I learned a bad word.  On the bus, everyone was signing a fun new song.  Unfortunately, that song involved a very bad word – at least bad enough that a 10-year-old shouldn’t know it.  And for the sake of my younger audience, let’s pretend the word was “Liechtenstein.”  –  “Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein, la-la-la Liechtenstein,“ we sang, …

My Grandma made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.  Like, seriously.  You may think you’ve had a good cookie, but you really haven’t. Maybe you’ve been to Paris, or visited a celebrity chef bakery. But all of those are imitations and forgery.  Because the best cookies are at Grammy’s house.  –  We’d visit …

The worst grade I ever got was a 12. Like a 12/100. A 12%.  The embarrassing part was, I actually studied. I studied a lot.  Back in college, I had a challenging Biblical Studies class.  The class wasn’t hard, or the professor challenging, but rather, it felt like I had never cracked open the Bible …

I used to pray to God like a magical genie.  Like God was a funny Robin Willams type character, just waiting to pop out of a lamp and grant me three wishes on the streets of Agrabah.  Because in 3Rd Grade, I needed his help: I didn’t study for a math test.  I snuck out …

I almost died.  I walked into the street in England – and WHAM! – a mini cooper buzzed by me, nearly knocking me on my butt.  Whoa.  I was literally a millimeter from death.  My friend yanked me back to the curb.  He was like, “Whoa, dude. Cars have the right-of-way in England.”  Nice. That …

I saved a baby from a burning building.  Ok, well, the building wasn’t on fire, but it felt like it.  Regardless, there was still a baby that needed saving and I jumped into action.  Hero – The Knock  Late at night, I was sitting at home watching reruns of Sailor Moon, when I heard a …

[Editor’s Note – I wrote this article weeks ago. But in the aftermath of the horrible school shooting in Florida, I decided to still publish it. Boys, violence, guns – It’s a conversation that needs debating. How we raise our young men shouldn’t be overlooked.]  A man attacked me.  I probably deserved it. Because in …

I never got what I wanted.  I always wanted a Nintendo.  Every Christmas that was the primary item on Santa’s Wish List – a NINTENDO in big bold letters. And circled, and highlighted. Every year he’d conveniently skip over this must have item.  Sure, he’d remember to pack me Ninja Turtle action figures, and plenty …

We all get crazy ideas.  It may seem like a normal melancholy day, as you sit there, minding your own business, sipping coffee and wasting time on the internet – when BAM! – the most brilliant idea you’ve ever had flies into your skull.  It’s like THE answer you’ve been waiting for. It’s that brand …

I ordered the worst coffee in the world.  I hadn’t been to Dunkin Donuts in quite some time – I was taking a caffeine sabbatical, and we all know how long those last…  Anyway, I said to myself, “I’m going to get one of those frozen coffee frapes. Yum.”  Starbucks has these and they’re called …