Thomas Wictor

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My second interview since 2002

Here’s my second interview since 2002. It’s with bassist Joe Burcaw. We have a lot in common, and we would likely disagree on nearly everything if we got into it politically and socially. But why would I do that to Joe? I like his playing. That’s all that matters. There was one question that I…

 

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Thinking is hard

If there’s anyone who understands how tough life can be, it’s this guy. The one writing this post. I perfectly understand your desire to maintain an even strain. Thinking is hard. It forces you to make decisions that you feel will violate your personal codes of conduct. Well, there’s your problem. Adopting rigid, arbitrary standards…

 

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The arrival of the man intended

Mom always told me that I was the happiest baby and toddler she’d ever seen. To be frank, I have no memory of being happy. Today, however, I announce the arrival of the man intended. He showed up after fifty-one years. You might find it hard to accept why I’m now truly, permanently happy; the…

 

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On being a solo flier

Today I thought I’d write a post on being a solo flier, Tim’s term for what he and I are. I wasn’t sure if I’d write it or what I’d say. Then I saw this video from Saturday Night Live. Like so many of SNL’s routines, it goes on too long, but the message is…

 

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I’ve been granted permission

Don’t ask me how I know this, but I know it exactly the way I recognized and remembered the Cardinal Ghost when I met her on November 6, 1987. I’ve been granted permission to write my next novel. This is good news, because the subject matter is going to rattle a lot of cages. But…

 

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How did we come to this?

Soylent Green is one of my favorite movies. It takes place in 2022, eight years from now. When Charleton Heston brings fresh food to elderly Edward G. Robinson, for a few seconds Robinson is ecstatic, and then he breaks down and sobs, “How did we come to this?” What he means is how did we…

 

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How we survive

I just told someone the plot of my next novel. The reaction was stupefaction. I understand, because it’s going to be a stupefying book. But that reaction made me think. So here’s a post on how we survive bad news, awful experiences, and hideous knowledge. Everybody’s different; what works for me won’t fit the bill…

 

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Would you want to know?

I grappled with this question a long time ago: If people in your life had terrible secrets, would you want to know? For me it depends on the secrets. I can overlook some things, while others are deal breakers. The first time the question really came up was when I met the Cardinal Ghost. Within…

 

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Sometimes we’re not owed compensation

My father Edward Wictor was such a mystery that yesterday I hired a researcher to find his military records. In my parents’ house and garage, there is not a single document related to Dad’s service. He wrote a history of his time in the United States Coast Guard, but it raises more questions than it…

 

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Drunk, impotent, and unfaithful

Everyone I’ve ever contacted has sold my name and e-mail address to spammers. I get inundated with junk that some algorithm predicted would make me excited and start spending money. According to the demographics, I’m drunk, impotent, and unfaithful. First the drunk aspect of my character. The way I got put on this list is…

 

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