Goodbye to my dog
The funny thing is…I never wanted the dog. It was February 1999 and I was home sick from work in Jackson, Mississippi. My wife, then a producer at a television station, called me and...
Essays from an american mutt
How I spend my summer vacation
I was out and about this week enduring some last-minute errands. I had a quick photo-shoot thingy downtown. The photographer asked what I did for a living. The short answer I give is, “I’m...
June minutiae
So, what did I do in June? I worked, I traveled (Peru and St. John), and I relaxed. Nothing more. It wasn’t a very heady month, which is pretty much what I needed it...
A friend and his pen
Six or seven years ago, I stumbled into the circle of a guy named Pauly. You’ve seen me write a lot about him here. We’ve never lived in the same city, but over the...
World Cup tears
The boy’s lip trembled when it became clear that the USA was going to lose to Ghana. He fought the tears as long as he could and stumbled over his words as he asked...
Greenville News seeks bugle player with “Taps” experience
Classified ad to appear soon in Greenville News: Local newspaper seeks Upstate bugle player, preferably single and good looking, with experience in playing “Taps.” Musician must be able to work pro bono or be...
St. John: Wrong way, right time
“You’re driving on the left side of the road,” my wife said. We were headed toward Cinnamon Bay in a rented white Jeep Wrangler with no windows. We had planned to purchase a Jeep...
The St. John ache
We sat at the corner of a beachside bar in St. John. We were spent from a day of hiking, swimming in Solomon Bay, and traveling for several days in the most beautiful place...
The big disconnect
I bought my first laptop sometime in 2004. I have been constantly-connected ever since. In June 2005, my wife and I went on a trip for our fifth wedding anniversary. We went to Vegas,...
Alvin Greene: Proof South Carolina Democrats are screwed
South Carolina Democratic Party chair Carol Fowler should have the following to-do list today: 1) Apologize to statewide Democrats 2) Resign as chair of South Carolina Democratic party 3) Call up Jim DeMint and...
Police protection in Peru
Silenco. The sign in the median of Benavides Avenue is a standard red-slashed-circle with a picture of a horn in the middle of it. It’s meant to keep the teeming street in front of...
A letter to my wife on the occasion of our tenth anniversary
When it’s hard to believe in anything, it seems silly to believe in fate. It’s a fanciful concept built on hope, acquiescence, or desperation. Yet, I can find no other reason we ever met,...
Otis and the Pisco Sour
The woman walked toward me with a plate of green balls. No story should begin that way. It’s the type of lead that conjures nightmares, or at the very least, pornographic guilt, you know...