The Old Lone Ranger

Pure Evil

By Rich Marin | April 15, 2025 by Rich Marin

A profound question for the ages that has challenged philosophers, theologians, and thinkers across cultures and throughout history is why evil exists. There are several perspectives on why evil exists. From a theological standpoint, many traditions grapple with the “problem of evil” – how to reconcile the existence of suffering with an all-powerful, all-knowing, and benevolent deity. Some propose that evil is the necessary consequence of free will, allowing humans to make moral choices. Others…

Memoir

Fruit Trees I Have Known

By Rich Marin | April 14, 2025April 11, 2025 by Rich Marin

I remember when my mother first retired in the mid-1980’s, she rented a small house in Las Vegas to be near my sister and her young family. The thing she liked best about the house was that there were several fruit trees in the back yard that yielded plums and nectarines for her. I remember wondering why that was such a big deal since there were plenty of those fruits available at the supermarket. But…

How Does This Happen?

By Rich Marin | April 13, 2025 by Rich Marin

A few months ago I mentioned in one of my stories that one of Donald Trump’s golfing pals, Steve Witkoff was a shocking choice to me as the new Middle East negotiator on the Israeli/Gaza situation. I likened in to the equally shocking choice of Jerrod Kushner for that role in Trump’s first administration. Of course, Jerrod got what he wanted from the gig after the Emirates and Saudi Arabia (via his big bud, MBS)…

Memoir Politics

Summer Fun

By Rich Marin | April 12, 2025 by Rich Marin

It is still early April and yet the weather here on our hilltop has turned summer-like. The weather forecast says it will be 80 degrees, but if the hilltop holds true to form, that means it will likely be in the mid-80s at least. My annual AC checkup was last week and the system is raring to go, as are the Big Ass fans on the ceiling, which are already slowly turning as though to…

Business Advice Fiction/Humor Memoir Politics

The Lesser of Two Weavils

By Rich Marin | April 11, 2025 by Rich Marin

While we were rounding Cape Hirn last month, Viking showed the movie Master and Commander, starring Russel Crowe as the captain of a British Naval vessel who is chasing a Spanish galleon through the Southern Ocean waters, trying to capture its prize trade booty before peace got declared back home between their two nations. The concept of rushing to justify larceny rather than anticipating peace was somehow portrayed as noble and manly in an era…

Memoir

My Level Best

By Rich Marin | April 10, 2025 by Rich Marin

I had an interesting conversation this morning with Mike & Melisa. We are of a like mind about how we each want to maintain the aesthetic “curb appeal” of our homes. Neither of us is trying to sell our properties and neither of us are located on our streets in places that get tons of passerby traffic. So, I think its fair to say that we care about how our properties look for our own…

Fiction/Humor Retirement

Wasting Away Without Margaritaville

By Rich Marin | April 9, 2025April 8, 2025 by Rich Marin

Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” is one of the most iconic songs in popular culture, often associated with a carefree, beach-focused lifestyle. The song itself has its own cultural impact that has been substantial and multi-faceted. It defines the “Island Escapism” Lifestyle, crystallizing a specific American fantasy – escaping the rat race for a laid-back tropical paradise where worries melt away with frozen drinks and ocean breezes. In keeping with yesterday’s story, it is, perhaps, the best…

Business Advice Memoir Politics

Nearer My God To Thee

By Rich Marin | April 8, 2025 by Rich Marin

“Of Mice and Men” is a novella written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937. It is set during the Great Depression in the agricultural fields of Northern California, where it follows two migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who move from place to place in search of job opportunities. They are the real Americans in the heartland during the worst of the Great Depression. That Great Depression was caused by a complex…

Fiction/Humor Memoir

Funny Friday

By Rich Marin | April 7, 2025 by Rich Marin

You know how some days are just hard to figure out? Are they good days or bad days? I’m a little confused about today, so let me explain. First of all it’s Friday, probably the most popular day of the week because the work week has ended and yet the household chores of Saturday have not begun. I know that young people are starting to push into Thursday night as the big “date night” of…

Love Politics

Hands Off

By Rich Marin | April 6, 2025April 6, 2025 by Rich Marin

I started college in August 1971. That was almost after the main protest years of the 1960s had ended…. almost but not quite. The turbulent protest years that characterized the prior decade had peaked in 1969. I always think of the Kent State massacre as that moment. But during the fall of 1971 and the spring of 1972, ostensibly throughout my freshman year, there were still plenty of anti-war protests. As a guy who had…

SUBSCRIBE!