Tag: Observation

  • What’s Missing?

    I’ve never considered myself much of a chef. I don’t julienne. I don’t chiffonade. I don’t make foams, reductions, or anything that requires tweezers.  But a cook? Now that’s a title I’d proudly wear. When I’m cooking, I really only have one goal; Make enough food that everyone leaves the table full, preferably smiling, and…

  • My Knees Have Opinions

    I have reached the age where I’ve discovered something I never knew in my younger years. Apparently, my knees have opinions. The problem is, they’ve become a lot more vocal with age, and they don’t often agree with my heart. Getting injured no longer requires doing something stupid. There was a time when I could…

  • The Things We Never Meant to Remember

    It’s funny, the things we remember. Not the moments everyone tells us will matter. Not always birthdays, graduations, or the day we got the keys to our first house. Those memories are there somewhere, but they often sit quietly in the background. Instead, it’s the little things that wait patiently for us. The smell of…

  • The Magic in the Stands

    Every sport has something special to offer in person. If you’ve ever stood inside a packed soccer stadium, you’ve felt the thunder. Ninety minutes of chants, songs, flags, and enough energy to shake concrete. There may be no greater sporting spectacle on Earth than the World Cup. Football is organized chaos. Hockey is astonishingly fast.…

  • On the Honor System: How Are We All Still Alive?

    Civilization has a dirty little secret. It only works because, for the most part, we trust each other. Have you ever stopped and realized just how much of everyday life runs on the assumption that complete strangers are going to behave themselves? Not because they have to. Because they’re supposed to. That’s an important distinction.…

  • A Merely Audible Contemplation

    Lately, I’ve spent enough time alone to hear the refrigerator thinking. It’s a low hum at first, but if you sit quietly long enough, you start wondering if it’s judging your life choices. The funny thing is, I don’t remember solitude being part of the plan. Growing up in a small town, there was always…

  • Muscle Memory

    For the longest time, I’ve worn my hair in what could best be described as a modified buzz cut. All clippers, no scissors. A style that lives somewhere between “civilian trying to look presentable” and “Marine Corps recruiter might nod in approval.” Never quite a full high-and-tight, but close enough that nobody would accuse me…

  • Job Title: Yes (Other Duties as Assigned)

    There isn’t a single human being on this floating rock hurtling through space who has managed to live life playing only one role. Not one. If you know such a person, please let me know. I’d like to study them. Strictly for academic purposes, of course. Not because I suspect they’re an alien trying very…

  • Backyard Kings and Charcoal Crowns

    There was a time when a backyard grill wasn’t just a way to cook dinner—it was Dad’s kingdom. Actually, if we’re being honest, it still is. The throne may be a faded patio chair, the crown may be a cloud of charcoal smoke, and the royal scepter may be a pair of stainless-steel tongs, but…

  • No Wi-Fi, No Agenda, No Problem — Doing Nothing and Loving It

    There used to be a time when “doing nothing” was actually doing something. You’d see it everywhere. A man sitting on the front porch after work, coffee cup in hand, staring at absolutely nothing and somehow thinking about everything. A grandmother on a porch swing, watching the world pass by at a speed slow enough…

  • The Meta Standoff at Calexico High School

    It was high noon at Calexico High. Not the romantic kind of high noon with tumbleweeds rolling past the cafeteria and someone whistling a Morricone soundtrack.  No. This was the modern version. The sun hung over campus like it had a personal grudge. Heat shimmered above the blacktop. The halls were quiet. Somewhere in the…

  • Turns Out I Was Pretty Good at Being Me

    Once upon a time, there was a kid. A curious kid. A distracted kid. He was good at just about everything he tried, but never really great at any of it—or at least that’s what he thought. He never really knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. He considered all the usual…

  • What If? (Maybe I Should Get Some People First)

    Recently, someone asked me if I had ever considered releasing an audiobook version of my book. I hadn’t given it much thought before, but the question stuck with me. With today’s technology, creating an audiobook is more possible than ever. I’ve been told that I could probably record it myself and release it without too…

  • A Pause, Not an Ending

    A Pause, Not an Ending

    People get tattoos for all sorts of reasons. Some honor someone they love, remember an important moment, celebrate a milestone, or carry a meaningful reminder with them wherever they go. Others simply appreciate the artistry and enjoy turning their skin into a canvas for self-expression. A tattoo can tell a story, capture a memory, reflect…

  • No Batteries Required: When Play Meant Something More

    Yesterday, I saw something I never thought I’d see again—especially not from a high school student. I saw a group of teenagers playing leapfrog. Leapfrog. Not a phone app. Not a video game. Not some new social media challenge designed to last three days before disappearing into the digital abyss. Actual leapfrog—the same game kids…