When I was younger, my family visited southern California for my uncle’s wedding. Nicely enough, the weekend of his nuptials coincided with that year’s Tournament of Roses. So I was fortunate enough to be in town for one of the great American experiences: the Rose Bowl. Not only
My first ever job was at our local Spinner’s Pizza, a now-defunct chain of Dallas-area takeout pizzerias whose most-advertised special was the “Twin Spin.” I can remember their selling mantra (“Two medium pizzas with two toppings for $12.99!”) almost as well as the phone number for the Dallas
Dad
Back in the 1980s, our family was quite the shit — we were the first on our block to own a VCR, which we connected to our big-screen Curtis-Mathis. We supplemented that material coup with two others: a BetaMax machine and cable television. How having these items didn’t make me
Mom
This morning, before heading out to the airport, I woke my wife up with a kiss and told Jenn that I loved her. Soon enough, she was giggling about something I said while sleeping. Bookended by sleepy muttering and snores, I said something like this: …they always make you wear
Dad
For most of my elementary school years, I had to take the music class taught by Mrs. O’Neil. In a class with the same teacher year-after-year, I’m not quite sure how the semesters were supposed to be distinct — all I can remember about the classes were Yamaha recorders,
Stories
The timing of the move stunk — we moved at the beginning of the summer, and my new school would not start up for several more months. I was 15 years old, a half-year away from getting a driver’s license, living out in the middle of nowhere, far away from
Stories
The other day, I received my university’s alumni magazine. And as is my normal routine, I flipped to the obituary section in the back and scanned for recognizable names. And there it was–a name that I had expected to show up for quite awhile, ever since I bore
Stories
Back in the day, before the dark times, before the Empire, I was a troglodyte working to support my university’s residence life system. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I was a resident assistant, living a life of butcher paper signs, happy markers, and 7-day meal plans. It was actually a
Christianity
I’ve known Jenn for only five months, and already I cannot envision the future without her. If you don’t know her yet, you should — silly, artistic, adventuresome, beautiful, and in possession of a wisdom that most 60-year-olds lack. And it is this wisdom that is serving as a
Last night, I had the opportunity to hear a speaker from out of town who might be the perfect stranger…you know, the friend you haven’t met yet. Jenn and I drove all the way to Ft. Worth to hear Ira Glass, host of “This American Life“, speak to
I remember every detail about the first time I almost died. Everything…except for the actual date. But my parents will never let me forget that it occurred on Friday the 13th. I sometimes wonder who came closest to dying that night: me or my parents. I was about two
Dad
Last night, I got a phone call I had been dreading for quite some time. My father called to tell me that my mother was in the hospital. Earlier in the day, she was visiting her primary care physician to get (of all things) a referral to the ophthalmologist. During
Stories
Last night, I was watering my pitiful plants, most of which have been suffering slowly this winter from a wicked combination of cold drafts and terrible light. I started off my stint in east Dallas with over a dozen plants. I’m down to six now, with only half of
Small World
Yes, it’s true…at one time, I was young enough to be a freshman. In 1992, I was a future tadpole set to swim around the big pond of Bruce Hall. I remember waiting outside the building on opening day, mentally ticking away the long minutes until 2:00pm
Small World
Back in early college, I was a bit of a Japanphile, absorbing all sorts of manga, anime, and history books about the Land of the Rising Sun. One of my more serious pursuits was learning Japanese during a four-semester course load. As is necessary with any foreign language study, I
Small World
This may be the least significant of my small world stories, only because I do not know this person very well. It’s an exceptional story because I was able to thank someone personally who had done something very nice for me at one time. Awhile ago. Months ago. I’