Following politics can be very depressing these days because we seem to be suffering one crisis after another. I’m old enough to remember when approximately a third of the savings and loan associations failed between 1986 and 1995. Then there was terrorism and 9/11, a major economic downturn, and COVID, all against a backdrop of fentanyl
In my second year of college (at the USAF Academy), I decided to declare Latin American Studies as my major to capitalize on my high school Spanish. It was a unique opportunity to learn about a part of the world that was both exotic and close to home. The faculty was excellent. In addition to
Bears and rabbits are not supposed to be friends, but the story of how Sunny Bunny and Victor Bear became “best friends forever” is a tale of friendship, cooperation, and overcoming stereotypes. Sunny and Victor: Best Friends Forever, the children’s book that started my writing career, is available again on Amazon Kindle. https://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Victor-Best-Friends-Forever-ebook/dp/B0HCMP2JT6/ref=sr_1_1?
Suddenly it’s August, and school starts (for me) in 12 days. This year I’m telling myself I’ll slow down, and will not be substituting as much as in the past. At least that’s the plan, but I’ve said that before. Being a history nerd, I originally wanted to teach social studies. It took me two
Anyone who travels the world likes to find unique keepsakes to help document their journeys. And yet, it takes a practiced eye to differentiate between the kitschy (miniature Eiffel Towers!) and the truly unique items that preserve special memories. I’m not saying I’ve never succumbed to the mundane, but over the years I have found
I’ve just returned from my latest adventure which took me back to Bhutan, that diminutive Buddhist kingdom sandwiched between India and China. I had visited in 2018 to run the Thunder Dragon Marathon, the second part of the Dragon Challenge, the first part being the Great Wall Marathon in China the preceding week. That was
I first wrote this reminisce about one aspect of my military service in September 2021. I thought this would be a good time to republish it since we’re at war again. Listening to the media coverage of the Iraq withdrawal, one of the most heartbreaking stories was the interview with the widow of the last
I first published this in December 2022 and thought it would be fun to revisit it. This story is attributed to appellate Judge David Bazelon. A Chinese father calls his children to a family meeting and tells them that somebody has pushed the family outhouse into the Yangtse River and asks somebody to confess; nobody
Since this is Super Bowl Week, I’m revisiting my thoughts on professional football. I have been a fan all my life; during my formative years, the Cleveland Browns were the only Ohio team and star running back Jim Brown was in his prime. That’s what got me hooked. Since then, as I’ve aged and entered
This is one of my favorite short stories. It was originally published at BewilderingStories.com in Issue 612, and was an Editors’ Choice in the 2015 First Quarterly Review. It’s also included in my book Stories Short and Strange, available on this website and Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle versions (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=%22stories+short+and+strange%22&i=stripbooks&crid=3NM0S4R47KU87&sprefix=stories+short+and+strange+%2Cstripbooks%2C145&ref=nb_sb_noss). By the way, one of these segments actually