J.J. Goodman: Writings, Musings and More

Well here we are, my friends. Another year has come and gone. As seems to be par for the course these last several years, my latest journey around the sun has been nothing short of extraordinary. I don't necessarily mean that it in a positive way, however. That's not to say it's been a bad year, either. It's simply been… extraordinary, as in exceptionally different from the norm. This past year was my first full year as a parent, don't forget. At this time last year my little peanut decided I needed to stay home with her… with my first case of pink eye since the Carter administration (no joke). This year she's running and jumping off furniture and saying two-word sentences and… holy shit. What a difference a year makes. This past year has also seen me experience some extraordinary things on the employment front, too. Things occurred to temporarily change the focus of my legal career, and not in manner that I'd prefer. Let's just say some of what...

(For my friends.) A group of friends, some of whom hadn't seen each other in two decades, get together to share a house while attending their twentieth reunion. Sounds like the plot for my next book, right? It could be, but no. That, dear readers, was exactly what happened this past weekend. You're all aware that, while writing is my dream job, lawyering is my actual day job. Though it's hard to admit, I have been at this now for twenty years. I graduated from law school in 1999, and did so with an amazing group of people that I am still blessed to call friends all these years later. The original classroom building at my law school.  We all arrived to a sleepy little New England town in 1996 with aspirations of becoming lawyers. We knew it would be a long and difficult journey over the three years we'd spend there. I don't think any of us could have ever anticipated what our time there would have in store for us, however, as individuals or as ...

I told you I was back...  It's been a while since I've written anything other than the Ramblings of a New Dad or my professional works for That Hashtag Show . Notwithstanding, oddity that is my imagination has always remained, and ideas and characters and stories still continue to swirl around my head like whirling dervishes.  I'm not sure from whence this idea was born, or if I'll continue with it and carry it through to conclusion. But... the words were there and, as always, I needed to get them out of my head. Let me know your thoughts, feelings, comments and/or criticisms in the comments.  I look forward to and cherish your feedback.  _____________________ Broken Aura "You're aura is broken." Her comment surprised him, but not so much that he let a single drop of whiskey escape from the glass he'd just put to his lips. "Beg your pardon?" he replied when he'd swallowed. "I said you're aura is broken...

So, um… hey. Hi. I'm JJ. I'm that writer guy that writes strange things and sometimes pretends you guys are talking back to me. Remember me?   (Who?)   *sigh*   Fair enough. It has been some time. Okay fine… it's been just shy of six months since I've written anything on these pages. I could tell you all the reasons for why it's taken me so long to come back to this blog, but does it really matter, and do you really want to hear them? I suppose maybe some of you do, and for that I'm appreciative. What it boils down to is this: I'm an overstressed, anxiety-filled mess these days, having to deal with extraordinary burdens both thrust upon me and of my own doing.   (So, it's Wednesday, is what you're saying.)   You do remember me! Yay! But no. This is different. My day job right now, about which I don't usually comment publically, is extremely stressful. Think Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off -level stress. Only I'm...

Well, for those playing the home game, yes, I survived my first year of parenthood. My daughter is one year old. I and my beloved wife have managed to keep another, completely dependent human being alive for a whole year. Yup. That's… it's been… my daughter…   HOLY FUCK MY DAUGHTER IS ONE YEAR OLD ALREADY.   (You mean twelve months old?)   Shut it you. But yes, twelve months, fifty-two weeks, three hundred and sixty-five days, however you want to enumerate it, my daughter is a year old. And when they say that time goes fast, boy howdy did they mean it. Incidentally, who are "they" anyway? Are they the same "they" that say you should stop and smell the roses to keep time from passing too quickly? Because honestly I don't pass a lot of roses on a daily basis. Plus I don't think sniffing plants would really have that effect.   (*blink blink*)   *sigh*   Yeah, I know. I need help. Can we move past that and talk about how my ch...