my careless contagion

There's something about her. I can't always put my finger on it. Sometimes I can name it. Sometimes not. It just melts me. Every time. Listen, I'm a man. Been through hard things. Hard times. Endure hard things every day. Wade through pain and frustrations that would make many crack. Sometimes I feel like cracking, too. Sometimes I have to pray hard and fast through strangled tears just to make it through. I've worked more years than those I work with have been alive. I'm tough. Rough around the edges. Stoic and brutish and sometimes cynical and hard. But there is something about that woman that melts me. Every time. All that shellac and veneer. All that painstaking patina. Gone when she's near. She has no idea, I'm sure. I become soft as a baby around her. My heart beats stronger. My mind is set ablaze. The shrapnel in my flesh doesn't hurt. Tiredness in my bones doesn't intrude. I become gooey in her presence. Like clay in her hands. The best parts...

Yes, I know what you're thinking. I'm off my rocker. (Actually, it's a glider.) But whatever. Here we go with another trip down memory lane. And if you don't remember any of this, you are forgiven. I've scoured the far reaches of the internet to bring these shiny trinkets to your attention. As I sit and write, I'm on three different allergy medicines, so my perception of reality is a little skewed. So, sit back and enjoy yourself as we categorically make fun of yesteryear. From bad puns (like Hare Jordan) to bad taste, it's all here. Some of it may make you angrily emote, as this man did , and say, "What the hell is even that?" To that, I say, "Daddy, chill." And enjoy.  Adopt-a-Nerds. It just bothers me this appears grammatically incorrect. Technically, it's not, because the name of the candy is Nerds, but it doesn't look right. Maybe that's the point. And why were they called nerds? Because they were unattractive? I ate a lo...

Nine years ago this month I gave up alcohol, which I believed God told me to do. That obedience spawned many blessings — blessings which I am still counting today as they multiply. In case you're wondering why I chose the above photo for this post, it's because I liked it. Yes, I know it has nothing to do with my testimony, but it gives me warm fuzzies and so does this post.  Yes, this blog is mostly dormant now. I wrote a lot here over the course of more than five years. (Nearly 600 posts!) But, I can't miss this opportunity to thank and praise God for the freedom from alcoholism, which is something that plagued my family line and snared me for the better part of 16 years. I know the reasons I started drinking and how my mental, physical, and spiritual health suffered as a result of using alcohol to deal with situations. It's amazing the toll it took on me, though. Alcohol clearly made my life worse. It numbed me for a short time, but it made my life worse.  Do I still...