16 Comments
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Chris Cohlmeyer's avatar

Indecisiveness - I can't decide yea or nay

A Chip on His Shoulder - I figured it would of been "Sorry, I ate them all"

Meeting Across the River - if you're not raised to be cut-throat then stay out of advertising... maybe James made it as a back-up player and cover art designer 🤔

Me thinks young fella that ye enjoy this platform over that "middle" platform 🤪, I canned that platform but the run was good until_______.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I would not make a good advertiser.

I used to love Medium before the partner program change in 2019 that ran most of the good writers out and killed the community feel. It is a mere shadow of its former self now. It is sad. But I found another place where I get interaction on my writing, so yes, I like Substack better than Medium. 😀

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V. C. Ackerman's avatar

Indecisiveness - You do suffer from indecisiveness. Or maybe you don’t. I don’t know, I can’t decide.

A Chip On His Shoulder - Just make up whatever words you need, it’s fine!

Meeting Across The River - Good luck with that guitar James! Also, I watched the video of the 1960s advertisement agency, and it was very charming. I know it wasn’t a natural way of speaking, but I kind of miss the transatlantic accent. Peak pulling power!

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Thanks V.C. I was born in 1960 so I was child through most of it, but I remember how unique and culturally changing end of the decade was. And wearing purple striped pants. 🤣

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Claire Walster's avatar

I may or may not have chuckled quite a lot at the indecisive one 🤣

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Mark Starlin's avatar

🤣🤣🤣 I am not sure if I believe you. 🤣🤣🤣

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Justin Deming's avatar

I don’t know if I’ve ever commented on this, but I really like the structure of your posts, Mark. The two shorter pieces leading into the third works nicely for me as a reader. It’s almost like having an appetizer or two before the meal! (Sorry, I must have food on my mind for some reason, ha.)

Great stuff as always.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Thanks, Justin. I really appreciate that. It took me a little time to find the right formula. I never thought of it as food, though. Which is weird because I always think of food. 🤣 It is also sort of like movies when I was a kid. There was usually a cartoon, and then a short, and then the feature.

But I think the main reason is I write so many very short things that it makes sense to combine them into one newsletter. Plus people seem to like different things in each newsletter, so hopefully there is at least one story that the reader really enjoys. Better odds of success. 🤓

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Jack Herlocker's avatar

"A Chip On His Shoulder": I can see meetings spent arguing things like "Pringles — Are They, Or Aren't They?" with members coming to fisticuffs.

"Meeting Across The River": I feel like there should be more! To Be Continued or Part I or something. The further adventures of the man who keeps getting pushed in front of the karma bus.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I think you are correct about the "chippers."

I think the rest of James' life is best left to the imagination. I doubt I could write a sequel that would not feel contrived or unsatisfying. I like to think James saw the error of his ways and became a musician. Which always turns out well. 😂

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David Perlmutter's avatar

The Chip Society piece reminds me of Monty Python's Royal Society for Putting Things On Top of Other Things. At least yours has a clear purpose.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Yes. Because we really need a society dedicated to Potato Chips. 🤣

I loved watching Monty Python as a teen. So it was bound to rub off. 🦜

Thanks David. 🤓

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

What a day James had! Whew!

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Mark Starlin's avatar

It is tough going through it, but looking back when he is a famous musician he will, be glad. 🤓

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

You bet! Great story.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Thanks, Sharron. 🤓

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