Through the Years

There’s a framed, sepia-toned photograph hanging on the wall behind my monitor. “Racing at the Clarendon” is its title, and it was taken on the sands of Daytona Beach in 1922. Spectators are lined up along the boardwalk and can be seen viewing the festivities from out their hotel room windows. Cars — four of which are […]

The Strawberry Field

When I was little we’d go to Disneyland once, maybe twice a year. Living a few miles from The Happiest Place on Earth is something most will never know — fireworks from the park were visible during summer nights, and the Mark Twain riverboat’s whistle could be heard during the quieter parts of the day, usually around dusk […]

The Offering Plate

Have you ever seen something, met someone or been in a situation that suddenly seemed to make sense of your life? Occasionally you pause and really think about it — your existence, that is. Its twists and turns seem nonsensical. Its ups and downs feel more exhausting than educational. Its challenges seem anything but character-building. […]

Kill With a Smile

Billy Joel is one of my favorite musicians. The first concert I ever went to was one of his, and he’s responsible for my pre-teen love affair with the state of New York. I used to open up the encyclopedia and sketch the entire state, counties included. When a stray cat we took in ended […]

Proof.

As human beings, it seems like we’re always looking for proof. Proof that someone loves us, as if to say that their words aren’t enough. Proof that we’re good enough, as though someone telling me that I can do whatever I put my mind to goes in one ear and out the other. Proof that […]

A World of Billions

I had a strange moment of pseudo-loneliness tonight. Today was Cinco de Mayo, something I completely forgot about until I was driving home from the store this evening. I went into work this afternoon, oblivious to the fact that tequila and margaritas were likely in abundance everywhere around me; my snooze-worthy Starbucks iced coffee kept […]