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By Leo de Natale Adonis On The Half Shell By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci An elbow injury had forced me to alter my thrice-weekly exercise routine at the local gymnasium.  Instead of upper body weight machines that were painful, I concentrated on calisthenics and  leg exercises.  The quadriceps machine required me toContinue reading “Adonis On The Half Shell”

Made In China By Leo de Natale Illustration by Vince Giovannucci September, 2023 CPA Joe Di Nobili was in a foul mood. There was discord at his accounting office. Personality clashes had erupted and his job as Chief Executive Officer was to put out fires. There had been growing tension between two of his employees.Continue reading “Made In China”

Presbycusis By Leo de Natale Illustration by Vince Giovannucci “What didya say?” yelled Margaret O’Brien to dog trainer Kit Hayes as she approached the front door of a modest single family home. “I don’t have my hearing aids in. Just a sec.” Margaret was referred to Kit, a trainer with 30 years experience, and hopedContinue reading “Presbycusis”

Eldorado Redux By Leo de Natale Leonard “Len” Shaker is a veteran freelance writer who spent most of his career covering stories for regional newspapers and national publications. He usually wrote articles for the Boston Globe, New York Magazine and the New York Times. He avoided political news – he’d become jaded as the yearsContinue reading “Eldorado Redux”

A Remembrance of Mosquitos Past By Leo de Natale There have been so many movies where  a nostalgic protagonist sits someplace and time travels into the past.  The scene is displayed as waves drifting back and forth, then and now. Memories ebb and flow. The Rosebud scene in Citizen Kane.  Childhood play in a playground.Continue reading “A Remembrance of Mosquitos Past”

Bruits By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci Ed “Boo-Boo” Clipner was a pleasant sort and stereotypical construction worker. In his late 50’s, he was 5’10 with a thick, short hairy neck. He weighed nearly 300 pounds. Often unshaven, “Boo” as his co-workers called him, was popular among his mates. A longtime cigarette smoker,Continue reading “Bruits”

P.T. Barnum Was Right By Leo de Natale The problem with sending money to various charitable organizations is the metastasis that occurs after you’ve sent a contribution. Day in, day out, there’s a barrage of junk mail from these beggars. Example One: My wife and I are dog lovers. We sent a $100 check toContinue reading “P. T. Barnum Was Right”

Mani/Pedi ByLeo de Natale Illustration by Vince Giovannucci Barbara “Babs” Hayes, a 60-something financial analyst, was fuming as she left the “Happy Endings” nail salon. Like many American women, she had reached her flash point with the hand and feet emporiums that are infamous for their cultural rudeness. As she had done numerous times, she’dContinue reading “Mani/Pedi”

Moans, Groans and Stones By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci She was a twenty-year-old, acne ridden woman who had Biafrin-thin skinniness. Like so many lemmings her age, she had the obligatory nose ring pierced through her left nostril and dagger-shaped chest tattoo emanating somewhere below her sternum and ending just below the throat.Continue reading “Moans, Groans and Stones”

Die, Fly By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci Curiously, the taxonomic nickname of the above insect is Psychodidae. We know it as the common drain fly, a nettlesome household pest that can drive humans crazy/psychotic. Ask Joel Pinter. “Jamie, there’s more of them!”, he yelled to his wife as he exited the showerContinue reading “Die, Fly”