A Charming Little Shithole
It was a charming little shithole: a small town whose rustic beauty belied its backwardness. Anywhere else in the country, it would be full of mobile homes and mini malls. But in the verdant...
The Siren Call of the Coffee Shop
I could not resist the siren call of the coffee shop. As the bus sped down the street without me. I looked down at my watch. Fifteen minutes till the next bus. An eternity...
Workplace Adventures: Door-to-Door
One summer, just before I started college, I got a job for an environmental lobbying firm. I’ve always had a bit of an activist streak, from grade school to college. So if I could...
Going to Jerryworld: A Tour of Cowboys Stadium
A couple of years ago, Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, decided to build a new ballpark to replace the aging Texas Stadium in Irving. After some wrangling, he ended building a two...
Slippery Slope
It was an odd winter. Every day above freezing. Every night below. The sleet and freezing rain came, melted a little, and refroze. Soon the whole St. Louis area was covered with three or...
Subtle Foe of Creativity
The subtle foe of creativity Drowns us in banality. Endless meetings and pointless emails, Mindless procedures and operations. A delicate idea that barely exists Can be crushed with great ease. Bureaucracy kills all innovation,...
A Stint in Stand-Up
After college, I was fumbling my way through life, looking for a career. Somewhere in the haze I got the idea to do stand-up. There was a comedy club in Lansing with an amateur...
Boston, We Have a Problem
Car problems can make a mess out of any vacation. It started when I arrived at Logan Airport. I got off the plane and called my mom. She was just coming off the bridge....
Corporate Feudalism: The End of Nation States
Have you ever read Dune? Set 20,000 years in the future, it tells of a universe controlled by a hodgepodge of corporate and feudal interests. There’s an emperor balanced against a council of noble...
Are You Going to Scarborough Faire?
Last year I went to Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas. It was my first time at a Renaissance Faire, and I loved it. It was a perfect day for taking photos: sunny, but not...
