Enjoying Life from the Best Seats in the House
Jason ElRite Over the weekend, we suffered a loss in our family. We all knew it was coming. The signs had been obvious for years. But in the end, it still seemed like a surprise. You think you’re ready, then the moment comes when you have to make the call to just end things with some dignity. In a … Read more“Van”ishing Memories
With summer slowly coming to an end, my social media pages are filling up with photos of parents escorting their children onto buses as they start their first day of school. Unlike their teenage brethren, the little ones invariably have huge smiles on their faces while the parents try to hide their anxiety as they usher … Read moreA Not-So-Magic School Bus Ride
I was watching the sun set last night when a thought came unbidden to mind. It occurred to me that at precisely the same moment, somewhere in the world, a person I never met was looking at the exact same sun; only to him, it was rising. I guess I was always aware of this fact, … Read more7 Thoughts Too Big to Tweet and Too Small to Blog 3.1
So there I was… face-to-face with a potentially homicidal maniac who was for the moment held captive in a steel cage that from the looks of it wouldn’t hold him back long. From past horrific experiences, I knew what he was capable of, but I had been tasked by my superiors with returning him to quarters. … Read moreCamp Unbroken
(we pick up our story halfway through the author’s wedding reception 25 years ago) So there I was… awkwardly stuffing dollar bills into a middle-aged woman’s waistband in a feeble attempt to coax her down from the table she was dancing on at my reception because that’s how they roll in Northwest Ohio. Other than … Read moreMy Bunnymoon (Part Two)
So there I was… trying to eat a cheeseburger in the shower while contemplating this question: Am I going to make it to my wedding on time? My last day as a bachelor pretty much started the same way as all of the previous days of my life, with me having absolutely no idea of … Read moreMy Bunnymoon (Part One)
Now that I’m firmly entrenched in my middle age years, I feel strongly that it is my right, nay, my duty, to point out at every opportunity exactly what’s wrong with young people today. This time the focus is on their cars. As I look around at what these whippersnappers are cruising around in, I … Read moreThe Dragon Wagon
So there I was, wearily walking into my kitchen on the morning of July 5. I was recovering from a busy family-filled weekend of celebrating our nation’s independence and my nephew’s seventh birthday party. Looking for a place to rest my cereal bowl, I couldn’t help noticing how strange my teenage son Daniel’s brand new … Read moreA Firecracker of a Story
So there I was on a bitterly cold Tuesday morning in February. It was just like the beginning of any other work day. Except, by the time I’m done with my commute, I will be nearly blinded by incomprehensible rage. To be truthful, the whole thing really started about two weeks before when my wife … Read moreTwo Extremes Tuesday
So, there I was, pretending to clean the rear quarters of a fiberglass giraffe for the upteenth time in the past hour. I had just struck out again in my quest to find suitable female companionship for the evening; but little did I know that fate was about to slip me an ace which would change my life … Read moreLove Rollercoaster