J.J. Goodman: Writings, Musings and More

You won't find her at a black tie affair She'd rather be by a fire  Flames dancing in the air She doesn't need a fancy European car All she needs is the top down And you're bound to go far No, she's not a high maintenance girl Just turn up some music  And she's ready to whirl Wouldn't have her any other way She had a hold of me from the start She's my bohemian beauty with a gypsy heart You won't find her at a seven course meal Give her beers and burger And she'll call it a deal She doesn't need make up or a fancy dress She's naturally beautiful With her hair all a mess No, she's not one for money or jewels With a mischievous grin She'll be breaking some rules Wouldn't have her any other way She had a hold of me from the start She's my bohemian beauty with a gypsy heart She's one of a kind There'll never be another No, not like this girl of mine ...

It's been a while since I've done one of these complete stories with no names. Enjoy. ***** "Here you go." He handed her the steaming cup of hot cocoa and she accepted it gleefully. It was the first cup of the season and exactly as she liked it, with just enough marshmallows to cover the top. They were already beginning to melt. She pulled her feet up onto the swing's seat and scrunched her body together tightly as she deeply inhaled the warm, chocolate aroma. "You're the best," she remarked before taking her first sip. Like a child, she savored the sticky, marshmallow film on her lips before licking it off. He sat down beside her and caused the swing to shift just enough that she had to reach forward and steal another sip before her drink ended up in her lap. Assured she wouldn't spill, he settled in and pulled the blanket she'd been hogging across his lap.  "Man, what a beautiful afternoon," he remarked. It ...

The phrase "I'm sorry" should be banished from the English language. (I can't believe I'm going to ask this, but why?) I'm glad you asked, parenthetical manifestation of my imagining the response of my readers! (Yeah, yeah…) We have collectively created a litigious society, which in turn has rendered us an overly apologetic people, all because of the irrational angst associated with misguided repercussion.  We've become so debilitated by our desire for acceptance, fear of rejection, and general dread of reply that we'd rather apologize and diffuse a situation than stand our ground and be firm in our conviction. (I… Son of a bitch. You're making sense again. We've talked about this.) I know, it makes me itch too. Anywhoos…. Now granted, if you bump into someone, by all means apologize. If you forget to do something, yeah, perhaps you should be apologetic. But for the love of sweet bejeebus, stop apologizing for simply be...

Too many times we look back Getting ourselves off track Wondering why Looking to the sky For answers the clouds won't give   If we could just hold on tight I think that we just might See something new Out of the blue Shining on this life to live   Baby, tomorrow's the time For us to run far away Lose ourselves Together forever   Yeah it's finally time For us to run away Let me love you like There's no yesterday   I never knew I'd be standing here Still hurting year after year It's time to let go Why take it slow Take my hand and open your heart   Let's not dwell on the past Let's make something to last A reason to smile And dance for a while All we need's to make a new start   Baby, tomorrow's the time For us to run far away Lose ourselves Together forever   Yeah it's finally time For us to run away Let me love you like There's no yesterday   Let'...

  With Ultionis out for editing, I've got some new ideas... let me know what you think of this.   ***   Few things sounded sweeter to the pilot of a B-17G Flying Fortress than the buzzing hum of its four Wright Cyclone engines as it flew due west. The Buffalo Babe , her nose adorned with a pin-up wearing nothing but a cold weather bomber coat, in honor of the wintery city for which she was named, was on its way back to England after another raid on Regensburg.   Forty Fortresses were lost that day, and the Babe hadn't escaped the flak– German anti-aircraft installments had taken out a good portion of the tail wing and left a gaping hole in the fuselage to the rear of the left waist gunner's position. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.   "Cap, we're losing number three," Lieutenant John Giuseppe said from the co-pilot's seat.   "Feather prop, cut fuel," Captain Dean Pierce replied. His co-pilot did as ordered and they con...

So I'm flipping through the Yahoo.com headlines and see that Taylor Swift has declared she is "straight up enemies" with an another female artist (speculation identifying that artist as Katy Perry).   Straight up enemies.     *pause*     Excuse me, what?   Did she just… oh honey, no. Let me explain something to you. The Roman Empire and Hannibal? Enemies. Lions and Zebras? Enemies. Nazis and, well, pretty much everybody? Enemies. You and Katy Perry? Just, shut up, Taylor Swift.   On this day in particular, reading those words irks me. Angers me. Enrages me. Today is September 11 th . Do you seriously mean to tell me that you are going to make such an asinine, idiotic, nonsensical statement so close to this day, let alone ever? I, wow.   On this day in 2001 our ENEMIES hijacked the sanctity of our freedom by commandeering our aircraft and flying them into our landmarks. Though admittedly one such effort was thwarted, th...

I think I solved my insomnia problem.   (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!)   No, really, I'm serious.   (HAHA…haha…ha… wait, what?)   Just kidding.   (Bastard.)   I know. But now that I have your attention, Let's talk about something important, like, respect.   (R-E-S-P-E-C… dammit!! You just Aretha'd us!)   Would you rather I'd Rick Rolled you?   (*sigh* no, I suppose not.)   That's what I thought. Now, as I was saying…. Respect is a lost art. Far too many have forgotten both its purpose, and its effect. Dictionary.com defines respect as " esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability."   Now I will be the first to tell you that I do not automatically respect a person. I don't care what title you hold, or how old you are, or what family ...