Tedium – An Apocalyptic Roadside Attraction

Tedium – An Apocalyptic Roadside Attraction

It was macabre. A gothic children’s exhibit. A series of blackened and burnt structures had been cobbled together to form a methamphetamine miniature golf course in the center of nowhere. Jarette was on the border of Utah and Nevada just outside the small town of...
Tedium – Delilah’s Confession

Tedium – Delilah’s Confession

Music rose from the jukebox. First a whispered woman’s voice singing, then gentle guitar spilled over a seductive dance of bass, percussion, and piano. Jarette immediately recognized the song and the singer. Once I Loved by Astrud Gilberto. “You like this, Cowboy?”...
Fourth Grade Broke My Face

Fourth Grade Broke My Face

It was late September and I could feel winter coming. The leaves had changed color and the grass was nearly brown. Winter was always around the corner in Granite City. Snow often fell in October and stayed until May. At Westforest Elementary, teachers made us go...
My Wicked Kindergarten Teacher

My Wicked Kindergarten Teacher

We sat cross-legged on the colorful carpet in three rows. 30 small bodies looking straight ahead with young, innocent faces at Mrs. Kablutsen. She stood in front of an empty blackboard and seemed too old to be a kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Kablutsen looked like the...
I Was Born on the Thumb of a Hitchhiker’s Curse

I Was Born on the Thumb of a Hitchhiker’s Curse

An occasionally, mostly true tale.  When my parents named me after a hitchhiker they picked up in a blizzard somewhere between Wyoming and Nebraska, I don’t believe they had the intention that I become a hitchhiker myself. But that’s what happened. I became someone...