About ivanbenson
I am a former singer, guitar player, writer, story teller, voice over talent, and a current heart attack survivor in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
I lost a friend last night; she died peacefully, surrounded by her family. And all of us, family and friends alike, are asking the question: “Why did she have to go like this?” This life presents interesting challenges, to say … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged "God is good", acceptance, chronic illness, control, death, diet, disease, exercise, fairness, goads, Greek, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, injustice, job loss, kicking against the pricks, Serenity, suicide, the God of our understanding, thwarted plans, unjust, worldview
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Eventually we are going to have to deal with this, you know! I’m not talking about global warming, or the earth’s diminishing supply of fossil fuels. And I am not referring to overpopulation, the reemerging fear of potential nuclear conflict, … Continue reading →
Posted in Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged acceptable, adultery, Apple, Brock Turner, criminal justice, duplicity, erosion, fossil fuels, George Barna, global warming, LGBT, LGBTQ, moral, morality, nuclear conflict, Orange is the New Black, overpopulation, pay the piper, public outcry, rape, sexual identity, The Frog in the Kettle, Tim Cook, unacceptable
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“May I please use the rest room?” Oh, the countless times I heard this request as a school teacher in decades gone by. I’m certain I uttered it myself as a student on many occasions, too, my bladder yearning for … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged bestiality, boys, branding, Brock Turner, Constitution, core values, counterfeit, female, gender identity, girls, Gordian Knot, imaginary, male, moral resolve, mystery, natural, North Carolina, NPR, privacy, private parts, rape, restroom, sex, sexual assault, sexual identity, sexual intercourse, sexuality, sociopolitical, South Carolina, surprise, transgender, unnatural
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As a young boy growing up in Chattanooga, I was not particularly fond of fish. My father seemed to be enthralled with eating trout, flounder, and other fish wherein navigating fish bones was an accepted part of the process. I … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged $15 minimum wage, 1215 A.D., 1950s, 1989, academic, chattanooga, Constitution, discrimination, diversity, divine revelation, economic, flounder, founder, gender, Honey I Shrunk the kids, immoral, King John, LGBTQ, Magna Carta, melting point, melting pot, minimum wage, Panama Papers, Presidential candidates, public governance, race, religious, sex, sexual orientation, social service, South Carolina, Wall Street
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When I was a boy we played games in my family; it was one of our main sources of entertainment. My father was eager to teach my brother and I how to play chess, and we actually became pretty good, … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged Donald Trump, election, November 2016, Parker Brothers, presidential, Rook, Rook card, Shakespeare, trump card
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Well, it sneaked up on me several weeks ago. How about you? The desk calendar I use for work had a Monday, February 29 on it. And of course, my initial reaction to that is always . . . disbelief. … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1970, 1976, 2016, Arizona, calendar, change, cigarettes, February 29, Frodo, Gandalf, Gregorian, Julian, Leap Year, Love Story, Mark Twain, pharengo laryngotracheitis, rhinosinusitis, risk, social security, solar calendar, Surgeon General, The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien, Tucson, www.heartdepot.org
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A number of years ago I was driving down the road listening to the radio when I heard an astounding statement come over the air waves. After thorough research, scientists had concluded that children learn more effectively in smaller classrooms, … Continue reading →
Posted in Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1987, AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, Allan Bloom, Consumer Reports, evaluation, ISIS, Kool-Aid, Muslims, New York Times Best Seller, numbers, Obi-Wan Kenobi, percentages, probabilities, statistics, Statue of Liberty, Syrian refugees, terrorists, The Closing of the American Mind, truth
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To write or not to write; that is the question. “Whether it is nobler in the mind . . . .” Okay! I know I am not very original, but there are worse things I could be, right? Besides, Shakespeare … Continue reading →
Posted in Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 12th century, 1966, 1968, 2016, Donald Trump, England, Hamlet, Henry II, Hillary Clinton, James Goldman, Katherine Hepburn, Lying, New Year, Peter O'Toole, presidential election, Shakespeare, The Lion in Winter, trustworthiness, truth, winter in Georgia
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We have been bemoaning our fate these past few days, grumbling over the fact that on Christmas Day the temperature might be 77ºF (a possible new record will be set), and there will likely be thunderstorms. And we’ve been asking … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1887-1888, 1935-1936, 2015, Chattanooga Tennessee, Christmas story, Dancing at the Rascal Fair, El Nino, flood of 1937, Ivan Doig, Little Ice Age, Portsmouth Ohio, predictable, premature birth, rose in winter, topsy turvy, Tucson Arizona, winter of 2015, Xmas in Georgia
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Okay, okay! Bring on the hate mail. I try very hard not to be offensive to those who are kind enough to read one or more of my blogs, but as comedian Brian Regan says (after making a similar disclaimer): … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged African-American, Brian Regan, bullies, criminals, critique, discrimination, equality, ethnic, gender, ignorance, injustice, Ivy League, laugh, legislate, litigation, Michael Scott, millennials, misguided, NPR, racial, sensitivity, sexist, sexuality, social therapy, Steve Carell, tail wag the dog, terrorist, The Office, thin-skinned, unisex
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The Lost Story 