January 2013
3 posts
The Whiskey Journal: National Grandmother's...
thewhiskeyjournal:
NORFOLK, Va. — Citing acts such as “making my granddaughter so happy” and “holding open doors for me,” in addition to holding pleasant conversation at a reasonable volume last Thanksgiving, Mark Wittman has been named Nicest Young Man of the Year by the National Grandmother’s Association. “It’s a real honor to be named to this prestigious award,” Wittman said at a press...
I cashed in the box today. There was $65.88 in it. But no longer! It’s split between my IRA and my savings account. Starting over with a $3 thrift store bank, which has much more reuse and is much more hard to break into.
The Billfold: Financial Future in a Box →
December 2012
2 posts
The Awl: Say I'm Alright →
In which I discuss my struggles with mental illness and how I came out, if not on top, at least in a much better place than I was especially thanks to some good friends.
October 2012
3 posts
The Awl: A Guide to the Spooky Scary Secret... →
The Billfold: You Mean Some People Don’t Drive,... →
September 2012
3 posts
I wrote this a while ago upon the passing of Henry...
I woke up to a text from one of the small handful of friends I still have in my hometown of North Platte, NE.
“Henry Hill is dead,” it said. “I’ll never forget that time he called me a motherfucker.” *** The Henry Hill story is a bit of a punchline in my hometown. Or a headache. Or a weird blip on the radar. It’s certainly … something.
Our list of hometown celebrities is small. There’s...
Convention contest: 2012 Republican National...
Recently at a thrift store I chanced upon an irresistable offer: for a mere 95 cents, I could take home a video set to summarize the 1998 convention of fans of the Highlander franchise. For those unfamiliar, the Highlander franchise is a movie and TV series involving a group of immortals who like to cut each others heads off to gain more power because “there can be only one” for some...
“My Body the Car” by Godley and Creme
...
August 2012
8 posts
The State of Affairs in the Commonwealth of...
Everybody knows the narrative – in 2010, a sweeping election ushered in a number of ultra-conservative politicians to power nationwide – not only in the U.S. Congress, but in governor’s mansions and statehouses.
While governors like Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida have captivated much of the headlines with their far-right policies, there are other, Governor Tom Corbett...
A few points I should add to my last post:
I believe Kurt Vonnegut was a writer who took some of these same conditions and turned it into a force of good. A cursory look at his essays confirms a strong secular humanist worldview intent on alleviating the suffering of others, while his fiction at times self-indulgently explored his own personal demons but tempered them with humor.
I think those conditions can be stretched into the whole...
Young fools all reading Lester Bangs →
I didn’t write this. That should be obvious from the fact that this ran in the New Yorker and I’m not at that level. Yet. But it does remind me that one of the first times my interest was piqued in writing was discovering rock criticism.
At the time, I did it through the highly romanticized movie Almost Famous. And Phillip Seymour Hoffman played Lester Bangs. Upon seeing him, I almost...
The Awl: What Did You Want To Accomplish When You... →
Now I can say Cory Doctorow and I were in the same breath in the same article!
Here’s my specific contribution:
I became an iffy believer in the concept of God sometime around when I was 13. And I was in Catholic school at the same time, which put me in a weird, weird place. After being told the concept of God and Heaven for so long, suddenly the most terrifying thought to me was the...
July 2012
2 posts
June 2012
3 posts
3 tags
The Awl: My Attempt To Make The Perfect Nebraska... →
The Billfold: I’ve Had 40 Jobs, What Did You Ever... →
1 tag
May 2012
3 posts
2 tags
4 tags
The Awl: Dumb Questions I've Had For Science →
January 2012
2 posts
1 tag
December 2011
6 posts
1 tag
Hear Nebraska: John Wenz's 2011 | The List →
10 tags
Hear Nebraska: An Incomplete Guide to Nebraska... →
And who gets my snippy wrath here?
Speaking of bands that found their niche and never left it: The Decemberists seem to have set in on a very specific demographic for a large part of their career and sailed on a sea of half-stolen riffs. The music is often same-soundy, repetitive and sort of dull. And they’ve been at it for a decade never making significant leaps and bounds artistically, but a...
Tiger Beatdown: GUEST POST: The Pennsylvania... →
11 tags
Hear Nebraska: An Incomplete Guide to Nebraska... →
My first instinct is to like this song, because, come on — tremendously sad music? Eight ball, corner pocket. And it’s really good mid-’90s emo underground music, and an obvious influence on latter day Urbana folks like American Football. As a song of its genre, it’s perfectly fitting. Good even.
But do you ever get the funny feeling some of the emo scene was the ultimate influencer on...
12 tags
Hear Nebraska: An Incomplete Guide to Nebraska... →
November 2011
4 posts
Hear Nebraska: An Incomplete Guide to Nebraska... →
Just let the snark flow:
He just came down from the Wild Cat Hills, over Crystal Lake before the sun came up and then washed his face in the Red Willow. He then complains about the political hustle-and-bustle in the cities so far away, which I’m guessing means the ever looming threat of Lincoln. Those are things that are certainly in Nebraska! Except the Wild Cat Hills are near the Panhandle,...
LAST RESPECTS →
This, for once, is not a link to my own writing, but rather a part of family history very much tied to Veteran’s Day.
My grandmother’s brother died on the European front of World War II.
On the rolling fields outside the tiny East German village of Lauenhain, a German sniper fired two shots across the Zschopau River, killing an American private.
It happened on April 16, 1945, four...
August 2011
2 posts
Hear Nebraska: "O Sad and Future Human" by The... →
Hear Nebraska: "5b" by Ritual Device | Echoes →
July 2011
2 posts
The Awl: Members of Congress Who Have Totally... →
The Awl: State Slogans: Ranked And Saluted →
May 2011
4 posts
Hear Nebraska: "Gypsy Blood" by Manila Thrills |... →
Nebraska-based hair metal.
Hear Nebraska: "She Loves You" by The Buggs |... →
April 2011
8 posts
HearNebraska: "Language of a Dying Breed" by Power... →
Hear Nebraska: "Asskickatron" by Fagatron | Echoes →
Star City Blog: Gearing Up: Campus, City Hope for... →
It’s official: UNL’s effort to become a recognized Bike Friendly Campus is underway, and they’re joined by the city of Lincoln’s own quest to be a Bike Friendly Community.
The award, designated by the League of American Bicyclists, recognizes those campuses and communities that go the extra mile for bike commuters by fostering a safe environment for cyclists, including...
