Article Archives: Words with Woods

Fear Of Franny: A Football Story

September 9, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

This column originally appeared in May 2009. I know a sports enthusiast who loves Indianapolis Colts football. I mentioned to him once that I had gone to high school with two players who had achieved NFL stardom: Larry Brown, and Francis Peay. “Franny” as he was called, was a first … Read More

Dog Life

September 2, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

(To quote a boss of mine, “This is going to bring rain.”) A woman posted on a social media neighborhood site that she was unhappy with the people who mean-mugged her house as they passed her barking dogs. She asked them for an itinerary so that she could provide milk … Read More

Car Crash

August 26, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so that we can feel something. — Crash (2004) The jolt shocked me; I was stopped at a traffic light. The car I … Read More

Math Magic

August 19, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

My eldest child sent me a text message that showed a picture of a math problem. It seems that Jane bought two books in a book shop, and the second book was $10 less than three times the price of the first book. Which poses the question: how much was … Read More

Exquisite Misery

August 12, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

The running man wore a rictus of pain but forced a greeting through it as he passed me. “Good morning” he gasped, raising his hand in greeting. As we continued in opposite directions in opposite ways — he, running and I, walking — I wondered yet again about this self-inflicted … Read More