My Darling Beloved forbids me from ascending a ladder. Stepstools are borderline. Climbing on anything not built with the intention of helping you reach high places is an absolute no-no. She would much rather pay someone to go on the roof and clean the gutters than have me attempt such a life-threatening maneuver. I have … Continue reading Free falling
Security codes aren’t new, but I’ve had my fill of them in recent weeks. Their prevalence in the workplace has grown exponentially in the past few decades, a fact I felt acutely during my recent job transition. Coming up with new passwords for everything from logging onto my computer to setting up my medical insurance … Continue reading Unlocking the vacation code
How does Dad really want to spend Father’s Day? Advertising and algorithms driving our social media feeds would have us believe dads want to spend the day fishing, camping, watching baseball or playing golf. I’m sure there are some dads who do want to do those things. My ideal Father’s Day looks more like this: … Continue reading An ideal Father’s Day
(This is the latest installment in an occasional series about my career’s twists and turns. If you’re a completionist like me and would like to go back to the beginning before seeing how this latest chapter unfolds, I encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. Now, for the latest … Continue reading Even better than expected – part 5
If your algorithms are anything like mine, they have been serving you a steady diet of Mother’s Day gift guides, jokes and memes for the last few weeks. I am into it. I need all the help I can get to plan and execute a meaningful Mother’s Day for my mom and the mother of … Continue reading The best Mother’s Day gift
In a time before memory, decisions were made that caused the first weekend in May to fill to overflowing each year. It’s particularly acute this year as we try to squeeze in our 28th wedding anniversary, our middle child’s 20th birthday, moving said child back home for the summer from college and working commencement for … Continue reading Celebrating all the things all at once
On April 3, 2025, I enticed Carla and our friend Heather to join me in violating the no. 1 rule of our influencer-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture: Never meet your heroes. Landon Bryant and his lovely wife, Kate, are the rare exception. We were among the first to arrive at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur that night … Continue reading Landon talks… to me
As the New South’s most beloved humorist, I am highly sought after as a member of group chats. My contributions are hilarious and always result in a “HaHa” symbol from the other members of the group. That’s how I know I am hilarious. Why else would someone respond with the “HaHa” symbol? Ok, so maybe … Continue reading Group texts are the new social media
Thanksgiving week is upon us, and as we prepare our feasts and plan our shopping, the inevitable flood of nostalgia descends, flavoring our post-meal conversations with reminiscence. Always eager to indulge my inclination toward nostalgia, I offer these brief stories of Thanksgivings past to prompt you to remember and share your Thanksgiving memories. Our spread … Continue reading Memorable Thanksgivings
As I like to say, anything worth saying once is worth saying twice. Anything worth saying once is worth saying twice. (See what I did there?) Carla and I have entered that beautiful phase of our relationship where more than 50 percent of all of our communication – and we all know communication is the … Continue reading Say that again?
New South Essays 