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One Thing or Another: The Joys of Being a (Almost) Halloween Baby
By Mark McNease
It’s always One Thing or Another … a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
I’m reprinting this column as an annual tradition, knowing that the current pandemic has altered the reality it presents for all of us. But the fun of Halloween remains and its pleasures will return someday. Nothing can keep a good witch down!
October has always been my favorite month. It’s the month when autumn really makes its presence felt, especially if you live where the seasons are discernible. (It recently went from air conditioner weather at the tail end of a relentlessly hot summer, to a sudden and unexpected freeze with a 30-degree drop). It’s flu season, which is always good for a sick day or two spent lying on the couch taking over-the-counter cold remedies that do nothing to stop you from feeling like death is close by. Honey, is the healthcare directive in place? You’re sure you’ve still got your copy? And how about the will? Can I change it by tomorrow? My sister forgot my birthday, I’m not sure she deserves the belt buckles.
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Author Fay Jacobs Talks Humor, Writing, and ‘Sit-Down Comedy’
Fasten your headphones for a conversation with author, humorist, activist, and sit-down comedian Fay Jacobs. We talk about her life and career, her writing, and what’s in store for the tireless writer.
Fay, a native New Yorker, has had a 35-year career in journalism, public relations & theater. As an author, Fay has five published books of humorous and activist essays. All were originally published by A&M Books, a successor to Naiad Press and are now published by Bywater Books. Fay’s first book, As I Lay Frying is in its 4th printing. A second, Fried & True won the 2008 National Federation of Press Women Book of the Year for humor.
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The Twist Podcast #138: Supreme Injustice, All the President’s Taxes, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose for this week’s podcast as we talk about another Supreme Court heist, Trump’s tax dodges, National Coffee Week, and the week in headlines.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2020 MadeMark Publishing
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Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: 50 Things You Can Do During the Pandemic
The following is reprinted with permission from RetireFabulously.com
By Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.com
The most popular article on RetireFabulously.com has been the mega-list of 100 Things You Can Do After You Retire. After all, there’s no reason to be bored after you retire.Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some of those activities aren’t feasible because they involve interacting with groups of people in potentially unsafe situations.
But don’t despair! The glass is still half full. Half of the things on that list are still doable during these stay-at-home, socially distanced times.
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The Savvy Senior: How to Keep a Watchful Eye on an Aging Parent
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
Can you recommend any services or technology that help me monitor my elderly mother who lives alone? Since the coronavirus pandemic started last March, my sister and I have noticed that my mom’s health has slipped a bit, so we would like to find something that helps us keep tabs on her when we’re not around.
Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned
Depending on how closely you want to monitor your mother, and what she’s comfortable with as well, there are check-in call services along with some new monitoring technology devices you can turn to for help. Here are several to consider.
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Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: How to Make the Best of Retirement in the Pandemic
The following is reprinted with permission from RetireFabulously.com
By Dave Hughes
It’s July 21, 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been raging for at least four months now.I hope you are doing well and staying safe and sane, to the greatest extent possible.
Aside from the immediate impacts of the pandemic, many other aspects of your life have been upended and changed in one way or another. Many businesses are suffering, but some are booming. People are eating out less, working from home, driving less, buying more of some things and less of others, and so on. Almost every aspect of “normal” has been disrupted.
If you are not retired yet, your work situation has probably changed. You may be working from home or even furloughed. Depending on your line of work, you may be working extra hours.
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The Twist Podcast #131: F is for Fascist, Dollar Gun Tree, Hellish Headlines and More
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we take a look at fascist fashions from Portland to Chicago, the explosion of casual gun violence, this week’s headlines from hell, and much more!
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2020 MadeMark Publishing
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The Savvy Senior: Can I Stop Social Security if I Go Back to Work?
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
I lost my job last month because of the coronavirus crisis. With little savings, I’ve been thinking about starting my Social Security benefits early to help me get by. But my question is, if I find a new job can I stop my Social Security benefits and restart them at a later date so they can continue to grow?
Almost 63
Dear Almost,
Yes, there are actually two ways you can stop your Social Security retirement benefits (once you’ve started collecting them) and restart them at a later date, which would boost your benefits. But in order to do this certain rules and conditions must be met. Here are your options.
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Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookwork
“Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.
c.2020, Simon and Schuster
$28.00 / $37.00 Canada 227 pagesYou hadn’t seen that container in ages.
You really can’t remember when you put it on the shelf. Sometime this year, six years ago, when you moved last? What’s in it must be worth something, though, or you wouldn’t’ve saved it. Now, as in the new book “Too Much and Never Enough” by Mary L. Trump, PhD, digging may yield answers.
No one has to explain to you who Donald Trump is but, for anyone who’s been completely out of the loop, Mary Trump is Donald’s niece (she uses his first name, always, and to avoid confusion, so will we). Trump has a PhD in psychology, worked at Manhattan Psychiatric Center while in school, was once a therapist, and taught graduate psychology. The point is, she’s got chops and it shows, especially when this book – a look at her family and, specifically, her Uncle Donald – reads like something from the True Medicine genre. Indeed, medically-based passages are nearly emotionless in their clinicality.
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LGBTSr Takes a Break!
Dear loyal LGBTSr readers, I’ll be taking some time off from the website. I’ve got a new Kyle Callahan Mystery to finish up and publish, I’m co-hosting The Twist Podcast again, and I’ll be doing occasional interviews for the One Thing or Another Podcast … and I have a job! No downtime for me, so I’m pausing LGBTSr for the time being. Check me out at my personal website, MarkMcNease.com, for updates and giveaways, and enjoy the summer as you can! – Mark McNease/Editor -
The Twist Podcast Swag is On the Way!
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A July eBook Giveaway: ‘A House in the Woods’
Mark, your editor here. I’ll be doing regular Kindle eBook giveaways throughout the coming months. It’s July, and that means it’s time for another one! This month I’ll be giving away 5 Kindle editions of my supernatural chiller, A House in the Woods. Winners will be randomly drawn on July 31.
Just visit the announcement at my website and use the RafflePress entry form to enter, and remember to check your spam folder for the required confirmation! No muss, no fuss. Note: you must live in the U.S. to use these codes. Sorry, but for these giveaways I have to stick with the U.S. (Kindle rules). All entrants’ emails are kept confidential and you will NOT be added to my email list! But please consider subscribing HERE for occasional author updates and fabulous freebies.
About A House in the Woods
Country Living is HellLaurel and Jeremy Calloway have longed for a new life away from the chaos and confusion of New York City. Driving along a country road in New Jersey with a young real estate agent in the back seat, they almost miss it: a small house in the woods for sale. Laurel immediately thinks this could be the house for them, the house of their dreams, where a simpler life awaits. But who are the mysterious old couple who’d put the house up for sale, having moved out months ago? Is caretaker Eileen more than a friendly neighbor? Who are the strange townspeople they meet, and is it the house of their dreams, or of their nightmares?
Prefer to get your listen on? Enjoy the audiobook edition of A House in the Woods at Audible, Amazon and iTunes, narrated by Daniela Acitelli.
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Book Review: 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life, by Elizabeth White
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm
55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life, by Elizabeth White
c.2020 in paperback, Simon & Schuster
$17.00 / $23.00 Canada 272 pagesYour last regular paycheck has come and gone.
That was awhile ago, back before you were downsized / laid off / reassigned right out of a job and you’re not sure what to do. Your savings are nearly gone, your retirement funds are next, and you’re too young to get Social Security. In 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal” by Elizabeth White, you’ll see how to make this new life work.
