Yapping With The Dead – The Fabulous Fraud Of The Fox Sisters

originally published June 19, 2014 The perpetual gullibility of the human race provides an unending cavalcade of hilarity. We believe – sometimes because we want to, sometimes because the hoaxsters and peddlers of smarm know how to take advantage of our weak moments. For the born-again skeptics, no phenomenon travels in this world without an […]

Day 900: All The #1 Hits Of The 1990’s, In Dialogue Form

originally published June 18, 2014 “What are you going to do for Day 900?” People have been stopping me on the streets and demanding this information for weeks now. Pretend people, sure, but then they’ve also been on pretend streets so that cancels out the white lie. Anyway, the answer is “pizza” because I just […]

Day 899: Chanjing Our Speling So It Makes Mor Sens

originally published June 17, 2014 Ask anyone who has had to learn English as something other than their first language if it was difficult to soak in all the illogical rules and quirky exceptions in our spelling and they’ll probably look at you coldly while swearing under their breath in their native tongue. The English […]

Day 898: A Descent Into The Maelstrom Of Poe’s Final Days

originally published June 16, 2014 So much has been written about Edgar Allen Poe that my contribution of words #898,001-899,000 of this project to the great writer will hardly land an impact crater upon his legacy. But there’s one chapter of Poe’s life – specifically that last one – that stupefies me. Most famous figures […]

Day 897: Zoot Suit Violence

originally published June 15, 2014 One seldom looks very deeply into the lyrics of a modern swing-dance revival song. When Colin James and his Little Big Band sang about a Cadillac Baby, he was singing about a woman, one who enjoyed a particular Cadillac automobile. When Lou Bega prattled off his laundry list of desirable […]

Day 896: When Footy Gets Kooky

originally published June 14, 2014 Chances are, if you’ve even so much as sneezed in the same room as a computer connected to the internet this week, you’ve absorbed some snippet of World Cup fever. The World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world – more so than the Olympics, the Super […]

Day 895: The Mysterious Misadventures Of D.B. Cooper

originally published June 13, 2014 Depending on what actually happened – and the sad truth is that we will probably never know – the D.B. Cooper story is either one of the greatest robberies of all time or a brilliant example of how a poor exit strategy can trip up any criminal. You’ve probably heard […]

Day 894: Take A Journey To The Center Of Your Mind With José

originally published June 12, 2014 Over the last 894 days I have had the opportunity to gain a sparkly new appreciation for medical science, and for how far we have progressed over the last 150 years or so. Back then, doctors didn’t even wash their damn hands, and now we’re allegedly on the threshold of […]

Day 893: The Weird Cocoon-Like Prison Of The Gibbon Twins

originally published June 11, 2014 Growing up as an only child, whose only companions were the top-notch offerings of prime-time network television, I always wanted a sibling. But beyond that, I was downright fascinated with twins. That unspoken connection – some even say psychic communication – poked at the crusty, ashen embers of my imagination […]

Day 892: 8 Obscure Poetry Forms For The Love Of 80s Movies

originally published June 10, 2014 I have a tendency to mistrust my own ambition. One morning I felt the urge to spend that day’s kilograph using however many haikus would be necessary to fill a thousand words (eight-two, apparently). Another day had me wrestling to produce nine Shakespearean sonnets, adhering as closely as possible to […]