Steven Partington – Living In Spanglish

Finding Courage with a German on My Back
Finding Courage with a German on My Back

Blog Post, Cycling

Finding Courage with a German on My Back

By Steven Partington|2017-03-21T00:05:20+00:00March 21st, 2017|Blog Post, Cycling|

Standing, frozen-still, my heart is pounding through my chest. At this elevation I can feel the thinness of the air, the cool breeze forcing my eyes shut to wet them. The silence is deafening. I open my eyes and look down the side of the mountain at the Google Earth view of the city below. My already booming heart seems to lose rhythm for a few beats. I’ve got to pull it together. I can’t go back down the way I came. I close my eyes and see...my mother? She’s on the ground below in a long white flowing gown, the [...]

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Anti-Social Training
Anti-Social Training

Humor, New York, Short Story

Anti-Social Training

By Steven Partington|2017-03-20T21:43:51+00:00March 20th, 2017|Humor, New York, Short Story|

As my delayed 5:37 train out of New York rolled into Newark’s Penn Station, I was feeling the brunt of a fierce but familiar bi-temple headache. As I stood to leave the train, I saw my good friend the Web Developer in the next car. Before he could look my way, I ducked into the safety of the dimly lit vestibule. My withdrawal had nothing to do with monies owed or a tawdry affair gone sour—it was all about me. I’m what Dr. Phil might call a “serial avoider.” When it came to the commuter social scene, I didn’t [...]

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Going Glossophobic
Going Glossophobic

Humor, Short Story

Going Glossophobic

By Steven Partington|2016-11-30T23:56:40+00:00November 30th, 2016|Humor, Short Story|

[This piece was originally published summer of 2011 in the now shuttered--which I don't think was my fault--New York Press, a free "throwaway" paper available in some of the finest sleazy dive bars in the city. And, if you managed to make it all the way to the back page, you would have found, in print, my freshly poured heart and soul... directly across from "24-hour Erotic Massage" and "men seeking ???"] When Gary, my boss, said in passing, “Oh, John wants you to give a presentation on mobile technology for the IT department's summit in March,” I was waiting [...]

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Everything For A Reason
Everything For A Reason

Early Years, Short Story

Everything For A Reason

By Steven Partington|2016-11-29T22:40:39+00:00November 28th, 2016|Early Years, Short Story|

Entering the mood-lit cafeteria-turned-dance floor, I ducked under the hanging crepe paper to the relative safety and anonymity of a dark corner. I scanned the room. It was mostly jocks, cheerleaders, and an assortment of other popular people. No one I actually knew. They were paired up or in groups, laughing and joking. It took all of 5 minutes to realize I didn't belong. Three decades later, it’s a memory so vivid I could almost smell Old Spice on polyester and the residual scent of just-smoked weed. “Steve – is one of your classmates looking for you?” I [...]

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What If . . .
What If . . .

Barcelona Life, Blog Post

What If . . .

By Steven Partington|2016-12-06T13:45:25+00:00November 26th, 2016|Barcelona Life, Blog Post|

What and if. Together two of the most powerful words in the English language. They represent endless possibilities in life and are at the very inception of millions of ideas big and small. Used effectively, these two words have the power to take us anywhere, to do anything, to be anyone. What if I could...? What if I did...? But with as much power as these words have to move us forward, they have many times the power to hold us back. What if I fail? What if I can't learn it? What if they don't like me? [...]

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Not Well Done
Not Well Done

Humor, Short Story

Not Well Done

By Steven Partington|2016-11-27T21:08:57+00:00November 25th, 2016|Humor, Short Story|

I worry a lot. It’s most likely something I got from my mother. She worries…she worries when I worry, and she worries when I don’t. I’ve inherited her innate ability to know when to worry, and worry at times there’s nothing to worry about (the calm before the worry storm). It’s worked—the worrying I mean. It’s kept me from getting into trouble from swallowing gum and gluing my insides together, or from going blind sitting too close to the TV. Even the clean underwear thing worked. Years ago, when I was in that serious car accident, I didn’t have [...]

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About Steven Partington