Although exploring the creative process may be one of the driving conceptual forces of The Daily Dose, manual labor can play a huge role in opening up pathways and clearing obstacles that may be obstructing a clear view to achieving a state of creative flow. SWEEPING LESSONS Carlo was a little old elf of a…
(with all due apologies to Larry David and his Soup Nazi) I woke up on Friday morning feeling shaky, but good enough to get my ass out of bed and produce. Wednesday and Thursday were rough. I had the flu and all its attendant projectile symptoms, but primarily a raging fever. I don’t write well…
In our little neighborhood on Gayle Road, Fourth of July weekend was very special. It tapped into some real primordial DNA, at least when I was a little kid. On the third of July we would have a neighborhood picnic at our shared beach that would go way beyond my normal bedtime and into the…
Howdy Peep-A-Roos: Well it seems that I have contracted a full blown summer flu. Alternately boiling, freezing, drenched in sweat and incredibly achy kind of flu. I finished yesterday’s installment in a state of delirium; dangerous, considering the subject material. Like texting drunk. Considering NOT to click on the “publish” button is equally if not…
On Rhetorical Devices, Influences, and Making Art “Popular” . Introduction: I have promised readers of the DAILY DOSE that at some point, I’d be delving into the nuts and bolts of “How It’s Done” or at least “How I Did It”. Its time for me to impart not some, but ALL of the knowledge that…
THE BOAT LESSONS In the summer of 1975 he was fifteen; lost in the weeds of adolescent rebellion, unbridled anger, and raging testosterone levels with few outlets other than his own manual dexterity. Which clearly wasn’t getting the job done enough to calm his roiling waters. She was nineteen, back from her first year of…
Alan and Jamie Notarthomas One the most valuable series of lessons that still serve me today came from the tutelage of Alan Rowoth. I had just joined a band called The Works, and they were pretty hot at the time. The band had burned through two incredibly talented piannaplunkers, Tommy Canfield and Andy Rudy. Two…
Thanksgiving is rapidly becoming my favorite holiday. It used to be Christmas, but things change. Last Thanksgiving I spent alone, eating the only thing left in a barren cupboard for my “abundant feast to be thankful for”: a bag potato chips. There are certain core concepts in my life experience that I won’t compromise, and…
(“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”) My Moms, Linda Rockino, and my Pops, Nick Rossi. were married in 1955. Here’s a little video of Nick explaining how he met Linda. The future was bright for both of them. Linda was barely 21, and Nick was settling in to his responsibilities of…