Be like Firestone

Note: Occasionally, I break down and write a serious post. Please don't hold this against me. And also be aware that I have no affiliation with Firestone Auto Care in any way.   *** Helpful. The word is often overlooked in these…

The Curse of the Common Name

After completing some exhaustive scientific research (two minutes on my phone while in line at Starbucks), I've confirmed what I've always strongly suspected: I have a very common name. Over the past century, Mark is the 16th most common…

The Top 10 movie moments that make this Tough Guy weep

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I ran across one of my favorite movies, "The Natural," the other night, and as usual, got sucked in and watched the whole thing. I've probably seen it 35 times. As I found myself wiping away tears at the end, I landed on the idea to write this post.

Casting the first fly: Indoctrination on the Bighorn River

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Careful not to slip on the mossy rocks, I stepped into the water of the Bighorn River. "Dang. This is cold." My guide, Jerry Smalley, scoffed as he walked past me, his hands full of fly rods and gear. "That water ain't cold," he said.…

The Top 9 Tips/Observations of a Disney First-Timer

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On Feb. 21, 2016, my family embarked on an earth-shattering, mind-bending, week-long, first-time-ever vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth: Disney World. It is now about a week and a half since we returned, and I'm writing the blog that…

And so that was Christmas…

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It's January 2 and Christmas is officially over. Sigh. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't such an unceremonious ending. You've got four or five weeks of slowly climbing that first big hill of the rollercoaster — tick, tick, tick…

The Top 8 Reasons why Christmas in the ’70s was Awesome

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It's no surprise that people tend to view the decade of their childhood as the best. As kids, we look at the world with innocence and wonder through formative eyes that are focused mostly on the good things in the world rather than the…

Why nature matters

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It happens as we cruise through our 21st-century life, and it’s nobody’s fault in particular. It happens while we spend eight hours a day in our brick office buildings, five days a week, most of a year;as we're driving our air-conditioned…

The Top 10 truths about winter storms in the South

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We're going on Day 6 of the Great Wintery-Mix Storm of 2015.  Because we're all essentially trapped in our homes, Americans on the lower-right side of the map have all taken to social media to air their witticisms and smart-aleck remarks…

What the movie “Unbroken” meant for me

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My fascination with Louie Zamperini has finally come full circle.  I went to the movie "Unbroken" last night. I'm not going to revisit the details of my personal interaction with the WWII hero here, but the nutshell is that I met and…