jmonahan

John Monahan

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Synopsis by jmonahan, literature

Anecdotes: Manhasset by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Anecdotes: Manhasset

After the embarrassing incident of getting his foot stuck in a bucket in Nantucket, Chuck Kitt decided to leave town and get a fresh start. So he moved to Manhasset, a hamlet on the north shore of Long Island. Locating a small apartment on Stassett Street, he tried to restart his insurance business. But since he didn't know anyone, it was hard to attract customers. One day it seemed that he would finally get a break. A man named Cass Rassett, seeing his ad in the Manhasset newspaper, called him and made an appointment to secure a large policy. The Rassett home was not far away. So on the day of the appointment, Chuck walked from Stassett to

Ghost Stories: Dunbarton Ghost by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Ghost Stories: Dunbarton Ghost

Many people believe in ghosts, but few agree on their nature. Yes, they are disembodied spirits of dead people, but why are they here and not hereafter? Some think they are being punished for some horrible sin in their past life. Others claim they left something important unfinished and cannot rest until it's completed. A few would say they are merely too wicked to ascend to heaven and instead delight in tormenting the living. There is also disagreement about what ghosts can do. They can be heard -- moans and clanking chains are common -- and sometimes they can be seen, spectrally. But can they move objects, and if so, how large an object? C

Urban Legends: The Hitchhiker by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Urban Legends: The Hitchhiker

This is a true story: it happened to my friend's roommate in college many years ago. He had gone to party at a singles bar in a nearby city, but it was a slow night and he finally left around midnight. While driving back to campus, he spotted a young woman walking along the side of the road. He stopped and asked her where she was going; she gave an address only about a mile from campus, so of course he volunteered to take her home. She accepted and got into his car. During the short drive he attempted to make small talk, but she didn't respond to him at all. When he finally got to her house, though, she thanked him, gave him a quick kiss on t

Duck Tales: Duck Supremist by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Duck Tales: Duck Supremist

Upon a farm there lived a duck With feathers white as fresh clean snow, And every day he'd run amok About the colors others show. He blamed the cow for being brown (As if that mattered in the least: Her milk was held in high renown, A pitcher graced each formal feast.) The racehorse was a dappled gray, Which color earned the duck's cruel scorn; The horse ignored him on his way, A prize his mane would soon adorn. The dog a coat of golden wore; Duck's words for this made chickens weep. But he continued with his chore To herd the farmer's pure-white sheep. At last the duck made one mistake, The consequence could be foreseen: Wh

Tall Tales: Good News Gus by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Tall Tales: Good News Gus

You've probably heard of Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack, whose efforts changed the Great Forest into the Great Plains. You may also know about Pecos Bill, the cowboy who rode a tornado like a bronco and used a rattlesnake for a lasso. But there's another man whose tale is not widely known: he was called Good News Gus. Gus was not exceptionally tall or strong. In fact there was only one thing unique about him, and that was his smile, almost but not quite a grin. People who saw him smile always felt better about life, and usually smiled in return for no reason except that it seemed the right thing to do. When asked why he smiled so much, Gu

100. Relaxation by jmonahan, literature

Literature

100. Relaxation

So now I’ve reached the contest end at last, And all one hundred poems have been displayed. I have achieved the posting goal I made Of one per day – the time went by so fast! And hopefully the viewers who have read Have found light entertaining verse at times, Or else discovered here within the rhymes Some different thoughts to stimulate their head. To those who gave me comments, thanks to you: Your typed responses always let me know That someone cared enough to let it show, And that gave me the strength to see it through. Now though I’ll say this contest has been fun, I'm glad there's not a theme for one-oh-one!

99. Solitude by jmonahan, literature

98. Puzzle by jmonahan, literature

Literature

98. Puzzle

A C T I O N S Y Our lives can be a E Z O C N G H Y When we don’t what lies ahead. Q X T R D I D O But if we history P R I O R U P Z We’ll see where choices led. I M Y S T E R Y Like lines within a grid C P G S K M C X The of our lives connect, T I K W N P L T So looking at the things we

97. Safety First by jmonahan, literature

Literature

97. Safety First

What should we follow: “Look before you leap”, Or maybe “He who hesitates is lost”? For each endeavor, should we count the cost, Or forge ahead before the flood gets deep? It's popular these days to jump right in, To be spontaneous without a plan, And trust to luck and instinct that you can Recover from mistakes, through thick and thin. One key consideration that I find: If, as you go, you lose your way and fail, You may not easily retrace the trail – Some errors are too harmful to unwind. So plan ahead, with safety first, I say; Success will come when caution guides your way.

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Synopsis by jmonahan, literature

Anecdotes: Manhasset by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Anecdotes: Manhasset

Duck Tales: Duck Supremist by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Duck Tales: Duck Supremist

Tall Tales: Good News Gus by jmonahan, literature

Literature

Tall Tales: Good News Gus

Watchers 7

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MBryn

Idreaminwords

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AsTheSunDrops

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calivinguy

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MBryn

thzinc

calivinguy

About jmonahan

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United States
Deviant for 14 years
He / Him

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jmonahan

Nov 19, 2009

Tales by the Fire

0 min read

Exciting news (for me, anyway): MBryn (https://www.deviantart.com/mbryn) and calivinguy (https://www.deviantart.com/calivinguy) are joining me for a new series called "Tales by the Fire". We're going to take turns choosing a topic and then each of us will write a short story on that theme. I'll track them here. These stories are mainly for our own amusement, but others are welcome to listen in. First Topic: Tall Tales  Good News Gus by jmonahan (https://www.deviantart.com/jmonahan)  Jesus Jones by calivinguy (https://www.deviantart.com/calivinguy)  Melvin the Intern by MBryn (https://www.deviantart.com/mbryn) Second Topic: Duck Tales  Three Little Ducks by calivinguy (https://www.deviantart.com/calivinguy)  Duck Supremist by jmonahan (https://www.deviantart.com/jmonahan)  Boom by MBryn (https://www.deviantart.com/mbryn) Third Topic: Urban Legends  Kidneys by MBryn (https://www.deviantart.com/mbryn)  The Hitch

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jmonahan

Aug 16, 2009

Hello world

0 min read

Though this is a new account, I'm not new to DA. I've contributed to some of the stories published by my son, calivinguy (https://www.deviantart.com/calivinguy). The reason I've got my own account now is to take him up on his summer poem challenge. I finished 100 poems in 95 days. Woo hoo!:D Read them here: http://jmonahan.deviantart.com/gallery/#Poetry-Contest Unfortunately, no one else managed to do them all, and this account is destined to become just a footnote in DA history. :(

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calivinguy

Nov 12, 2009

When I really think about it, I don't have to write a satire on Buddha. After all, I didn't criticize Jesus, just Paul. But expect a treatment on Zen Master I Ching soon.