When I was in middle school, my parents sent me to space camp. Twice. In addition to quite possibly making them the best parents ever, it gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about how space exploration works. Space travel is hard. For every pound of equipment launched into low earth orbit, dozens of pounds of fuel …
This year, I refuse to adapt and conform. In so many little ways I am tempted to compromise. I get scared, and I’m tempted to sell out the truth for a more comfortable lie. Sometimes I give into fear. But that was last year. This year, I will live boldly and passionately. I will keep my …
The time between Christmas and New Year’s has always been a special one for me. For weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday, there’s a crescendo of activity: gift-buying, travel preparations, visits with loved ones, and candlelight services. Life fills to bursting. And then, suddenly, nothing. The last week of the year is made up …
What is Christmas? Is it like Thanksgiving – a holiday to eat good food, enjoy family, and rest from labor? Is it a time to go just a little farther into debt, buying presents and celebrating Santa Claus? Is Christmas a solstice celebration? A myth of elves and flying reindeer? A time to re-affirm religious orthodoxy? For …
One of the central mottos of the radical movements of the 1960s was: Question authority. The Baby Boomer generation was coming of age, caught up in the culminating battles of the civil rights movement. They faced conscription into an unjust war in Vietnam, where reports of atrocities resounded louder every day. Increasingly, America’s young people were …
Do you enjoy visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles? It doesn’t matter. No one expects you to enjoy it. But you will show up if you want to drive a car or get a photo ID. The service may be lousy and the staff surly, but there’s really no alternative. You’ll take a number, stand in …
There’s a reason that all the most important American holidays are towards the end of the year. The light is growing dimmer, our skies are overcast, and the leaves are falling off the trees. Everything seems to conspire to make these days dreary and devoid of color. And we’re not even to winter yet. We need …