Monthly Archives: August 2022

An Essay  by Diane Hanley 8/31/22 None of us can predict the future.  We can only hope our choices now will prove correct as the future unfolds before us.  I loved Blockbuster.  It was fun browsing their shelves for just … Continue reading →

(This is my entry for round 7 of the Florida Weekly) When I was a kid, it was standard practice to always use the back door. The front door was for visitors. The only time a child used the front … Continue reading →

The bright red pickup sat defiantly in the handicapped parking spot in front of the market. There was no handicapped tag hanging from the mirror, no sign on the dash and no special license plate. I usually walk by muttering … Continue reading →

Ronald sat in his cubical staring at a banner 8 feet long by 3 feet tall with the words SIEZE THE DAY printed in bold letters. He had stared at this sign for five months while making countless phone calls, … Continue reading →

On a recent stroll through the harbour district, I spied a large boat tethered to the dock, its name emblazoned in gold letters across the stern—Crappy Diem.  An obvious play on the Latin phrase carpe diem, to seize the day, … Continue reading →

Are we more similar to other generations or less? People often believe their generation is the greatest, worked the hardest and got the least while other generations claim its them. It can’t be everyone… or can it? This debate is … Continue reading →

“Fill ’er up,” I told the gas station attendant back in 1970. For three single dollar bills, I bought two hundred miles and a few hours of freedom. Maybe a foray from campus in western Connecticut to New York City … Continue reading →

I have a four hour window for the plumber- 1 pm to 5 pm. I answered my cell phone at 1245 expecting to hear that there will be a delay- or worse, it’ll be canceled until next week. This was … Continue reading →

In today’s tumultuous world, it’s no surprise there is a greater disconnect between generations than in any other period of history. One probable reason for the animosity between generations is that people are living longer. The older generation, in this … Continue reading →

Shortly after the end of my seventh decade, I made a dramatic discovery.  One of my basic beliefs, one of my most treasured tenets, turned out to be untrue.  Indisputably incorrect.  Not founded upon fact. Contrary to my lifelong assumption, … Continue reading →

An elderly gentleman casually strolled around the perimeter of the gallery, admiring the paintings. He would stop in front of each one, read the placard describing who the artist was, the year it was painted, and the title of the … Continue reading →

Every winter for quite a number of years, my wife and I used to head north, without the kids, for a vacation-weekend of cross-country skiing.  But for the life of me as I think back on those long-ago days, I … Continue reading →

There is a special challenge to going on a vacation in these days of perpetual pandemics, monkeypox, polio outbreaks, climate migration, floods, melting ice caps, forest and brush fires everywhere- even Hawaii, earthquakes, European rivers drying up, raging inflation, attacks … Continue reading →

Author Note: While this is written in 1st person, it is not me. People envy my life. I travel to exotic locations, meet interesting people and see the world. My image is on billboards, magazines and all over the internet. … Continue reading →

Baby Doll  by Diane Hanley 8/10/22 Being in my mid forties, teaching all day and engaging in my limited social life on weekends, I decided one January that it was finally necessary that I make a New Year’s resolution — … Continue reading →

MY INTERNET IS UNSTABLE (1100 South Ocean Boulevard) The morning came with darkness, blacker than coca cola The operating system is broken, with things I could have told you The bandwidth is too narrow to handle all the traffic The system … Continue reading →

My grandmother never gave me anything she didn’t make. That sounds quaint and sentimental, but she obsessively practiced handcraftery and pawned off her fetishes as gifts. Like when she went to Hawaii, she didn’t bring me a souvenir T-shirt. No. … Continue reading →

This little fable tells of a man who registered himself on MILFantasies, a website dedicated to hooking men up for discreet sexual liaisons.  To his dismay, the website’s unreliable database was hacked by a malicious, anonymous group shortly thereafter.  The … Continue reading →

I scanned the room as usual to make sure there were no signs of illegal entry. Nothing seemed out of place. The Qual-Tech Automotive pen was exactly in place, pointing west with the company phone number centered to the standing … Continue reading →

The “ABC”s of Death  by Diane Hanley 8/3/2022 Everybody, no exceptions, waits their turn to die.  Some go quickly; some linger, even years.  Some suffer painfully, physically; others suffer emotionally.  Some suffer not at all, but die with a fishing … Continue reading →

I remember a time when making a phone call took a dime and a search for a phone booth. But now, the convenience of having a phone, address book, email, internet, camera, calendar, photo album, stopwatch, clock, flashlight, and all … Continue reading →

We found a locked metal box in the basement of my grandmother’s house. I’m sure grandma probably forgot it was even there. Neither of us had ever seen this box before, which was strange since she took pride in displaying … Continue reading →

From where George sat, the woman who pulled into the No Parking Zone appeared to be around 40, though, given the lack of gray hair, she was probably younger. Then he saw the car seat in the back. Definitely younger. … Continue reading →