Randy Elrod's Blog, page 15

Our First Week In Spain

Joyful. Scary. Romantic. Confusing. Apolitical. Tapas. Peaceful. Vermut. Surprise. Walking. Acceptance. Running. Freedom. Anonymity. Future. Ancient. Pleasure. Idioms. Excitement. Colloquialisms. Savour. Kissing. Slow. Anxious. Delight. Excitement. Culture.  Yes, we are in the honeymoon stage of life in Barcelona. And we are loving it. We have almost as many friends and acquaintances here in one week...

Our First Day In Spain

At long last, we are here—the beautiful and seductive city of Barcelona, Spain. I plan to chronicle the first day, the first month, and each month after that to see if this dream of life in Spain matches the reality.  I asked Gina her thoughts on the first day this evening (we are six hours...

The Joy of A Lonely Thanksgiving

I am fourteen years and thousands of miles away from my last nuclear family Thanksgiving. I could never have comprehended the massive toll my affair, divorce, subsequent marriage, and renunciation of Christianity would have on my relationships—from thousands to a handful.  And those precious few are mostly younger and still in the frenetic pace of...

Songs That Shaped My Life

Note: Jeff Tweedy, frontman for Wilco, one of my favorite bands, recently published a memoir by the post title’s name, inspiring me to write this post.  1963—“Dear Jesus, Abide With Me,” as a five-year-old local celebrity child singer, this song was my standard. I sang it solo at my kindergarten graduation and many other churches,...

Kia Soul 2016 For Sale $13,500.

This car has been babied. Like new with only 35, 400 miles. All oil changes and maintenance have been performed on time by Lokey Kia. We just replaced the front disc brakes. It has the ABS and anti-skid lights on and repair is $450. That is why I am selling it for $13,500. If you...

Honored To Be On the Cover and the Featured Story for Johns Hopkins University & Medicine (Winter 2023)

Photograph locations were my art studio The Sandbox and the back lawn of our beach cottage Cocomo. Click photos to enlarge.

Randy Elrod: Same Interview, Six Decades

15-year-old Randy (1973):  What is most important to you now? High school marching band. Your biggest fear? Hell. Your favorite artist? Chicago Your favorite book? “Atlas Shrugged“ Your favorite movie? I’m not allowed to go to the movies. What makes you happy in a relationship? Being together. Describe yourself in four words. Shy, misunderstood, misfit,...

Estate Sale (Moving to Spain)

To purchase (or inquire about) an item please text or FB message Gina at: https://www.facebook.com/elrodgina We accept Venmo payments @randyelrod Everything is first come first served. We will also be offering our complete bar (it is not allowed on our ship overseas) tomorrow at half-price sold only as a complete package. There are enough spirits,...

My First Encounter With Militant Christians

I had just graduated high school in 1976, and my new girlfriend’s church’s music director invited me to summer camp. It sounded like a great way to spend time with her and a much-needed break. I was working two jobs (one was the third shift at a yarn mill) to save money for college the...

Why I Will NOT Pray for the Peace of Israel

Nor will I pray for Hamas and peace in the Gaza Strip. As long as fundamentalist religion and authoritarian rule are a part of the culture in this war-torn region, there will never be peace. Ironically, religion has an outsized role in Israel. Yet, most of its Jews aren’t observant—recent surveys show that almost fifty...