Noxious Weeds and Black Mold
There are many things in this world I will just never understand. For example, how is it that I can’t seem to grow a simple patch of grass in my back yard no matter what I do?
Lifestyle
The Night the Lights Went out in Alabama
The electricity went out. I don’t know why it happened. It wasn’t storming. The weather was nice. All I know is I was watching TV when the lamps suddenly flickered and died. And that was that.
Call Me Never: A Modern Theory of Communication
Phone Calls: The Worst Kind of Ambush. Phone calls suck. There, I said it. They demand your full attention right now — as if you weren’t doing something important.
The Art of the Cast: A Brief History of Fly Fishing and Its American Journey
Fly fishing isn’t just a way to catch fish—it’s a deliberate dance, a poetic pursuit, and, as Norman Maclean wrote, “a religion, with a rod as the medium of conversion.”
Why Some People Absolutely Love Fishing: It’s a Legalized Dopamine Rush
You’re watching your fly or popper drift across glassy water. The tension builds. Then — WHAM! — the surface explodes. Water erupts. Line goes taut. Heart rate spikes. You’re instantly wide awake.
The Art of Porch Sitting
I come from a long line of porch sitters. This is why I am always on my porch. In my neighborhood, I am affectionately known as “that weirdo freak who’s always on his porch.” This is usually said in a positive way.
Hemingway Reviews: Two Hearted IPA
The fish on the label looked like one I once tried to catch on the Two-Hearted River. I never caught it. I wrote about not catching it. They gave me a Pulitzer for that. Now it’s on a can. Fitting.
The Art You Find in a Waffle House
Waffle House. My waitress has a bunch of tattoos. The women customers in the booth behind mine are talking about it in voices loud enough to alter the migratory patterns of waterfowl.
Why Do I Write?
I’ve been writing professionally for upwards of a decade. And suddenly, I don’t know why I’m doing it. What’s wrong with me?
There Has to Be a Better Way: Rethinking Oil Changes in America
For decades, Americans have been told to change their oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. It’s been drilled into us by quick-lube shops, service stations, and manufacturers.
Throw the Bums Out!
A vociferous minority of foreign students, in cahoots with thousands of narcissistic and oblivious American students, continue to disrupt life on college campuses. We need to throw the bums out.
Socks and Crocs: The Freedom Footwear Revolution That Fashion Can’t Kill
Let’s get one thing straight: Socks and Crocs aren’t a fashion mistake. They’re a freedom statement. And if that makes you uncomfortable, you might be part of the problem.
The Castration of the American Male: How Gynocentrism Gutted a Generation
Take a stroll through any American city, and you’ll find him: the modern urban male. Dressed in soft fabrics, sipping plant-based lattes, paralyzed by indecision, terrified of offending anyone, and spiritually neutered.
Dante’s Inferno: The 700-Year-Old Matrix That Red-Pills You on Sin and Justice; Part 1
When people imagine Hell, they often picture fire, demons, and eternal torment—but much of this imagery doesn’t come from the Bible. Instead, it comes from Dante Alighieri’s, “Inferno.”
You Weren’t Made to Be Happy: The Call to a Higher Life
The modern obsession with happiness—comfort, entertainment, ease—is not only misguided, it’s harmful. It’s a form of “infantile hedonism”: a worldview more suitable for children than for adults who wish to live meaningful lives.
Confessions of a Morning Person
As a boy, I’d awake to find my mother already in the living room, snuggled beneath a lamp, where she’d been reading for hours. The cat in her lap would just stare at me with moral disapproval.
The Laws of Stupidity: How Carlo Cipolla Explains America’s Political Fanaticism
Carlo M. Cipolla (1922–2000) was an Italian economic historian known for his insightful and often humorous takes on human behavior. While he wrote extensively on economic development and technological history, his most famous work is The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity (1976).
Have Shoes, Will Travel
I have been doing a lot of walking. More walking than I’ve ever done in my life. More walking than I thought possible.
A Walk in Birmingham, Alabama
I awoke early and went for a walk with my dog. The sun wasn’t up, I let my eyes adjust to the darkness of Birmingham.
A Familiar Accent in an Unfamiliar Place
People from small towns almost never tell you the name of their town first. They always start with the nearest big city and work their way inward.