Author Archives: thegruntledwriter

Cliche with Psychologist and Six Uncomfortable Teenagers

Posted on October 14, 2026 by thegruntledwriter

[Trigger alert: This blog post mentions the suicide of a young man. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support, consider dialing 988 to talk to a helpful counselor at the Suicide & Crisis Hotline….In … Continue reading →

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An Eye(lash) for an Eye(lash)

Posted on April 19, 2015 by thegruntledwriter

When I was in Junior High and High School, I would sit on the sofa in my mother’s winter porch, raise my right hand to my right eye, and quietly pull out my eyelashes, one by one. A good, quick pinprick of pain … Continue reading →

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Other People’s Money (or, Me and Reverend Ike)

Posted on February 12, 2015 by thegruntledwriter

[Clarification added 2/14/15: Before I took the temporary work assignment described below, I had never heard of Reverend Ike.] After I moved back to Boston in March of 1987, I worked very briefly for Reverend Ike. The Reverend — if … Continue reading →

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(Don’t) Kiss and Tell

Posted on March 2, 2011 by thegruntledwriter

I have never been very comfortable in my role as a man. Once, when I was living on 79th Avenue in Flushing, I walked down to Cunningham Park to play in a one-day tennis tournament. Only, I had come on … Continue reading →

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