Essays

These are more in-depth posts that deal with real-world material, but aren't direct commentary on news events.
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Things Activists Should Know About Guns

Written: December 17, 2012
As I've covered before, when it comes to gun control, I seem to largely be on the side of the gun control activists. We differ on a few things (I have no problem with open carry or concealed carry by responsible people), but at the core of it, I favor more regulation, and more importantly, more eff...
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Learning New Technology

Written: April 9, 2009
Despite the fact that really don't like teaching, I find myself doing a surprising amount of it. Usually, it's in the form of helping older/less tech-savvy people learn how to use new (to them) technology. Most recently, I had to help my grandma figure out how to use a cellphone.

Why I Left Christianity

Written: December 15, 2012
There was a time in my life when I held very deep religious beliefs. I was a Christian, and faith played a big part in my daily life. I prayed multiple times a day, I rejoiced when Virginia schools started observing a daily moment of silence for it, I was active in my church youth group, and I eve...

My Gun Control Wishlist, and How I Feel About Guns

Written: December 14, 2012
My Twitter feed has been flooded with discussions of gun control regulation today, and as much as I dislike participating in these discussions, I feel like I should say something. Despite being such a hard-left liberal on pretty much anything, I tend to take a pretty central/libertarian view on gun...

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Fiction/Nonfiction Stories

Stories, primarily fictional.

Amateur Radio Saves The Day

Written: October 22, 2009
After a frigid, rainy weekend, I was determined to get out and hike at least one more time before the end of the season. And, well, today was the perfect day. Since this was likely to be one of my last hikes, I wanted to choose a trip that would be truly spectacular, to sort of "go out on a bang" ...

Golden Rule Devotional

Written: July 30, 2003
I wrote this to be submitted to a Christian compilation book. I may be a liberal, but when I wrote this, I also considered myself to be a Christian.  The websites associated with the project no longer exist, but you can buy the book, Forty Voices, here. I enjoy taking road trips; the prematu...

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Miscellaneous

Articles which do not fit other categories.
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Perfect Strawberry Milkshake Recipe

Written: August 2, 2012
I've admitted to being a food snob on numerous occasions, and milkshakes are one of the many things I'm a bit picky about. Chocolate shakes aren't terribly hard to make, but ever since I was a kid (and had nearly-unlimited access to fresh strawberries during the summer, courtesy of grandma's garden...

Shopping Center Bingo

Written: December 31, 2012
I've often played a game to amuse myself while travelling, which I call "Ghetto Shopping Center Bingo". It's also helpful for determining whether a shopping center is a place you want to be. A shopping center starts at zero points (a neutral position), and loses one point for each of the following...

Weather Forecasts

Updated: February 1, 2012
These are easy-reference weather reports and forecast links for locations I frequently travel to.  Largely for my own reference, but you might find them useful too.

Star Trek Experience to Re-Open, Nerds Rejoice

Written: March 13, 2009
[ Click for Article ] As a self-proclaimed nerd, this is some of the best news I've heard all week (which is really lame, but true). Having never been to Vegas, and only recently discovering how much I like Star Trek, I was really disappointed when I heard about this closing down. The fact that...

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Reviews

Reviews of pretty much anything, from products, to restaurants, to books and movies.
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Theatre Review: Claudie Hukill

Written: November 30, 2012
I'll preface this review by saying I'm not a theatre critic, I've never acted in a stage performance, never been around theater much (aside from working lights and sound for a high school production), and I only go to a couple performances a year, if that. But I enjoy a good theatre production, and...
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HAM Radio: Kenwood TH-D7A(G) HT

Written: September 22, 2007
As someone who buys a lot of expensive toys, I'm not really in the habit of writing reviews of the things I buy.  However, every once in awhile, a product I use on a regular basis simply begs to be reviewed, in the hopes of sharing my positive experience with the world.  This is one such product,...

Movie Review: Side Effects (2013)

Written: February 18, 2013
Spoiler warnings generally aren't my style, because I believe that when reading a review, there should generally be an assumption that parts of the work being reviewed will be revealed. It's impossible to write a thoughtful review otherwise. However, since this movie is still in theatres at the ti...

TV: Undercover Boss

Written: February 22, 2012
I watch very little TV, usually, and I avoid anything that can be called "reality TV" as devoutly as possible. In my opinion, it's the epitome of everything that's wrong with modern television, and I have no interest in partaking in it. However, every rule has an exception, and for me, that except...

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Trips and Events

Articles about trips I've taken, events I've been to, hiking and off-roading excursions, and other related topics.
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Obama's Inauguration

Written: January 22, 2009
My close friend Syme and I went to watch Obama's inauguration, and holy crap, what a day! It was like the entire day was one long adrenaline rush; Syme and I didn't have a chance to sit down from the time we got out of his car at the Metro station at 7:30, to the time we sat down for lunch at 15:30...
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Obama Rally In Harrisonburg

Written: November 3, 2008
This past Tuesday (Oct. 28), Barack Obama held a campaign rally in my hometown of Harrisonburg, VA! And I managed to go! It was, in a word, intense. It was also the first time in almost 150 years that this town hosted a presidential campaign rally.

Rally to Restore Sanity

Written: November 5, 2010
Simply put, the Rally to Restore Sanity was the most awesome thing I've been to in a very, very long time! Definitely worth the extra effort to go to it in-person, rather than watch it on TV. The trip actually started Friday, I came up to stay with Syme so that I wouldn't have to get up at the c...