Except for the first two paragraphs, none of this actually happened. But perhaps maybe in another multiverse, it all happened exactly like this.

A few weeks ago, I was waiting in the check out line at the grocery store. Ahead of me was an old couple buying a lot of things. Too many things, really. She was definitely in charge, pointing and instructing him on how to bag their food. She paid while he bagged. It seemed to be working for them. They did take a little while to get through, but it was almost like this was some kind of dance that they had performed, in some capacity or another, their entire lives together.

Unpacking my groceries at home a short time later, I came across a bag of three fruits that were definitely not mine. I knew they were definitely not mine because I had no idea what they were. I didn't event know if they were fruits or vegetables. For identification purposes, I included a photograph here. As you can see, they resemble tomatoes, but are not. The only clue I had was a sticker that read 'kosher'. What I put together was this: during the confusion at the checkout line and dancing elderly couple, these fruits (or vegetables) must have gotten mixed up with my groceries. That poor old guy left behind these unidentifiable fruit object (or UFO for short) and in my fury of getting the line moving again, I unknowingly tossed them into one of my bags.

Read More

Last week, I was talking with my mom on the phone in my apartment when the fire alarm went off. I told her to wait for a minute or two to see if it stopped or they made some type of announcement about this being a test. The alarm didn't stop and there was no announcement. Told her I'd call her back, put my shoes and coat on and headed out into the cold.

My building is actually two buildings that are connected. I exited through the stairwell into a parking area between the buildings. Immediately across from this was the gym on the first floor. The gym has large windows and there were people running on treadmills and using the elliptical machines. Other people were lifting free weights. They lifted their weights and continued their work-outs as though no alarm was going off. Sure, most of them had earphones in, but if you can't hear the alarm, you might be curious about the growing number of people congregating between the buildings.

Read More

Last week, I was sitting up front on the stage of the Stories We Don't Tell, a live storytelling show I co-produce. I'm usually off to the side to help with the audio recording of the performers. The host of the show, Stefan Hostetter, referred to the event as an 'experiment in empathy' and this made me think, as I sat there watching the audience watch the performers, that with the recent political turmoil, just getting up and sharing your story is a political act.

Then I thought, Oh, shit, this is bad.

Read More

What does the Lord of the Rings and Batman Begins have in common? You’ll have to read to the end of this unnecessarily long diatribe to find out.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about change, specifically how I want to evolve and get better as a person. I don’t really need to get into what the catalyst was, let’s just say it was a series of things, big and small, that brought me to the conclusion that I need to not just change a few things about myself, but do a complete overhaul.

As many people do around this time of year, I started thinking about my diet. Again. I’ve put a lot of thought into adopting a plant-based diet. Lots of thinking, very little action. I actually tried to do this once before and quickly changed my food intake all at once. I mean, I don’t eat terribly, but the withdrawal from that experience was just too much. I was weak, well, maybe weak is too strong a word, let’s say I wasn’t ready. So, I went back to thinking about it.

Read More