I live in a third world country, literally on the other side of the planet from the country in which I was born. But in this ever-shrinking, ever globalized world in which we live, even such extreme distance can't keep the stink of political rhetoric that spews out my country from reaching my nostrils. During … Continue reading Surviving Air Pollution
You Don’t Want This Story to Be True, and Here’s Why
You've heard the tale. In the beginning there was nothing. At some point, for some unknown reason—in fact, for no reason whatsoever—that nothing exploded with unimaginable force. Over the course of billions of years, the debris from that cataclysmic event formed the first subatomic particles, which combined to form the first atoms, which combined to … Continue reading You Don’t Want This Story to Be True, and Here’s Why
What Doesn’t Make It to the Blog
I like to write. I think one of the reasons I like to write is because it helps me think. You'd never know it reading these words right now, but between some of the words I type there exist minutes of empty space. Minutes in which I can simply process what I've just written and … Continue reading What Doesn’t Make It to the Blog
Where Malpractice Insurance Isn’t a Thing
A 12-year-old girl and her grandma walked into the clinic. The receptionist handed them a clipboard with a short form to fill out and told them to take a seat in the waiting room until called by the nurse. When it was their turn, Laura opened the door that led into the doctor's office and … Continue reading Where Malpractice Insurance Isn’t a Thing
Special Announcement: Poems are Stories, Too
Poems can be stories, too. It didn't dawn on me until recently, but in one of those rare moments of clarity, I just saw it. I've written poems for years, and—duh—some of them have been just as narrative as can be. And so, we though we'd share some with you. Some are appealing. Others dabble … Continue reading Special Announcement: Poems are Stories, Too
They Make Me Rich
A word that flies high over these past four years of my sojourn here in Central Asia is the word loneliness. It's a monster I was not at all prepared to face. The monster came anyway. Turns out he's a hard one to chase away. Every last human being senses a deep-seated need that is … Continue reading They Make Me Rich
Wisdom from the Bathroom
Our bathroom has more scars than it should for a bathroom of its age. That is, it's a lot like the people here. When we moved into our house, there was no indoor toilet or shower. We had an outhouse and a shower head hooked up in what used to be a sauna room sitting … Continue reading Wisdom from the Bathroom
We Need a Savior
In what Marvel movie has the earth ever saved itself? When has mankind (I'm speaking as a whole) ever looked within, dug deep, and defeated the monster just in time for the ending credits to roll? I've counted. That's happened exactly zero times. The superheroes save the earth. The deathblow is dealt by someone who … Continue reading We Need a Savior
High Speed Life
I hoisted our duffle bag up on top of the roller suitcase, took a deep breath, and started off toward the airport terminal. Thankfully we weren't flying, just returning a rental car and then taking the subway to the train station. If be spared that nightmare (the nightmare of flying) for another four days. Together … Continue reading High Speed Life
Don’t Forget to File Your Paperwork
Laura had made an appointment to get the thing from the place for the thing. (That's about the level of understanding I'm at when it comes to these sorts of… well… things.) It was 10:30 AM, and we were headed to the city for the 11:00 AM appointment. Laura was driving, and because she was … Continue reading Don’t Forget to File Your Paperwork