July 2004 (Vol. 3, Issue 7)

Welcome back to another issue of Truckin'. Print up all the stories to take with you on your vacation. It's perfect reading for poolside lounging, or while waiting for a late flight, or in a long security line. I wrote three stories this month; another Miami story, a random short story, and a something inspired by my latest travel adventure. Richard Bulkeley gets intimate with an airport goodbye. Al Can't Hang returns with a third installment of Stories from the Bar. Tom Love flashes back to the late 1960s in Germany. NYC poet, Diane Roy adds her voice to the mix with an unusual, but gripping first part of her story. Otis B. Dart is the latest poker blogger to join the staff. Sigge, our friend from Norway, gets a little philosophical for us. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. Be kind, McG.

1. Sundrenched by Tenzin McGrupp

I wandered down past a bevy of lost souls repairing themselves in the hot, early afternoon Indiana sun... More

2. Words We Don't Have by Richard Bulkeley

It always amazes me the power that smells have to evoke memories and emotions and all the other stuff that our more rational senses filter out in darker moments... More

3. A Quarter's Quarter by Otis B. Dart

I had bankrolled her binge, so when she stood from her barstool, her feet were mushy. I thought her step toward the door indicated confusion, perhaps inebriation... More

4. Almost Stood Up by Al Can't Hang

She was drunk but was also young, beautiful, and way out of my league... More

5. My World Crumbled Like Chunk of Hash by Tom Love

It's 1969, I'm in the US Army, stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, smoking some of the most powerful hashish in the world... More

6. Amanda Dick by Tenzin McGrupp

Calls from Senor were rare. It was like getting a call from the Pope. You dropped everything you were doing and gave him your full attention... More

7. Perversion by Diane Roy

Smelling underwear was like kissing; you had to do it with your eyes closed. It's not really sincere any other way... More

8. Existentialistic Sunday by Sigge S. Amdal

You realize that more than half of what you've done in your life qualifies as 'mistakes.' That's one way of introducing yourself to an existentialistic Sunday. Or a hangover on the couch... More

9. Lacrecia by Tenzin McGrupp

We settled into a sidestreet cafe, one where we knew no tourists from Missouri with camcorders would stalk us, and began the process of drinking the bitter La Fée Verte... More