On December 2, 2018, I performed a one-time only monologue, “Ed Novak’s Harrisburg” at Harrisburg Improv Theater. Thank you to Anna Novak and another member of the audience who shared video evidence of this performance.
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That Funny Feeling (Boomer Version)
A baby boomer's interpretation of Bo Burnham's ode to generational angst.
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Nectar of the Gods, Explained
"Nectar of the Gods" is a celebration of the refreshing virtues of Diet Mountain Dew as well as the beauty of our nation’s capital region.
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Creative Update
I have not abandoned this blog. My creative endeavors are dominated by my efforts to complete a novel, “Confessions of a Lapsed Altar Boy.”
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Christmas in the Room
Song by Sufjan Stevens. Performed by Third Ed Novak
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“Diet Mountain Dew” [Yet Another Version]
Diet mountain dew, baby, New York City Have you ever seen a girl so pretty? Do you think we'll be in love forever? Do you think we'll be in love?
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Goodbye, Pandemic Ed
As the pandemic hit the East Coast, my barber shop closed. At the same time, people began to improvise masks. I vowed not to cut my hair again until an efficacious vaccine was running through Dr. Fauci’s and my veins. I was able to amuse myself in many ways, among them my "art project": creating a monthly “Hair and Mask Update” on social media.
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God is a Middle-Aged Woman
“God is a Middle-Aged Woman” was originally recorded by Ezra Furman and the Harpoons in 2007. Ezra Furman was 21 years old. This song always astonished me, partly because of the youth of its composer and partly because of its depth and wisdom.
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Nobody Took Your America Away: Labor Day 2010
If your fair town cannot hold a parade this Labor Day, you can enjoy Greenbelt, Maryland's parade from 2010. What a celebration of all that we share. In the midst of everything, it's just a joyful reminder that no one took your America away. It's always been here, if you just open your eyes.
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Novak Agonistes: A Remembrance of Things Past
It was interesting to learn on New Year's Day in 2016 about a mobile phone app called 1 Second Everyday, which was invented by Cesar Kuriyama. This app allows you to record a 1-second video each day and create a mashup along a timeline: a week, a month, a season, or, in my case, the entire year of 2016.
Gay Marriage
A lone troubadour reflects on how gay marriage destroyed his traditional marriage. Just kidding! This is satire.
Where I’m From
My version of the George Ella Lyon poem of the same title: I am from black-and-white television.From Swanson’s and Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola.I am from the ranch dressing of homes, with a back yard littered by dog poop, where I could snatch my own thoughts out of warm air.I am from the cocoa bean, bitter but … Continue reading Where I’m From
UPDATED: Notes on the Trump Mob
Updated thoughts and images shared on the first anniversary of the failed January 6th insurrection in Washington DC.
The Argentinian Restaurant
For the past 35 years, Bernadette, Natalie, and Nathan met in the Argentinian restaurant for lunch on an anniversary...until a tragedy ruptures their friendship.
Edward A. Novak, Jr. 1931-2021
Passed away on December 6, 2021, Edward Andrew Novak, Jr. of Sterling, Va., retired physician, naval officer and Kiwanian, devoted father of Edward A. Novak III, of Greenbelt, Md.; and cherished grandfather of Anna H. Novak of Lower Allen Township, Pa., and Katharine N.N. Allgood of Susquehanna Township, Pa.
Third Ed Novak 