June 29th, 2026 Being weeks out from graduation now, the first question people usually ask when they see me in the wild is: “How’s the job hunt going?” My answer is always succinct and honest: it is a nightmare out here. It is a daily humiliation, a habitual humbling, a constant experience of rejection andContinue reading “In The Hunt”
Author Archives: dennisvogen
Dual
June 17th, 2026 I don’t know what I am. Zen Buddhism says that in our absolute reality, each of us are the whole universe and nothing simultaneously; in our individual, relative versions of reality, however, I believe the entire point of our existence is to discover who we actually are before we’re gone. Usually whenContinue reading “Dual”
World Cup 2026
June 12th, 2026 I’m so sorry if you see me in the next five weeks because my personality will be, largely, the World Cup (though, depending on your opinion of me, this may be better than whatever my normal personality is). I’ve always had a complicated relationship with soccer; I have both hated it andContinue reading “World Cup 2026”
SpringCon 2026
June 6th, 2026 I know it’s been a long time between conventions for me when there’s so much to catch up on! There was rarely a moment I wasn’t in conversation with an old friend, a new fan, or a random passerby today. I missed this community so much and there were moments I feltContinue reading “SpringCon 2026”
Ceramic Squirrel Cookie Jar
May 31st, 2026 I know that a surefire way to experience heartbreak in this life is to have attachments; this hard-earned knowledge hasn’t stopped me from keeping my mom in a ceramic squirrel cookie jar. A beautiful, diseased tree that lived behind our home was cut down on Friday. Its branches held a dray thatContinue reading “Ceramic Squirrel Cookie Jar”
Not So Fast: My Time At DCTC
May 15th, 2026 “Wow, it went so fast!” This is the most common response I receive when I tell someone that I graduate from school this month. And, with all due respect, this has not been my experience at all. No, this has been two of the longest years of my life, in the veryContinue reading “Not So Fast: My Time At DCTC”
Undone: My Graduation Speech
May 7th, 2026 Whoa! My heart is bursting. A massive and sincere thank you to everyone who came out to Commencement and supported me tonight; I love you all so much. A wonderful evening and every single person I saw and talked to was so lovely. My speech went fine, but! A whole page wasContinue reading “Undone: My Graduation Speech”
Star Wars Day 2026
May 4th, 2026 Happy Star Wars Day! I have a million photos from a galaxy far, far away to choose from but I want to share this selfie from one of my favorite ever Star Wars experiences with my favorite ever Jedi (then not-a-Jedi, spoiler). Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano, was at TwinContinue reading “Star Wars Day 2026”
Head-On
May 1st, 2026 It’s my birthday (again) and I’m one of those people who don’t hate it; I know too well that not everyone gets to grow old like they should and I adore every minute I’m here (even those minutes I don’t adore). On this day I usually reflect on my most recent journeyContinue reading “Head-On”
Walk A Way
April 24th, 2026 My dog Marvel is a terrible walking partner. She takes forever. Marvel sees a tree. She approaches it and stops us completely, disrupting our walk. This forces me to take in my surroundings. I notice for the first time how blue the sky is today. Some geese fly overhead and land onContinue reading “Walk A Way”
The Den 