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The JackB

"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'." Groucho Marx

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Archives for January 2010

What I Dream About

January 23, 2010 by Jack Steiner 18 Comments

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My mother tells me that my preschool teachers used to tell her that they were certain that I would grow up to be a writer. They said that I had a very active imagination. They were right, I did and still do have a very active imagination.

I dream in bright colors and crystal clear images. I see movies play in my mind and wonder why I can’t turn them into reality. I am not Walter Mitty, although I suppose that we share some traits. I am a dreamer but I am not someone who intentionally misleads other into believing that I am someone other than who I am.

I dream about writing books and becoming a published author. I dream about becoming a columnist and writing screenplays. I dream about becoming a doctor, a scientist and a teacher. I dream about playing left field for the Dodgers and power forward for the Lakers.

I dream about building a castle and manning the walls. I dream about traveling around the world and quiet moments at home. I dream about places and things that make me smile. I dream about MLBF and having a home library. A place with built in shelves and big overstuffed chairs.

I dream about owning a private jet and island getaways. I dream about living out the stories and promises and whispers of the night. I dream about that kiss and the moments in time. I dream about walking those roads in Jerusalem again.

I dream about doing the Ironman and the incredible amount of work it will take to get there. I dream about carving and reshaping my body so that it once again looks as I remember it.

I dream about many years from now when my children are grown and wonder if the visions I see will resemble reality. I dream of long walks on the beach and quiet drives up the coast.

I dream about writing songs and playing music. And sometimes I dream about being granted the talent and ability to perform them.

I have many dreams, far more than I have shared here. There are endless details that I could list but haven’t. Some of these dreams will become reality and others will remain unfilled. The ultimate goal is to see that I don’t look back in regret. I don’t want to have a life that ends in I could have but didn’t.

I want a life that is more than that. It is not to much too ask for. I may dream big, but I am willing to do things to make them into something more.

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Filed Under: 2010- Year of Jack, Things About Jack

What Do Fathers Dream About?

January 22, 2010 by Jack Steiner Leave a Comment

The dark haired beauty looks up at me, a mass of long dark curls cascading down the side of her head and orders me to pick her up. “Abba, I am 5.5 now and I want a phone and pierced ears.”

The dark haired beauty looks up at me, a mass of long dark curls cascading down the side of her head and orders me to pick her up. “Abba, I am 5.5 now and I want a phone and pierced ears.”


dream on

As she says this she hugs me, caresses my face and kisses my cheek. This girl of mine has been studying me for her entire life. She thinks that she has me wrapped around her finger. A hug, kiss and a coy look are all tools that she uses to try and disarm me. This little girl has discovered that feminine wiles can be used to try and get her way.

I squeeze her back, kiss her forehead and ask her if she wants to know a secret. She smiles and leans in so that I can whisper in her ear. “I love you! And that is why you aren’t getting a phone.” She snaps her head back and gives me a quizzical look.

I laugh and remind her that I grew up with 1,298,098 sisters. I know all of the tricks and none of them work on me. And then I explain to her that because I love her I set boundaries. She tries one more tactic, tells me that she dreamt that I gave her a phone. I smile again and tell her that dreams are good and that mine are different.

In response she asks, “What do daddies dream about? It is an excellent question. And I swear that for a moment the little girl is gone and a woman is standing in front of me. I suppose that it catches my attention because I think of dreams often. It is a regular topic between the boys and I, dreams that is.

We talk about about them, the boys and I. All of us are in some kind of transitional place in our lives. Some are getting divorced, some are dealing with unemployment/career issues and all are trying to figure out what it means to see our thirties in the rear view mirror.

I take the dark haired beauty by her hand and lead her to the couch. We sit down and she curls up against me. I close my eyes for a moment and savor the moment. She is growing quickly and I see the time when she won’t make this sort of time for me.

I tell her that daddies dream about taking care of their families. I tell her that daddies look at their children and dream about helping them to become good people who have character and are happy. I tell her that it is my job to help her avoid making some of the mistakes that I have made. She scrunches up her face and says that is impossible, I am a boy.

I roll my eyes at her and watch her giggle. She is at that age where it is fun to say that “boys are stinky.” I say that we aren’t stinky and she tells me that she told everyone in school that I can’t drink milk anymore. I smile at her and tell her that she should tell them I am “lactose intolerant.” That should make for fine conversation.

Just when I think that I have redirected the topic she tells me that she doesn’t want to go in the bathroom when I come out of it. Damn if this kid isn’t trying to get the last word on me. I smile at her and tell her that it is time to get ready for bed. She tells me that she isn’t ready.

I nod my head and tell her that I have a solution for that. She asks me what it is and tell her to follow me into the kitchen. I open up the fridge and take out the milk. As I get a cup I tell her that if she doesn’t want to go to bed she can hang out and see what happens if I drink milk.

She scrunches up her nose and screams “no way.” I smile and chuckle. I have to call my sisters and let them know that I have found a new victim for old tricks.

A short time later that little girl is tucked inside her bed. She has just finished reading a story to me. As she drifts off to sleep I smile and think about writing a post about my dreams. Maybe I have grown a bit too accustomed to blogging about life. 😉

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Filed Under: 2010- Year of Jack, Children

David Blaine: How I held my breath for 17 min

January 22, 2010 by Jack Steiner Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Stories of Love and Relationships

January 22, 2010 by Jack Steiner Leave a Comment

Boy does that title sound hokey. Anyhoo, I noticed that my flock seems to be wandering so I decided to shepherd them back into the corral, or at least try to.

One of these days I really have to sit down and work on these and see about stringing them together into something more coherent.

Here are the pieces that I wrote for NaNoWriMo:

Who Broke Your Heart- Things You Might Not Know
The End of a Marriage
A 21st Century Break Up
“I Don’t Want To Kiss My Husband Ever Again”
Once Upon A Time
Hanging Out With Hairy
I Will Never Fall In Love Again
A Love Song That Needs To Be Written
A Love Song That Needs To Be Written Continued

Here are some others that I wrote afterwards:
Lightning Strikes Twice
More than Heaven Will Allow
These Pictures of You
I Don’t Love My Husband Anymore
Some Background
The Almost Warrior
All I Want Is You
It Burns
You Won’t Take My Call

And here is a link to a ton of other fiction I have written:

Pieces of My Heart & Mind- Collection of Fiction

Filed Under: Fragments of Fiction

Some Notes About Fragments of Fiction

January 22, 2010 by Jack Steiner Leave a Comment

More than a few of you have left comments or sent emails asking for me to provide more details about a series of posts that I call Fragments of Fiction. These posts are exactly what they seem, fragments of fiction intermixed with fragments of truth.

I write about experiences, places and people. I weave stories out of these moments in time and do my best to create something that you, the reader can relate to. I suppose that it is fair to say that I have a few themes that I fall back upon more frequently than others.

The story lines always involve some sort of relationship, but the story of that relationship is not always black and white. On their most basic level there is a beginning, a middle and an end. Part of the joy of writing these stories is that there are so many different things that can happen. Life is nothing but interesting.

Someone once asked me why these stories always seem to be sad. I suppose that is one way of looking at them. Certainly my mood affects my writing, but at the same time I don’t necessarily view these pieces in the same way as others. They are fragments, little snapshots of a moment in time. They aren’t necessarily representative of what is going to happen, just a history of what has.

When I write them I usually envision a brighter future for whomever I am writing about than it may seem.

Filed Under: Shack Notes

A Musical Interlude

January 21, 2010 by Jack Steiner Leave a Comment

Working like a mad man on several projects and am taking a short break. Here is what has been playing on my iPod.

Tunnel of Love– Bruce Springsteen
The River– Bruce Springsteen
Jackson– Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash
City of Blinding Lights-U2
I Melt– Rascal Flatts
S.O.S.-Abba
We’ve Got Tonight– Bob Seger
The Fire Inside– Bob Seger
Prodigal Blues-Billy Idol
I am The Walrus– The Beatles
Insanity– Oingo Boingo
Uprising– Muse
Bhangra Fever-MiDIval PunditZ

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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