Holy

I may catch flak for this... but spelling is important. I'm all for abbreviations, I LOVE emojis, and I'm not opposed to "text speak," but proper spelling is another matter. When I was in junior high, ripped jeans were a fad. But they were also against dress code. Anyone who dared defy the constrictions of … Continue reading Holy →

This Child

So, I know I do this a lot, but I just stumbled upon an old poetry assignment from high school... based upon the first Walt Whitman poem I ever read. I thought it was lost, but it was on an old flash-drive I recently dug up. Considering the huge effect that Walt Whitman's poems have … Continue reading This Child →

Fling the Shoe

The mind of a child is an incredible thing. When we were very young, my childhood best friend and I invented a game. We would swing on her swing set, go as high as we could, and fling our shoes off of our feet and send them flying across the yard, and see who could … Continue reading Fling the Shoe →

Remember This

When I was in my 11th grade AP U.S. History class, my teacher told us there was one date we needed to remember. May 17th, 1954 - Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. The landmark decision that declared racially segregated schools as unconstitutional, and sparked several crucial events in the civil rights … Continue reading Remember This →

History

Every year, on the weekend closest to the anniversary of D-Day, the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, PA holds an event called World War II weekend. Folks can come to see real WWII planes take to the air and stroll through recreated military encampments, watch FDR and Churchill drive by in classic cars, peruse genuine … Continue reading History →

Hope

As someone who works in the (n)ever-exciting, fast-paced realm of retail, I answer numerous customer questions every shift. These questions are often easy to answer, but occasionally, you get an adverse reaction. So, if a day is already going awry, I tend to regard approaching customers with a sense of dread looming over me. During … Continue reading Hope →

Unexpected

When I was in 6th grade, my classmates and I participated in a program at a place called Exchange City. Basically, we were to apply for jobs, learn how to interview, and, once our positions were secured, we went on a field trip to a makeshift "city" set up where we were told to run … Continue reading Unexpected →

Bizarre School Memories

1.) Bag milk. Until second or third grade, my elementary school served individual milk bags during lunch. Which was fine, unless you stabbed them the wrong way. Then they exploded. We definitely had cartons by third grade, though, because I remember spilling one all over myself. I've heard that bagged milk is common in other … Continue reading Bizarre School Memories →

Lucille

One of the proudest days of my academic career was being placed in the "advanced" group after a reading assessment in first grade. As such, I was permitted to read books marked with a daunting "5." The most challenging books set aside for young, aspiring readers - the first small steps on the way to … Continue reading Lucille →

Just

In keeping with a poetry theme for the week, here's a selection from my CW class in college. Just One should never be just anything. Things are never just fine. That’s just a saying that keeps prying curiosities at bay. We are never just tired. Fatigue is gauged by more than how long our … Continue reading Just →