Meet the Melvins

Meet the Melvins

(Here’s an excerpt from an upcoming Tales From a Roundabout) Joe Melvin revved the engine of his Ford pickup truck with the transmission in neutral. Tears streamed down his cheeks. It was past 11:00pm on a Wednesday and the only lights around were from his...
Everybody Has a Price

Everybody Has a Price

Yesterday, I read a story about an influencer who was offered $50K to tweet nice things about one of the current US presidential candidates. I don’t know which is more amazing. That one can earn a living as an “influencer” or that a 140-character endorsement can get...
Constant State of Misery

Constant State of Misery

My dog is making it hard to write this morning because he is under my desk making pouting noises. He feels he should be supervising the HVAC repair man that is currently in our basement. The more I think about it, maybe I should have let him supervise. He just let out...
Chocolate, Vegetables, and Self Control

Chocolate, Vegetables, and Self Control

They’re sitting there. Just outside my office door. Two steps beyond, in a pantry/utility closet. Three bags of Halloween Candy. They’re calling me. “We have chocolate. And caramel. And nougat (whatever that is). And did we mention chocolate?” We’re two weeks away...
Laser Hair Helmets & Vibrating Forks

Laser Hair Helmets & Vibrating Forks

Last weekend I saw a Christmas display in a store that was the same size as their Halloween display. We’ve officially entered the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas marketing portion of the year. Municipalities all over the country are infusing pumpkin spice into the...