A Dinosaur Ate My Head

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Having been brought up at the feet of Jewish soft goods merchants, university academics, and descendants of Worcester’s Vernon Hill ghetto, I never suffered from a shortage of stories. Some of them may have been true, but does it really matter? My dad lapsed into hysteria over every joke he told. Most of them were pretty good.

I started compiling the tales in this book during the COVID lockdown. Although mostly retired, I still needed people to share stories with, and my friends, neighbors, and family could not bear another recital. So, I grabbed my trusty laptop, took a seat at the picnic table on our front porch, and went to work reminiscing, imagining, and laughing. If you can’t amuse others, amuse yourself.

Having labored at dozens of jobs in the last 60 years, both blue collar and white, and fired from most of them, there was no shortage of work-based material. I was actually released from five jobs during my first year of marriage. My wife, Stephanie, was not too surprised, knowing my capacity for saying the wrong thing at the right time. My new father-in-law was worried, however, about his daughter’s wellbeing and gave me a job in his machine tool shop. Surprisingly I wasn’t canned but did quit to attend graduate school. The world was a safer place when I stopped rigging machines. I still feel a good story is better than holding a mediocre job.

I included several stories about my hiking and paddling misadventures throughout the Northeast. Poor planning and lack of basic outdoor knowledge led to some memorable experiences which most people would leave unsaid. I am not one of those people. Stephanie will still not let me out of the house unless accompanied by a mature adult. My buddy Paul and I were often known to get lost and in one case had to be rescued by fourteen rescue workers

Finally, I retold many stories about friends and family, to whom I am truly grateful for sharing their lives with me. I fervently believe that bad decisions make the best stories.

Steven Levy, front porch, Brunswick, ME 2026