Vermont, With a Side of Vermont
Vermont has been extra Vermonty this winter. The snow started in October, with the first measurable snow in November. We’ve been under snow pretty much ever since, and we’re at least two feet… Read More ➤
Category: Life
Hustle and Bustle of the City
Yes, Waterbury can be a bit busier than this, especially during/after events or when the state employees leave the state complex. But for the most part, this is the hustle and bustle that I see on a daily basis. Add a little snow, and there’s something soothing about the slow heartbeat of traffic signals, spiriting folks here and there with … Read More ➤
Digging at Roots
Sometimes getting confirmation doesn’t really answer the question. Earlier this year, I decided to take an Ancestry DNA test, hoping to resolve a few life-long questions. Mainly, who was my father’s maternal grandmother. She died when I was pretty young, Read More ➤
Shining Through
Diversity is not convenient for those that need to control and/or profit from us. For their benefit, you must live every aspect of your life in a submissive system of binaries. Back/white. Christian/not. Us/them. Good/bad. There is no wiggle room, Read More ➤
Giving Sorrow Words
For the most part I’m upbeat and content—I have to be! I try to never sweat the small stuff, and I tend to sail through life brushing off any nonsense that comes my way.
The best car I ever had was totaled, and I went broke on rentals while trying to sort out the mess—to no avail. Hey, no problem!
Student loan debt has nearly doubled thanks to that “low” interest rate. Hey, no problem!
I found out my best friend… Read More ➤
Four Years On
Sometimes, it takes the eye of an outsider to appreciate your surroundings.
This past August, I had just such a chance when some old friends from Delaware came for a visit. Although we definitely wanted to hang out and catch up, I knew they’d also want to see what makes Vermont great and planned a few jam-packed days, including the usual “three-town tour” I give everyone: Montpelier, Waterbury, and Burlington. But with decent weather and my own wish to see a few new things myself, we all became tourists on that long weekend.
In Montpelier, we all tried… Read More ➤
Enormity in Small Things
Four years ago, when I was first considering a move to Vermont for a career change, there were naturally reservations. I knew that Waterbury was smaller than most any town I had spent the night in, much less lived in, and nearby towns weren’t much larger. I considered commuting from Burlington, a bit of a mixture of Wilmington and Newark, Delaware—only with more spunk and vigor—but the distance and inadequate transit made it impractical.
So, I gathered all the … Read More ➤
Message to a Mystery Girl
I dream constantly, but most are just flashes that I vaguely, if it all, remember. A lot have to do with practical, everyday things or things so unreal they mean little. I know my brain moves ninety-to-nothing at all times, and sleep is no different.
But occasionally a dream is so connected to reality, that I forget I’m supposed to be asleep. This was one one such dream.
We should first put aside that… Read More ➤
Man in the Mirror
In my head, I’m still that 20-something guy, absorbing all I can and working on that long journey to figure out myself and the world.
If I close my eyes and sing along to some song that means anything to me, it’s still 1993. I’m sitting on the bed in that rented room on Dallas Avenue, wearing tattered jeans and a tie-dyed shirt while lip-syncing Toad the Wet Sprocket.
For a split second, I might even get the urge to hop on the old Schwinn mountain bike and head to… Read More ➤
Little Man Big Man
We had to put our heads on our desks and raise our hands to vote. There were no paper ballots, no ballot box, just a simple count of hands. This came after each category called for nominations: secretary, treasurer, reporter, representatives, vice president, and president of the class’s 4-H chapter.
I was at the age where I thought formalities like this mattered, and any positive attention or recognition I could get was automatically a good thing. This was fifth grade, and it’s when… Read More ➤