Poetry for Dogs
My book, Throw Me A Bone: Poetry For Dogs, includes 31 poems written purportedly for a canine audience.
It’s available on Amazon — http://poetryfordogs.com — and priced to generate funds for three humane societies. (Writing poetry is not my get-rich-quick scheme, not a pyramid of dogs with you at the bottom. No.)
First Read-Through Is Tonight
This evening, the cast and crew will gather for a first read-through of The Odd Couple. There are sure to be some laughs as we face the suddenly very real idea of performance. We open in 46 days! Tonight's run through is not a public performance, but -- then again...
Your Appointment With Dr. Drobkin
Yesterday, I wrote about the funniest men in my life. Because you might never have met them, I sent you to Old Jews Telling Jokes. Since then, I have been clammy with fear that you did not visit that site. So I am bringing you the jewel in that crown:...
Old Jews Telling Jokes
Every weekday for several post-war decades, my father met the same four or five men for lunch at the Neil House Motor Hotel across from the Ohio State House.This was a group — Doc Benis, Bob Greene, Harry Hofheimer, others — that my barber (he coincidentally cut most...
How To Get Smart
Another letter, now from a student in my CCAD class...Uh, Artie?My name is [Student ID 00006XXXX].During tonight's Marketing class, I thought of some questions not about the course.Just curious: what do you do and how you do it? How do you know so much? Do a lot...
“I learn by going…”
So what's it all about? The Hokey Pokey? Maybe.I like this poem, introduced to me by my friend Sallie Sherman.Here, poet Theodore Roethke, reminds us that life is a journey, death is our destination, and we "learn by going where [we] have to go."The...
Mnemonic Device
Back into the "Uh, Artie?" mailbag. Uh, Artie?I am wondering if you have any advice for how to memorize a script. I have about eight typed pages, double spaced, of material to memorize so that I can narrate an elephant training demo at the local zoo. I know...
Work That Mouth
I'm overdue for some responses to the letters addressed to "Uh, Artie?"Why, here's one now: Uh, Artie? I think of you as the King Of No Gossip. I was copied on the email below, from an administrative manager to our HR...
What the hell am I doing?
April 1st — a day for All Fools — will mark the first anniversary of Young Isaac's move into People To My Site.Throughout the past year, friends have asked me, "So what are you doing?"The First AnswerThrough the end of last summer, the initial answer was...
Tell Who What?
Do you have the power of attorney over another person's healthcare decisions? If she becomes so sick that she can't make informed decisions, the medical people will ask you what to do. Should extraordinary measures be taken to resuscitate? Should a ventilator...
Of Bosses And Dogs
Mallory always had a way of making me laugh. Especially when he played The Boss in a wry way. (Hey, gimme a Boss On Wry!)I remember once when someone asked for a couple hours off one afternoon.Mallory said, cheerfully, "Sure! Why don't you take the rest of...
