Articles by Scott Saalman

Myriad of brain droppings on his mind

In 1997, comedian George Carlin published his very funny book, Brain Droppings, which, according to the cover, contains “jokes, notions, doubts, opinions, questions, thoughts, beliefs, assertions, assumptions, and disturbing references”…

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New way to eat a banana appeals to him

My father-in-law died. Tom Tappan. Down in Athens. Heart issues. A time bomb ticker. He was an ideal father-in-law. Super nice. Good sense of humor. Our politics matched. He was…


A good cry at a psychic fair

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Next Avenue on Oct. 31, 2024. Last October, Brynne showed me an advertisement for a psychic fair. I arched a quizzical eyebrow, in…


Goodwrench & Son (1987)

Editor’s Note: Scott’s dad experienced a stroke this week due to 99.1 percent blockage of the carotid artery. He is currently recouping in a rehab facility. This is one of…



What a wonderful (Pavel) world

My favorite inspirational stories often entail immigrant life maps detailing a person’s courage to uproot and exit geographical comfort zones, all while pursuing passions and utilizing talents that ultimately create…


The things they buried

Grandma Lil’, my mother’s mother, died at 89. She had been holed up in a nursing home for far too long. It was a death mourned, yet one too that,…