But why? Why did it bother me? Sure, I always outline. (okay, generally not blog posts and, yes, I recognize the irony). My approach in writing is always I want to know exactly where I’m going, and I want to be wrong.

In other words, respect the arc and ending, but hope to have moments of inspiration that surprise and grow the narrative.

When I found Bailey at the pound, he was so malnourished that the Humane Society mis-identified him as a hound dog – just a depressed pile of bones and droopy skin. He could only walk about 15 feet at a time before he’d need to stop and rest for a moment. Then, as we fed […]

I told myself, I basically promised myself, that I wouldn’t write about the Zimmerman verdict.  Not why people come here, I told myself.  You’ve gotten serious a lot lately, I told myself. But here we are. Please bear with me; I’ll try to be brief.  I don’t have some grand assertion; more a meditation.  Some […]

An unusual Friday post: just a quick note.  The incredibly warm and kinetic Susie Lindau, over at Susie’s Wild Ride, is undergoing a double mastectomy this morning.  She’s been very funny and upfront about the whole experience, and – thanks to the organizing efforts of BrickHouseChick at Swimming To My 50’s – a number of […]

I don’t write about it very often here, but I love running.  I genuinely love it.  I love what it does for me, sure – physically and mentally (my wife compares, rightly, the change in my mental energy after a run to how the dogs are after a big, long hike) – but I just […]

By now you may have heard about the guilty verdict given in the horrifying Steubenville rape trial.  You may also have heard the disgust at the manner in which it’s been reported. Here’s the CNN clip on the verdict: You know, you think we’ve evolved past this – both the callousness of the crime, and […]

Long-time readers, obsessive fans, and casual browsers with impressive intuitive skills might know that I love sharks.  I’m fascinated by them.  So, inspired by an article I read yesterday, I’m foregoing the humor for the day.  Instead: 7 amazing sharks facts, and 1 terrible one. 1. Lantern sharks can glow in the dark. 2. Many […]

The whims of pop-culture taste can be cruel and impulsive.  Fashion, music, television… nothing is guaranteed to last for any length of time.  Today’s “Gangnam Style” is tomorrow’s “Macarena” (literally – I mean, they’re basically the same song).  But sometimes the victims of culture shift seem to come out of nowhere.  In response, I present […]