I Don’t Have To Be Your Friend
As we grow older, our selection of friends becomes smaller, sometimes prompting us to question why we were friends in the first place.
Long Read
I Forgot What I Came Here For
I don’t always remember what I’m doing, why I’m in this room, or how things work. Memory is complicated. Losing it is frightening.
Pride, Rainbows, Floods, and Gods
An anti-Pride meme sends the wrong message and completely misses the facts about rainbows, floods, and Pride.
Running From the Hands of a Racist
Emotions are triggered when looking at my hands starts to remind me of a racist grandparent I never wanted to emulate.
Ending One Life To Search For Another
Ending the one thing for which we’ve always been knowing, putting more than 35 years of experience on the shelf, was not an easy decision.
A Disgrace of a Nation Disgraces The World
Another mass shooting. Another murder of an unarmed black child at the hands of police. The United States is a disgrace. What’s next?
Whose Rights Are These, Anyway?
One strong trait of Americans is the extent to which we value our rights, our liberties. But what happens when my rights conflict with yours?
Where Do We Go From Here?
We look at gains made: not biting our nails, COVID-19 Vaccines, economy surging, and it feels good. But what direction do we take next?
What The Atlanta Murders Teach About Sex Work
The racist murder of eight people at Atlanta-area massage parlors demands that we reconsider our views on professional sex work.
The Art Of Doing Nothing
What may look like laziness to some may be the ultimate form of avoiding stress and keeping yourself creative and healthy.
This Isn’t Nam, There Are Rules
Not everyone plays fair. They step over the line. When cheating hurts the poor we have to speak out. This isn’t Nam, Dude. There are rules.
Don’t Go Climbing Mountains
Everyone has mountains they must cross. Unless there’s no mountain. Let’s consider that maybe our challenges aren’t as big as we think.
The Church Between Me And Music I Love
All I wanted to do was listen to a wonderful pipe organ. A church got in the way.
Summoning Reluctant Spirits of the Holidays
References to Charles Dickens abound as the spirits of past years are summoned in search of a hopeful spirit for the holidays.
Conversation With A Mad Man
I talk to myself because sometimes I need expert advice. This is one of those times.
2020 Is Almost Here And I'm Already Disappointed
All predictions were that we would be a great society by 2020. Those predictions were wrong. 2020 is already disappointing.
Are We Fit Enough To Stay Alive?
It’s my birthday, but how many of us will be here for the next one? We’re dying too quickly and that’s a problem!
Searching For Legacy In Fear Of Being Forgotten
The New Yorker scooped my planned topic so we got all depressed and went this direction instead.
Being Creative Is Scary And I Need A Drink
Being creative and maintaining that creativity raises a lot of questions and doubts and the fear that we’re all going mad.
We’re Not Getting Enough Sleep And It’s Killing Us
[Annoying copy reminding people I need to eat at least once a week. Either buy something or drop us some cash.] An editorial reminder that links in this article appear bold and italicized. We don’t color or underline them. Please, click the links. Our personal health depends on learning how …
Five Things No One Needs To Fear
There is a lot of fear in our lives and many are unnecessary. We look at five fears you no longer need.
Name Calling Aside, Saving The Planet Requires Being Radical
Rhetoric is irrelevant; climate change now threatens everything, eliminating the opportunity for a measured response. Note: I realize that since we’ve spent 20 weeks with the novel there haven’t been a large number of links in what we’ve written. Our links are not underlined or colored, they’re bold italic. When …
Being Perfect Doesn’t Make Life Better
Striving for perfection sounds like a good thing right up until the point it causes a heart attack, or ruins a relationship, or makes life suck. We need to let go of perfection everywhere we can.
Good Guys, Bad Guys, And The Ethical Problem Of Nationalism
We have fallen victim to the good guy/bad guy mythology of Nationalism and it is a large part of what fuels our intolerance and racism.
Planetary Abortion: Saving The Lives That Matter
There has been a lot of incendiary talk about abortion this week but if we truly value life we have to realize it’s the planet we’re about to abort.
Replacing WWJD With WDJS
Asking What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) is the wrong question. Instead, one should ask What Did Jesus Say? (WDJS)
Remembering Rachel Held Evans
News of the death of Rachel Held Evans shook us hard. We look back at the original article that brought her to our attention.
This Is Where We Are Now
Have we reached a state of permanent dystopia and injustice or are there some things we’re missing? We look at the numbers across the board.
Enduring The Crucible of Self-Creation
Creating our own identity is a challenge that tests our resolve and determination but we come out stronger in the end.
Enduring The Crucible of Self-Creation, pt. 2
Creating our own identity is a challenge that tests our resolve and determination but we come out stronger in the end.
Petty Annoyances That Keep Me Grumpy
I often am accused of being a grumpy old man. Here are five reasons for why I’m less than pleasant.
Modern Language: Talking The Talk That Others Talk
Language is constantly changing. What it means to speak English is different now than it was last year. The older we get the more challenging it is to keep up.
Pondering Our Place In The Universe
Time got the best of me this week and there simply wasn’t enough time to complete my thoughts on the topic I had chosen for this post. Fortunately, there are alternatives. From the beginning of time, humans have questioned why we are here, what is our purpose. Religions were created …
The White Guy’s Guide To NOT Being A Jackass
So many white guys are running around being a jackass apparently they need some help knowing how to behave. We’ve written this for them.
The Old Man’s Guide to Fall Fashion
The A/W 2019 fashion season dominated my entire month of February and some of March. Here’s a recap
Reclaiming The Lost Art Of Reading
You know you don’t read enough. You know you want to be reading a lot more. We’ve broken the article into chunks to make reading easier.
Exploring Love Stories From The Past
Love. Sometimes it comes in a minute, sometimes it doesn’t come at all.
Wait, Let’s Talk About This
Before we blindly accept what we’re reading, perhaps we would do better to sit and discuss them a while.
Save Yourself, Save Humanity … From The Robots
Humanity is in danger of extinction for many different directions. How do we save humanity? By saving ourselves first. This isn’t at all selfish.
Listening To New Music With Old Ears
We listened to 75 of this year’s Grammy Awards nominees. Here is the Old Man’s opinion.