This past weekend, the clocks moved ahead for Daylight Saving Time in about one-third of the world, and right on cue, the annual chorus began. People complain about losing an hour of sleep. They complain that it messes with their body clock. They wonder aloud why we still bother with this system in the firstContinue reading “The Only Thing More Predictable Than Changing the Clocks is the Complaints About It”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Quiet Road Where Bonnie and Clyde Died
The next entry in my occasional travel series of places I’ve been to. Some places don’t look like history. Instead, they look like nothing. A rural road with trees leaning lazily over the shoulder while a gentle breeze blows. But so does silence. And yet you stand there knowing something violent once tore the airContinue reading “The Quiet Road Where Bonnie and Clyde Died”
When Your Instinct Says Step Back
There’s a difference between someone who talks too much and someone who sets off alarms. The former drains you while the latter tightens something in your chest and has your Spidey-sense tingling. A lady a few years older than me walked into the hangout mid-Friday afternoon. I was taking the afternoon off for the longContinue reading “When Your Instinct Says Step Back”
The Slow Acceptance That Not Every Hour Has to Be Productive
There’s a particular kind of guilt that showed with me around three in the afternoon. It slides into my brain and asks, quietly, “What have you accomplished lately?” And I can feel the low flame of my brain flickering instead of roaring. For years, I would have fought this hour. I would have forced something.Continue reading “The Slow Acceptance That Not Every Hour Has to Be Productive”
Thurmond, West Virginia – The Trains Still Pass Through
Continuing my occasional travel memory blog entries: Thurmond, West Virginia, felt like walking into a paused sentence. The buildings still stand in a straight line along the railroad tracks, their wooden facades facing forward as if waiting for something. But the motion that once defined the town is gone. Its population is five people. Yes,Continue reading “Thurmond, West Virginia – The Trains Still Pass Through”
Exploring Mississippi’s Legendary Crossroads
Continuing my travel journal: Not far from Money, Mississippi – just a short drive across the same flat Delta landscape – I found myself chasing a very different ghost. Where Money carries the weight of documented history, the Delta’s crossroads carry myth. Somewhere near the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, theContinue reading “Exploring Mississippi’s Legendary Crossroads”
A Visit To Money, Mississippi
Some places one visits hum with energy and life. Others feel as though they breathe through memory alone. I had read about the town for years because of the tragic story of Emmett Till, but reading about history and standing inside it are two entirely different experiences. Driving toward Money several years ago felt lessContinue reading “A Visit To Money, Mississippi”
Why Regulars Don’t Want to Be Your Music Consultant
There’s a certain unspoken contract when you’re a regular at a hangout. You show up. You’re polite, and you tip well. You don’t ask for favors but it’s nice when someone goes out of their way for you because you are a regular. You don’t make anyone’s job harder than it needs to be. YouContinue reading “Why Regulars Don’t Want to Be Your Music Consultant”
Where Does It Say I Have to Respond on Your Timetable?
Somewhere along the way, we quietly rewrote the rules of availability. I’m talking about outside of work, though, in a way, it can apply to work. Not in a meeting. Not in a handbook. Not even in a conversation anyone remembers agreeing to. It just sort of happened. If you have a phone, you’re reachable.Continue reading “Where Does It Say I Have to Respond on Your Timetable?”
Turning the Lights Back On
As noted in my previous entry, winter has a way of slowly dimming the room without telling you it touched the switch. It’s not enough to make you think something is wrong. Just enough that everything feels a little flatter, a little heavier, a little slower. You’re still functioning. You’re still getting things done. ButContinue reading “Turning the Lights Back On”
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