An American in Europe on 9/11/01

I know there isn’t much to add to a blogosphere that will be saturated with posts about the five-year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist strike. Still, I thought I would share my experience of being an American in Europe that day. Once or twice a year I...

So there I was, sitting outside 7/11

Over on MySpace, a friend posted a picture of herself in a mug shot and asked people to submit a story that began with, "So, I was sitting outside of 7/11…" and ended up with her arrested. This was my entry. — So there I was, sitting outside...

Terrible Tuesday

On April 10, 1979, a massive tornado devastated the city of Wichita Falls, Texas. When most people think of tornadoes, they probably picture something like this:Or maybe this:Regardless of how the media treats them, tornadoes are not common. Manypeople who live in...

PLEASE! Help preserve the institution of marriage!

“Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society.” – President George W. Bush, God-appointed Leader of the United States of the...

Writing and Music

One of these days I’m going to study music theory and understand why certain songs or pieces move me the way they do, why they evoke certain emotions, why they inspire. Music stirs creativity in me and it comes in all forms–excitement, jubilation,...

Fun Friday

The first rule of dropping off a load in the work bathroom is don’t go in there if someone else is already making a delivery. It’s a simple rule, and it’s effective, because I don’t care how many delivery docks there are, only one should be...

Music Snobbery

When I was eleven years old, my favorite musical artist was OliviaNewton-John. There, I said it. My favorite song was “Physical.” I liked Journey, also. Kool & the Gang. Hall & Oates. I was eleven years old. I’m not ashamed to admit it. And...

Debris! Debris!

You ever see those video clips of the nerdy dudes chasing tornadoes? Guys wearing glasses with giant frames, 80s haircuts, wearing acid washed jeans or too-short shorts that aren’t hiding enough of their too-white legs? That’s me.Okay, not exactly....

The Writing Life

When I was an unpublished novelist, struggling to break through, to find an agent, to find a publisher willing to pay me for the privilege of seeing my work on a store bookshelf, I thought the biggest day of my writing life would be the day of my first sale. And it...