Category Archives: fiction

Notes on Anita Ekberg, ‘sex goddess’

Posted on January 13, 2015 by oddmanout215

News of Anita Ekberg’s death at 83 got Swamp Rabbit and I and other Federico Fellini fans thinking of Ekberg’s small but memorable role in La Dolce Vita (1960), her only good movie and one of the greatest movies ever … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, humor, mainstream media, movies | 1 Comment

Ivan Klima covers the NFL playoffs

Posted on January 12, 2015 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit and I were hungry, so we took a two-day job — strictly commission, unfortunately — peddling magical electricity in a suburban mall. There were flat-screen TVs and football fans all over the place. We caught some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, humor, life in the big city, Philadelphia, sports, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Regarding Rushdie and the limits of satire

Posted on January 8, 2015 by oddmanout215

Salman Rushdie has issued an eloquent denunciation of the fanatics who slew 12 in Paris in the name of their god: I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, history, humor, mainstream media, plutocracy, terrorism, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black-eyed peas at New Year’s, and other superstitions

Posted on January 6, 2015 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit and I didn’t do Christmas 2014, we were too beat down by the solstice blues. We agreed to exchange gifts at New Year’s but didn’t get around to it until Sunday. I gave the rabbit two cans of … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, economic collapse, fiction, food, humor, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Get 700,000 e-books for $9.99, then an Amazon crock-pot

Posted on December 31, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit and I were eating collard greens — the new kale! — and reading about Amazon’s all-you-can-eat strategy for handling books: …For much of the last year, mainstream novelists were furious that Amazon was discouraging the sale of some … Continue reading →

Posted in down and out, economic collapse, fiction, food, humor, mainstream media, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Casinos to laid-off workers: Happy Labor Day!

Posted on September 1, 2014 by oddmanout215

I was telling Swamp Rabbit about my Labor Day Weekend trip to Atlantic City, where three casinos are closing and more than 5,700 casino workers are being laid off over the next two weeks. “Closed” stickers were slapped onto the … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, fiction, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, NJ, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q&A on A.C. casinos that crapped out

Posted on August 30, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit joined me in the shack to puzzle over an online obituary for Showboat, Revel and Trump Plaza: A time few could imagine during the not-too-distant glory days of casino gambling has arrived in Atlantic City, where two casinos … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, economic collapse, fiction, humor, mid-term elections, NJ, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Message in a bottle to literary agents

Posted on August 26, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit broke the seal on the bottle of Wild Turkey I’d just given him. This was his reward, in advance, for his advice today. It’s a tradition here at my shack in Tinicum. I told the rabbit I’ve been around … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, life in the big city, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Robin Williams, media vultures and the art of fiction

Posted on August 13, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit was watching the news on my laptop and feeling blue. The media vultures were picking over details of comedian/actor Robin Williams’ life, as if trying to shed light on why he killed himself. I tried to help the rabbit feel less … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, mainstream media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We tortured. It was wrong… That’s all, folks!

Posted on August 8, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit was looking over my shoulder at my laptop, chewing Lucky Charms and getting crumbs all over the keyboard. “How come you don’t do that blog no more?” he said. “I used to like readin’ all them lies you … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, Iraq war, mainstream media, Obama | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment