In Memoriam – Lee Billings

I met Lee Billings sometime in 2001, in the Cranky Editors group on LiveJournal. Lee was well-spoken, intelligent, and assertive; she was also friendly and genuinely cared about her friends, and while optimistic she was also a realist. She knew what was possible and what it took to make things happen. She was also unashamed […]

On Wanting to Serve

A little over 18 years ago, I enlisted in the US Navy. After 3 years of ROTC in high school, I was ready to go into the Armed Forces and serve my country. I loved ROTC. I loved everything about it, from the PT (well, maybe – I was kinda fat and it wasn’t the […]

Morning Conversations

[Scene – the kitchen, not-so-early morning] Person A: You look sleepy this morning. Person B: Nah. Okay maybe. I’m trying to reset my sleep schedule so I wake up earlier than 9PM. I mean 9AM. I mean… you get the idea. Person A: Yeah, I’m trying to reset my sleep schedule so I wake up […]

Metaphorically Speaking….

I have a small collection of $2 bills that I’ve acquired over the years and keep mainly for sentimental reasons, even though they’re legal tender. This weekend, I came home to find that the dog had pulled one off my desk and chewed it up. If ever there was a metaphor for this year, a […]