There is little else in the world as interesting to me as a fair. I love everything about them – the lights, the noise, the games, the poorly health-inspected food – but mostly, the people. I can watch fair people for hours.
My favorite place is the funhouse around dusk when overstimulated kids on their third hour of a sugar high go running full force into plexiglass walls they choose not to see. There’s something for everyone at the fair. Read More
Headphones change your level of interaction with the world. It amazes me how some people walk through public with earbuds in: especially along busy streets or sidewalks. I could never do that, I find it too distracting. Read More
I’ve always felt deep-seated pride when looking at the American flag. The concept of America inspires me with idealistic visions of human potential.
That’s why a wooden American flag hangs above my desk. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at it, but only recently discovered it has fifteen stripes instead of the customary thirteen. I counted them a dozen times then had Jenny count them too because math isn’t my “thing.” Read More
Many of the cartoons I watched growing up were largely repurposed for children after being created for adults.
The Flintstones was a prime-time TV show from the 1950s that got shoved into 1980s Saturday morning time slots as awkwardly as a parrot forced into a rock-carved intercom. Bugs Bunny was a beloved childhood icon, but I’m just old enough to remember him regularly drinking and smoking. Read More
The four stages of addiction are categorized as experimentation, regular use, risky use/abuse, and addictive dependency.
I cycled through the first three stages repeatedly throughout my teenage years and the starting point was my freshman year of high school when Mom gave me a brand new Nintendo 64. Read More
Coffee shops are a remarkable spot in the modern landscape. I respect that they have the courage to stay open late into the night, unlike those bagel-making sissy shops that close at two in the afternoon.
Their nature is ever-changing from a hurried bustle in the early morning hours to temporary office space in the afternoon and peaceful sanctuaries at night. Read More
I spent a considerable amount of time last year empathizing with a bird who kept flying into my basement window. It wasn’t clear if he was trying to fight with his own reflection, or mate with it, but either way I could relate. Read More
If I could make one wish for a happy couple on their wedding day, it would be that they’ve found someone who will be as loyal to them as I am to my brands of toiletries.
I don’t think my brands of toiletries are the best; I wouldn’t even necessarily recommend them. I just keep buying them because they work and are what I’ve always known. Read More
Graduation season is upon us. That seems surprising in a year when I’ve just gotten the lawn mower out of the shed and not yet “summerized” the snow blower, but the earliest ceremonies commence next weekend. This includes the University of Connecticut, where my wife Jenny will walk for the MBA she completed last summer. Read More
I recently learned that I do spring wardrobe cleaning wrong, which was a big surprise to me because I didn’t know I did any spring wardrobe cleaning at all.
I’ve also been told that I say that every spring.
Apparently, there are two days each year where many items of my clothing switch closets, some are thrown away, and some are even donated. I was outraged to find this out. Read More
