The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Sadly, my dear friend of over a quarter century, Brian, passed away a month ago. I've been trying to reflect and make sense of things since that time. One such reflection was a blog I wrote shortly after his passing, titled, "RIP Brian." I recently received this comment on it: - "Your article was heartfelt and honest and I’m glad you wrote it. As a side note, you’re not alone. You’re not alone in wanting the truth and you’re not alone in spreading the truth." The piece can be read here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2023/01/rip-brian.html

I just received this comment on an old writing of mine, titled "Horror film characters are ridiculously stupid": - "Haha! 😂 That's perfect!" The writing can be found here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2013/07/horror-film-characters-are-ridiculously.html

A dear old friend of mine, Brian Grgurich, sadly passed away recently. He would have turned 42 next month. I decided to write a tribute for him, and wanted to share it with everyone. Here it is: I’ve known Brian for about a quarter of a century. If someone were to ask me, “What are the first two words you think of when the name ‘Brian Grgurich’ comes to mind?,” I’d state unequivocally, “love” and “acceptance.” Having said that, I’m now going to read a few Bible verses which remind me of him, and I’ll then add my own thoughts after reading them.   John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”   Romans 15:7 “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”   1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints.” ...

I got invited to guest-write for a blog, so I provided the following piece, titled, "The Truth About Voter-ID Bills/Laws." It can be found here: https://liberaltakes.com/2021/08/04/the-truth-about-voter-id-bills-laws/

A blogger asked me to post a writing of mine on her site, so I provided one titled, "America: Land of the Freedumb." It can be found at this link:  https://liberaltakes.com/2021/08/01/liberal-takes/

Art. Such a simple word at face-value, yet those three conjoined letters don't begin to scratch the surface of its true meaning. If you were to ask ten random people what their definition of art was, chances are you'd receive ten different responses. Whether it be a film, a song, a book, or a portrait, art is built upon emotion and nuance. Regardless if a painter or an author envisioned a similar message when concocting their work as was received by a consumer, that doesn't dismiss said consumer's thoughts and feelings when indulging in the piece. Art touches on our humanity in a way nothing else can. It seems to magically bring together our wretched past, our rocky present, our hopeful future, and our perhaps unattainable yet lingering dreams. Whether a song brings back sad memories of our father's passing or brings back happy memories of our college graduation, art possesses a significant power over us, ironically touching us personally when the composer likely ...

I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently. I was in Michigan a week/week and a half ago for a cousin's high school graduation party. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece flew in from Omaha, and then traveled back to Ohio, before heading back home yesterday. So I've hardly had time to breathe, let alone write. Things should be a little calmer around the area starting tomorrow, though, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get back into a good, regular flow, release another book or two before too terribly long, and explore some options as far as podcasts are concerned. Thanks for your patience. I haven't forgotten about you. Be expecting some new writings very soon!

I had a little bit of fun with the trending hashtags #TrumpsWritingRules and #TrumpBiographyTitles on Twitter last week. Here are my posts, ordered from the most popular to the least popular (all my tweets can be seen here -  https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki ): 1) Fifty Shades of Cray #TrumpBiographyTitles 138 Likes, 34 Retweets 2) Clear and Present Douchebag #TrumpBiographyTitles 95 Likes, 28 Retweets 3) The Art of the Feel #TrumpBiographyTitles 28 Likes, 7 Retweets 4) Trump: "All you need is to know words, have the best words, believe me!" #TrumpsWritingRules 19 Likes, 5 Retweets 5) Twitter War & Peace #TrumpBiographyTitles 19 Likes, 3 Retweets 6) Trump: "'I' before 'e,' 'c,' 'b,' and every other vowel." #TrumpsWritingRules 16 Likes, 5 Retweets 7) Trump: "A good intro & conclusion is nothing without a young and beautiful piece of ass in the middle." #TrumpsWritingRules 11 Likes, 7 Retw...

Not many people know this, but February 8th of 1997 is the day I officially got serious about writing. Yes, it pains me to say that this occurred 20 years ago, yet it helps me to reflect and think about all the progressions I've made in the past two decades. I was 15 years old on this day (16 on February 28th), a sophomore in high school, and slowly evolving from an extreme introvert to the extroverted introvert I am today, from a die-hard Christian to an agnostic/humanist, from indifferent and ignorant on the world of politics to passionate and progressive. The artist which most helped me to accept myself as I was, including my perhaps atypical imagination, was Marilyn Manson, and on February 8th of 1997, I bought four tickets to see this controversial shock artist with three of my friends in the extremely conservative state of Nebraska. Just a few days before the show, then Republican Omaha Mayor Hal Daub went on the air discouraging parents from allowing their kids to attend t...

After releasing four books in 2014, I focused mainly on marketing in 2015 and with good results. In 2016, I look to balance the two out a bit better. Expect at least one new book in the new year, if not more. They'll all be of the comedy variety (no matter how many I release). In the meantime, I'll continue writing plenty of satire, along with putting my two cents in on more serious topics as well. So, be sure to keep checking in with regard to all of that. I'll be certain to continually update readers on any progress I make with regard to future writing projects. Well, I just thought I'd let everyone know. Happy New Year!

As long-time readers would know, I don't get personal very often, but in light of some recent headlines, events, and chatter, I felt the need to do so. More than any other, I think a majority of writers despise the following questions and comments:  - "Writing isn't a real job; anyone can write." - "When will you finally go out into the real world and get a real job?" No, I don't know what constitutes a real job from an imaginary one or what separates real work from fantasy work, but almost nothing riles a writer more than comments and questions like these.  Like most jobs, there are definite pros and cons to writing. A major pair of pros are convenience and flexibility. Most days, one can get out of bed, make a cup of coffee, and start working at the computer having not showered nor changed. Whether one is a morning or a night person, he or she can typically work during the time they feel most alert and productive (this of course vari...

Typically when I comment about Facebook memes, it's because they're lacking in accuracy, have gone viral, and I feel the need to fact-check them. The polar opposite was true of a recent such post I read, which I felt was so brilliant, I needed to share it. It was posted in light of the recent mass shooting in Oregon, and while he claims the original post was not his quote, writer William Hamby ( http://livinglifewithoutanet.wordpress.com/) previously wrote something very similar to it: "Or, hey, how about we treat every young man who wants to buy a gun like every woman who wants to get an abortion -- mandatory 48-hr waiting period, parental permission, a note from his doctor proving he understands what he's about to do, a video he has to watch about the effects of gun violence, an ultrasound wand up the ass (just because). Let's close down all but one gun shop in every state and make him travel hundreds of miles, take time off work, and stay overnight in a str...

While I was out of town visiting family over Thanksgiving Day weekend, my blog surpassed 100,000 page views. Ironically segueing from that, I'd like to give thanks to all my readers. I look forward to continuing to provide you with interesting and funny material to read. As long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing! I hope everyone had a pleasant extended holiday weekend, and thanks again!

Have you seen the new GEICO commercial, where it pokes fun of stupid characters in horror films? If not, it can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrrw0wNLc2g Oddly enough, I wrote something rather similar to the commercial on July 17th of 2013, entitled, "Horror film characters are ridiculously stupid," which can be read at this link: http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2013/07/horror-film-characters-are-ridiculously.html The story goes as follows: Is it just me or is there a written requirement somewhere which says, "If you're a character in a horror film, you have to be stupid"? My girlfriend and I went to see the film The Purge last night, and like with many contemporary horror films, we spent more time laughing and giving each other the why-in-the-hell-are-they-doing-this-are-they-stupid looks. Yes, I know the main intent of horror films is to frighten viewers. However, if the viewers find the script and plot so ridiculous, i...

I just thought I'd let all my readers know that this is going to be an exceptionally busy week for me, so chances are I won't be able to write quite as much over the next few days as I have in recent weeks. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece are flying in from Omaha today to spend the week here, before heading back a week from today. I'll try to get as much work done this week as I can, but chances are it'll be limited due to the company I'll have this week. Anyway, I just wanted to warn everyone. Hopefully this week goes well and I'm not seen as the craziest uncle this side of Ted Nugent.

Last week, I mentioned that a writing of mine had been posted on the news/writing site The Wordsmith Daily . Similarly, I just discovered this morning a recent writing of mine has been posted on the news site The Tucson Daily .  If you're at all curious of checking it out, it can be found at the following link toward the bottom of the page under the section labeled "Society," and the title of the writing is, "Homophobic group wants to see a 'real man' as school board member of Sunnyside." http://paper.li/EmmyBasch/1305770136

I just received word this morning that a recent writing of mine (The Tea Party Philosophy) has been posted to the online writing and news site, "The Wordsmith Daily." If you're at all curious, you can view said writing at this link - http://paper.li/ecgreeneyes/1336599224

Sorry for the temporary layoff, regular readers (and newbies alike). The past week has been anything but a good one for me, and I needed some time away. Between discovering one of my best friends had been using me, before confronting her on matters and being blocked in the end, to at least temporarily breaking up with my girlfriend of close to a year, to my back being all out of whack, to straining the thenar eminence muscle in my right hand, and feeling kind of burnt out, I needed some time away from the computer to relax and have some me-time. But, I'm back, and so long as my back and right hand allow me to do so, I'll be back to writing this week. Thanks for your patience. Alright, here we go...

It's appearing more and more that the Republican Party fears education like Wolf Blitzer's colleagues fear a full moon. Just recently, Utah Republican State Senator Aaron Osmond wrote the following in his blog: "...I believe the time has come for us to re-evaluate what we expect of parents and the public education system, as follows: First, we need to restore the expectation that parents are primarily responsible for the educational success of their own children. That begins with restoring the parental right to decide if and when a child will go to public school. In a country founded on the principles of personal freedom and unalienable rights, no parent should be forced by the government to send their child to school under threat of fines and jail time. Second, we need to shift the public mindset to recognize that education is a not an obligation, but an opportunity to be treasured and respected. Utah’s constitution requires that we provide the opportunity for a f...

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All eight of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The six books I've written and released in the past 2+ years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me by either commenting on this blog or e-mailing me at CRozniecki@gmail.com. Unless I'm out of town, I'm typically very good at responding rather quickly.