Page 1 of Jack H. Schick's writing

1. An Ice Pick in the Eye We’ve had a lot of complicated crap going on at work this week (I know, I know. I should be grateful I have a job). The other morning I was in a pretty edgy mood and snapped out on another supervisor when he said something that, under normal... (posted by Jack H. Schick 9 days 4 hours ago.)

2. A Node in the Network I have a rather close connection with John Lennon--two degrees of separation, in popular, contemporary terms. You see, back in the summer of 1966, Frantic Freddie, a disc-jockey from a radio station up in Allentown, organized a bus trip down to... (posted by Jack H. Schick 11 days 3 hours ago.)

3. My Mummy's Dead My mummy’s dead. I can’t get it through my head, Though it’s been so many years. My mummy’s dead. It's hard to explain So much pain I could never show it My mummy's dead. (John Lennon) * I passed along... (posted by Jack H. Schick 16 days 5 hours ago.)

4. Herbert Victor Wiley: American Hero, Extraordinaire Admiral "Bull" Reeves, commander of the U.S. Fleet, was not the least bit pleased when he got the news. He'd personally guaranteed Franklin D. Roosevelt's aides that, due to the skill of the U.S. Navy, there was absolutely no chance that any kind... (posted by Jack H. Schick 20 days 20 hours ago.)

5. The Loss of the Airship 'Akron' I was horrified. I couldn't get the images out of my mind for days. I guess I never really did, because even now, over 50 years later, I can still see it clearly, in black and white as I saw it on the tiny television screen. The dirigible was... (posted by Jack H. Schick 21 days 19 hours ago.)

6. One With the Great 'I Am' I must have been in that little metal chair they’d let me sit in out in the yard, the one with a tray across the front, the one they’d pick me up and lower me down into, slipping my legs under the tray. It was made of bent pipes and... (posted by Jack H. Schick 26 days 5 hours ago.)

7. He Called Me Kemosabe Our Warehouse Supervisor, with whom I work closely on a daily basis, was in a pretty good mood this morning. After all, it’s Friday and he doesn’t have weekend duty (I do). Rather than depressing everyone by bemoaning the state of the... (posted by Jack H. Schick 29 days 4 hours ago.)

8. Breaking Federal Law The year my mother died I inadvertently cheated on my taxes. There was some confusion between my attorney and my accountant and certain deductions were claimed in the wrong year (we won’t get into details since the IRS might be watching). I... (posted by Jack H. Schick 31 days 7 hours ago.)

9. The Racism of a Friend These days it is generally expected that I display tolerance and understanding for different beliefs, religious faiths and cultural norms. An understanding and acceptance of, let’s say, Muslim prayer practices and treatment of women, the... (posted by Jack H. Schick 32 days 6 hours ago.)

10. Tales From Krakatoa: The Three Mister Schuits (Part III) (This is the 6th essay in this series) Telegraph Master Mr. W. Schuit was not pleased with the decisions made at the impromptu 9:00 pm meeting that town officials held at Mr. H. Schuit’s Anjer Hotel. Considering the continued volcanic... (posted by Jack H. Schick 33 days 6 hours ago.)

11. A Stallion in the Mist (from the "Along the Tohickon" series) I was about twelve. When I got up one Saturday morning in the early spring it seemed darker than it should have been. I went out to the living room and turned on the T.V. When I pulled the curtains on the front picture window aside I saw why it... (posted by Jack H. Schick 35 days 8 hours ago.)

12. A Distention of the Mind I get into hopeless ‘thought loops’ a lot (I must have too much spare time). Before answering a question that was posed to me—“If you had nothing but spare time, what would you do with it?”—I got into one of... (posted by Jack H. Schick 39 days 4 hours ago.)

13. A Spinster of the "Titanic:" the Lonely Journey of Violet Jessop Violet Jessop's marriage didn't last long. She leaned on the railing of the ship with an aching emptiness in her stomach and heart. As she watched the sun slowly settle onto the horizon and begin to sink, her lips curled in an ironic smile as she... (posted by Jack H. Schick 41 days 19 hours ago.)

14. "A Grilled Cheese for My Father" When I was a little guy, my dad would occasionally take me to the Fifth Street Luncheonette with him. It was a tiny, square, white building on the corner of an alley next to the shirt-making factory. There was a counter with half a dozen red vinyl... (posted by Jack H. Schick 45 days 22 hours ago.)

15. Wyatt Earp: the Return to Illinois In the spring of 1865, another one of General Phineas Banning’s freight wagons making the run from the pueblo of Los Angles to San Bernardino was ambushed and robbed. It was becoming an irritating and expensive problem. The General (he... (posted by Jack H. Schick 48 days 5 hours ago.)

16. Swastika Compromised It is believed that sometime before 10,000 BC a comet entered the inner regions of our solar system and passed close to the Earth. Traveling on what may have appeared to be a collision course with our planet, as the icy, rotating object approached... (posted by Jack H. Schick 49 days 20 hours ago.)

17. An Encounter with an American Worker I had a severe blow up at work the other day. That’s the kind of personality I have. I’m generally easygoing and give my guys plenty of slack and leeway. Calm and easy is my style, most of the time. I do have a temper, though. It... (posted by Jack H. Schick 51 days 2 hours ago.)

18. The Coward of the "Titanic": J. Bruce Ismay (I Saw It In the Movies) I initially came up with what I thought would be a good topic for the WryteStuff “Best April Fool’s Joke” writing assignment. Considering that it is the 100 th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I thought an expose’... (posted by Jack H. Schick 53 days 2 hours ago.)

19. Strange New Mammal Found in Antarctica Until recently it was believed that there were only 17 species of mammals native to the continent of Antarctica. All of those species are aquatic animals—whales, porpoises and seals. {The 17 species are: Leopard Seal, Weddell Seal, Crabeater... (posted by Jack H. Schick 54 days 21 hours ago.)

20. Writing Assignments I am not a strong proponent of the WryteStuff writing assignments. I appreciate the concept, however. Several of the assignments have been specifically directed toward exercising the writing skills of contributors, like “Use an Extended... (posted by Jack H. Schick 57 days 20 hours ago.)

21. Origins of the American English Term ‘Okay’ I walked into Dave’s office with some important information about a malfunctioned piece of equipment we needed to get fixed a.s.a.p. He was on the telephone. He held up his index finger indicating that he was busy and that I should be quiet... (posted by Jack H. Schick 58 days 21 hours ago.)

22. Baby Bunny Blues An incident occurred the other day that upset me a little. I got over it. I always do, but I thought about it more than usual. I didn’t think so much about the incident as about my reaction to it. I wondered, for a few moments at least, if... (posted by Jack H. Schick 60 days 8 hours ago.)

23. Craig Breedlove's Quest: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet My wife’s Ford Mustang GT, 35 th Anniversary Special has some sort of speed control governor on it. About 120mph is the fastest it will go. It feels like it’s got more in it, but you can keep the pedal to the floor and it just hangs... (posted by Jack H. Schick 61 days 19 hours ago.)

24. Guided Imaging “Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge has its limits.” Albert Einstein A florescent green glow emanated from the cyst-like nodule deep inside the knee joint. The nodule itself pulsed and throbbed; seemed to... (posted by Jack H. Schick 64 days 6 hours ago.)

25. Tax Time 2012: Breaking the Piggy Bank Well, I finally got around to getting my taxes done. I probably could have done them myself. Many years ago, even before all the software was invented, I used to do my own. I’d pile all the crumbled and stained papers and receipts on the... (posted by Jack H. Schick 66 days 6 hours ago.)