5/29/2021 “The Litter Box” by Larry the SportsCat (Katlama, WA) I had thought about writing this piece after the WF West and Tumwater T-Bird girls basketball teams met for the one and only time this regular season in Chehalis and the Bearcats pulled out an exciting come from behind […]
Columns
ESN Thursday Re-Cap: Bulldogs beat Crusaders, Lancers and T-Birds draw in Soccer; Fastpitch Bearcats remain unbeaten
4/16/2021 Thursday night we had a girls and boys soccer match one in the Metro and one in the PCL and a Fastpitch game in the EVCO 2a. Our re-caps and highlight videos are all below. Girls Soccer Garfield 2, Eastside Catholic 0 In what was the third place game […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” Five Beefs
4/12/21 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “Five Beefs” Chapter 43 By Bruce Williams (Editor’s Note: I was going to Title this “5 Beefs” forcing Bruce to “Six Beefs” but then thought why unleash the beast even more.) Let’s just get into it, shall we?—we’ve got a lot […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” New Words
4/5/21 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “New Words” Chapter 42 By Bruce Williams Back in our neighborhood, we used to play wiffle ball and huck the Nerf out in the street. We’d play Risk and Monopoly, watch Star Trek reruns and write pass-along stories and comics. And […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” Life’s Dilemmas
3/29/21 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “Life’s Dilemmas” Chapter 41 By Bruce Williams This country is so divided between Democrats and Republicans (though the fastest growing political affiliation is Independent), I started pondering some of the other great divides that separate us. While only barely scratching the […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” Dead Names
3/22/21 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “Dead Names” Chapter 40 By Bruce Williams I was pondering the death of my first name lately—there really isn’t any babies born since the ‘70’s that carry my same moniker (Bruce)—and when I opened it up to friends and family for discussion, we […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” I’ve Got Nothin’
3/15/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “I’ve Got Nothin” Chapter 39 By Bruce Williams Three months ago on my regular Facebook page I asked for column ideas from my friends and family, and a friend of mine named Al Criss offered up, “Write about having nothing to write […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” You Say It’s Your Birthday
3/8/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “You Say It’s Your Birthday” Chapter 38 By Bruce Williams Bruce Williams I had another birthday this week. After 50 there doesn’t really seem to be too many significant ones anymore. 60, 75, 80, I guess. This one was 54–one year away from being […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” The Weight
3/1/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “The Weight” Chapter 37 By Bruce Williams It struck me recently while watching an ordinary newscast of long lines of cars filtering through a vaccination station, of the tremendous grey malaise that has settled in over us since the beginning of this pandemic. As […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” My Favorite Part
2/22/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “My Favorite Part” Chapter 36 By Bruce Williams We all have our favorite artists (AC/DC), favorite albums (Back In Black), and favorite songs (“Hallowed Be Thy Name”), but have you ever realized that there are specific parts of songs that stick with […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” Strip Clubs
“That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “Strip Clubs” Chapter 35 By Bruce Williams On several occasions in my life, always at the behest of my lascivious friends, I have gone to a strip club. Each time it was a little different, a little enlightening, and a little depressing. Here are a […]
Column: “That Got Me to Thinkin’…?” On Teeth
2/9/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “On Teeth” Chapter 34 By Bruce Williams Staring at my byline picture, seeing my left fang sticking out and thankful that my crooked lower teeth aren’t also depicted, I started thinking about teeth in general. It’s not as if mine are like little baked […]
Column: “That Got me to Thinkin’…?” Personality Quirks
2/1/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 33 “Personality Quirks” By Bruce Williams What makes somebody’s personality? Surely things like kindness, sense of humor, irritableness, awareness—these are all crucial elements (among others), but when you get down to the nitty gritty of really knowing someone, their particular likes and […]
Column: “That Got Me to- Thinkin’…?” The T-Bird Talon
1/18/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 32 “The T-Bird Talon” By Bruce Williams My dream of a writing career began early, in high school, as I applied with a buddy of mine to get on the staff of the school’s newspaper at the end of our sophomore year. Being […]
“That Got me to Thinkin…?” Buffets
1/18/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 31 “Buffets” By Bruce Williams Anytime I’ve ever been to a buffet I’ve had a hard time pinning down the smell in the air—probably because it’s equal parts fried chicken, Salisbury steak and an old man’s pillow case. There used to be an […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Goodbye Old Friend
1/11/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 30 “Goodbye Old Friend” By Bruce Williams Tragedy struck our house on New Year’s Eve. Our dog, Ruby—an overweight and mischievous beagle of 8.5 years—got out of a hole in the fence into our neighbor’s yard and subsequently out of their back fence […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” The Dump
1/4/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 29 “The Dump” By Bruce Williams I’m not sure what it is about going to the dump that I love so much, but it’s a multi-faceted, multi-layered history that I feel compelled to elucidate. My first experiences with the dump came as a […]
Column: The Litter Box; Goodbye My Friend Rocky
1/2/2021 Goodbye Rocky By Larry the SportsCat (Katlama, WA) Hi everyone, I know it’s been awhile since the SportsCat has checked in and it is with a heavy heart I return to my laptop. My friend Rocky had a visit from the […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” B-U-T-T
12/28/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 28 “ B-U-T-T” (I promise) By Bruce Williams My two sisters and I all took piano lessons at our instructor Mai Lin’s house. I hated it. While one sibling was in with Mai Lin, plinking away as she patiently winced at each misstruck […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” The Magic of Christmas
12/21/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 27 “The Magic of Christmas” By Bruce Williams Christmas was always magical when I was a little kid. My older sister Lisa was always the first one up on Christmas morning—usually around a roostery 5:00 a.m. She’d head down and empty her stocking […]
