“The wind is never for the sailor who knows not to which port he is bound.”- Og Mandino My feet are so small. I have to run fast all the way down the hall. I have to find Dad. I have to hurry. I have to be fast. I know…

A musical ride featuring song titles that move you right along — When Pierce McIntyre first tagged me to join in writing for Plethora of Pop, I was slightly taken aback. While music is a big part of the day, with it almost always on as the background to my writing, I have never considered myself a radio head. …

A Runaway Train Delivers Notorious Criminal To His Final Destination — June 21, 1891. He’d survived another test-barely. Moving his limbs and extremities, the inventor concluded his wounds were minor, and only the shock of the concussion had left him disorientated. The room had blacked out, and he could only hear electricity snapping. …

Two men with songs about love building you up and breaking you down — Much like Paul Combs, who I consider a mentor and teacher, I continued to think about this prompt. I like that it’s a small challenge; two songs by two artists and a simple, senseless scoring scheme. This makes the Rate-a-Record challenge much more manageable than the tsunami of “Best songs/movies…

Looking at my daughter’s final years as a child — It was Christmas eight years ago; my daughter was five years old. She’s positively beaming, thrilled by a house flowing with the day’s magic. In her hands is a package from her Grandmother. …

Little Fatso Fighter, Catching Patrick Swayze’s Wife or the Raccoon Recycler — I’ve always loved games from childhood favorites like Operation and Battleship to the cult of Dungeons and Dragons as an early teen to trivia and card games as an adult. A good bit of trickery has been a true pleasure. As many of you know, this game of two truths…

Like a parent’s duty to their children, sometimes a Chef’s responsibility runs 24/7 — The phone rattled and chimed on my bedside table, and after wiping the fog of sleep from my mind, I reached over and snatched the receiver — the time was nearly two am. It was the late 90s,’ and I was working as one of the senior chefs at a…

The morning after brings reflections and possibilities — Chapter 1 can be found here. Dinner and Not a Date Date When not looking at all finds something specialmedium.com Kiersten woke on Friday morning with a smile, but unlike Monday when she dreaded the start of the day, this day began with her feeling like she had returned from a little holiday. …

Two movies that make me happy but make my wife groan — “Oh my god! Don’t tell me you’re watching this — again!” The Missus yowls from the couch. “Sorry, hun, it’s a must-see. Gotta watch it.” I reply “Could you not? You’ve seen it a dozen times. I don’t want to watch something I’ve already seen. You’re not the only one…