Podcast
HEART'S DESIRE, 10
Mark returns to Atlanta in hopes of preventing the serial killer from getting Laurie.
HEART'S DESIRE, 9
Mark leaves Laurie for a job in New York and everything turns bad for him.
HEART'S DESIRE, 8
As Mark and Laurie movie into their 30s, their inability to conceive a child weighs heavily on them
HEART'S DESIRE, 7
Mark and Laurie enjoy her college and law school years and make plans to marry.
HEART'S DESIRE, 6
Mark is a rookie sportswriter, Laurie starting her sophomore year of college and they take their relationship to a new level.
HEART'S DESIRE, 5
Mark works hard to get through college and works equally hard to maintain contact with Laurie as she matures.
HEART'S DESIRE, 4
Mark sees that it isn’t a dream and starts doing what he can to correct his earlier failures.
HEART'S DESIRE, 3
Mark awakens from his brief nap to find himself in 1988, in a movie theater on his first date with Laurie Martin.
HEART'S DESIRE, 2
Mark decides to drive to Las Vegas to take his mind off the killer, and runs into strange fog out in the desert.
HEART'S DESIRE, INTRO
The beginning of the story, in which our protagonist (a different Mark) gets bad news about a story that had affected him the previous year.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER EIGHT)
In which Mark and Kim learn their first concrete information about Sal and gear up for the start of their trip to Yukon Canada.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER SEVEN)
In which Mark and Kim travel to Alaska and discuss how to start their search for Sal.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (NOW AND THEN 1996)
In which Mark recalls Kim’s success at the Atlanta Olympics.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER SIX)
In which Mark makes preparations for his trip and then heads to the beach to kill some time.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER FOUR)
In which Mark shares what small knowledge he has about his former teammate and Kim makes a decision.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER THREE)
In which Mark learns why Kim came to see him and recalls a great college memory.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER TWO)
In which Kim arrives in San Diego and sees Mark for the first time in more than eight years.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (NOW AND THEN 1988)
In which Mark changes coasts at age 12 and meets an annoying 8-year-old named Kim Anderson.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (CHAPTER ONE)
In which Mark Richardson’s ex-wife comes to San Diego and asks him for a favor only he can provide.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (PROLOGUE)
Trying something a little different to get back on the podcasting trail. An unfinished novel, one chapter at a time. Hope you enjoy Twice in a Lifetime.
TRUMP IS LESS SCARY THAN SLEAZY
(from 2-10) We can look at truly evil villains, but our man Trump is far more sleazy and sloppy than he is evil.
JON WOULD BE 72, BUT IS FOREVER YOUNG
Comedy is easy, podcasting is hard. Seriously, my first podcast in nearly four weeks is a good one about my friend Jon Rumble, who would have been 72 today had he survived Vietnam.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRUST OUR PRESIDENT
Trump isn’t the first time I criticized a lying president.
THE ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE EDDIE HASKELL
Actor Ken Osmond was typecast in one role, but oh, what a role it was.
VACATIONS AREN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
It was mostly “Hi, Grandma,” when my family went on vacation in the ’50s and ’60s.
THERE'S LITTLE MORE FRUSTRATING THAN WAITING
Need someone to do something in your house? Get used to waiting … and waiting.
LONELY IN LIFE, LONELY IN DEATH
There are few things sadder than someone’s life ending with them alone and forgotten.
IS KING'S 'THE STAND' A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT?
After years of waiting, the new miniseries made from “The Stand” is finally here. How good is it? Meh.
Stalked by a good grammar guru
A look at how difficult it can be to write a newspaper column.
KICKED THE FARM, SLEEPING WITH THE BUCKET
It’s kind of goofy how many euphemisms for death have been created.
A VERY IMMODEST PROPOSAL TO CHANGE THE WORLD
John Lennon was a man ahead of his time, and his ideas deserve a listen.
TRAVIS MCGEE WOULD MAKE TRUMP LOOK SILLY
I wonder if we’ll ever get a president with the skills at being a man like our fictional heroes.
A new world coming for 'rebel girls'
The election of Kamala Harris an inspiration to a generation of young girls.
TIME TO BE HAPPY AND THEN TO WORK HARD
Millions of Americans are thrilled that Joe Biden has defeated Donald Trump, but the work ahead will be very difficult.
a people worthy of their country
For all our woes, real and imagined, we still live in a glorious place.
SEARCHING FOR A SENSIBLE MIDDLE
In these days of extremism, Americans must strive to find common ground.
TIME TO GRAB BACK SOME OF OUR FREEDOM
Too many people don’t realize how free life could be.
MAKE AMERICA MORE THAN A BEAUTIFUL MYTH
Wouldn’t it be nice if our country was a wonderful place for the working class?
EVERYONE SHOULD MATTER EQUALLY
We really do need to accept the fact that unless everybody matters, nobody matters.
LIVE YOUR LIFE ONE DAY AT A TIME
Long-term goals are nice, but it really comes down to doing the right thing today.
DOES TRUMP NOW GET THE IMPORTANCE OF MASKS?
The president has opposed mask mandates all along. Will he at least set a good example now that he has been infected?
GUILTY PLEASURES AND THE MEANING OF LIFE
The meaning of life may be nearer than you realize.
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT A MINUTE?
We call the shorter podcasts “A Minute With Mike.” How much can actually be said in a minute?
200,000 DEAD IS VIRTUALLY NOTHING?
Joe Stalin said one dead is a tragedy and a million dead is a statistic. See where Trump gets it?
TIME TO STOP DIVIDING OUR SOCIETY
It’s truly a shame that we keep trying to divide everyone into groups.
PUTTING OTHERS FIRST NEEDS TO BE A HABIT
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you sounds simple, but it’s anything but. You have to work at it.
SECRET OF LOVE IS WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LOVING
One lesson we all need to learn is that the most important time to be loving is when it’s the farthest thing from your mind.
IN THE END, LOVE IS ABOUT RECIPROCITY
The Beatles said it simply. The love you take is equal to the love you make.
SO MANY LONG-TERM MEMORIES ARE MUSICAL
It’s strange. I remember almost nothing from age 9-11, but memories of the mid ’50s are so vivid.
SOME VERY GOOD ADVICE TO FOLLOW
We deal with a lot of inner voices when we make decisions, but one should stand out above the rest.
19 YEARS LATER, THE SAD EFFECT OF 9/11
Who would have figured we would still be feeling the effects of 9/11 nearly two decades later?
CHANGE THE WORLD ONE STARFISH AT A TIME
If you think globally, problems can seem overwhelming. But if you act locally, you can make a difference one starfish at a time.
TO SUCCEED, MAKE THE BAD DAYS GOOD ONES
Want the real secret of success? It’ll only cost you a minute.
FEELING PAIN ISN'T SUCH A BAD THING
Once you’ve reached a certain age, there’s always pain. The key is using it, not ignoring it.
SOME DREAMS BEST LEFT UNREALIZED
Even if all the planets had aligned and everything had gone right, I probably wouldn’t have been a good Congressman.
WE CAN HEAR AMERICA SINGING
From coast to coast and border to border, there are great songs about American states.
PERKING UP THOSE BORING CONVENTIONS
Want to make conventions more interesting as well as improving the level of political discourse? It’s easy.
THE LAW OF ATTRACTION IS ABOUT GIVING
A million-selling book and a recent movie say you can have whatever you want if you wish for it. But the real law of attraction is about giving, not getting
INTERNET A FORCE FOR GOOD AND BAD
There’s both good and bad about the Internet. The musical clip at the beginning is from “The Internet Overdose Song,” by Rhett & Link.
LIVING 'EVERYWHERE' IS A MIXED BLESSING
This “Minute With Mike” is actually two, a look at a life lived in many different locations.
WHAT happened to our beautiful language?
Actually, it’s French that is known as the beautiful language, but English is still the language of the Bard and a lot of great poets. What have we done in the last 80 years?
IT's REALLY EASY TO MAKE SOMEONE's DAY
You might be surprised to realize how little effort is required to turn someone else’s day from a bad one into a good one.
WE NEED MORE physicality in our lives
We used to work with our hands and get plenty of exercise. Now we sit at desks and get fat.
Baseball not a game but a love
Nothing matters more to me than my family and my friends, but third on my list will always be baseball.
Don't pursue (your own) happiness
Here’s the first “Minute With Mike” podcast, where in less than 60 seconds, you get something to think about. Today it’s why chasing your own happiness is a mistake.
Our lives come with a musical soundtrack
If you’re a baby boomer who grew up with Elvis, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and the others, you know how much the musical soundtrack has added to your enjoyment of life.