Tag Archives: memories

The Longest-Ever Pause Before Laughing?

Posted on August 6, 2025 by mitchteemley

When I was 6-years-old, our next-door neighbor finally completed his years-of-time-and-money-devouring work on a lavish custom motorcycle. We admired it loudly. And then we noticed the name he’d hand-lettered on the gas tank: “Miss Take.” My parents chuckled appreciatively. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

How to Remember Your Future

Posted on May 19, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week Thirteen Years. That’s how long Marcel Proust spent writing and expanding his seven-volume autobiographical novel. He obsessed over getting every detail right, and leaving nothing out. Only no one would publish it. So he published it … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Normal, Oh, How We Missed You!

Posted on April 26, 2025 by mitchteemley

My wife and I love daytrips. But when the 2020 lockdown went into effect, our daytrips dried-up. And, oh, how we missed them. So, one weekend, we grabbed our masks and headed for a pleasant little community called, fittingly, Pleasant … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 58 Comments

Look Before You [Insert Disaster Here]

Posted on March 19, 2025 by mitchteemley

My daughter had finally reached the stage where she was ready to use the potty-training seat all by herself! (It’s OK, I’ll wait while you applaud.) Squeak, click, went the bathroom door. A moment later, there was a blood-curdling scream. … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

Joy and Nausea All at Once

Posted on March 17, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week Some years back, I was booked as a guest speaker for a “Halloween Alternative” celebration on San Juan island, the largest of Washington state’s 400-isle San Juan group. Co-sponsored by churches on several of the bigger … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Memoir, Quips and Quotes, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , | 45 Comments

The Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020

Posted on March 15, 2025 by mitchteemley

Five years ago today, we were on the verge of a pandemic. We didn’t know yet how serious it would become, but we knew a lockdown was coming. Result? There was a run on supermarket supplies — especially toilet paper! … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 61 Comments

Moving Out and Moving On

Posted on March 4, 2025 by mitchteemley

Photo by Mantas Hesthaven My Real Memoir Being the director of a bohemian arts academy, at age twenty-five, gave me a certain “successful young artist” veneer. I barely made rent, but I dated a lot of our students. Pauline wasn’t a stunner, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

I’m Not an Actor, I Just Play One on TV

Posted on December 5, 2024 by mitchteemley

Oh, all right, yes, I’m an actor. Heck, I even have a diploma to prove it. But that doesn’t automatically mean they let me act on TV, or anyplace else for that matter (you know how “they” are). Why? I … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Movies, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 57 Comments

How to Go From Crappy to Happy

Posted on November 29, 2024 by mitchteemley

Black Friday, immediately after America’s official day of gratitude, is its unofficial day of grumbling. Of course, lots of people avoid shopping in person, and use their computers instead — while complaining about “the $“&%@#?* commercialization of the holidays!” But … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Movies, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Only Love Remains

Posted on August 3, 2024 by mitchteemley

“When the things we love come to an end, the love itself remains, as proof that they mattered–and still do.” ~The Wishing Map φ

Posted in Quips and Quotes, The Wishing Map | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments