January 15th, 2023 After a very eventful and exhausting week, I wanted to get back to the January theme of Origins. This essay asks: how has working in a restaurant for most of my life affected me as a writer? Let’s start with my restaurant history. Growing up in Faribault, I worked as a cornContinue reading “Popina Academia”
Tag Archives: Restaurants
2
September 1st, 2022 Today is my two-year anniversary at Harry’s. (This is not a photo of us celebrating my anniversary. This is from a wedding a few weekends ago where I was the minister-bartender. Barnister? Minitender.) In 2020, a lot of people lost a lot. I lost more than I ever had in any otherContinue reading “2”
Don’t worry about the bacon.
December 24th, 2021 I want to tell you a story about bacon. Last night, we ordered a chicken bacon artichoke pizza to bake at home. When we opened it, there was no bacon on it. I didn’t call them to say anything. I ate the pizza and I was grateful. Now, I feel like evenContinue reading “Don’t worry about the bacon.”
Gobstopper
November 9th, 2021 Talking shit about people is about as human as it gets. It actually fascinates me how most folk, no matter how old they get, no matter what they do for a living, no matter how much they have going on in their own lives, never get less excited to sit down andContinue reading “Gobstopper”
The First Anniversaries of a Dog & a Living
September 1st, 2021 Today, I celebrate not one, but two one-year anniversaries: my employment at Harry’s, and the surprise release of my fifth book, Theia. Losing my job at Old Chicago forever was awful, particularly the way that it happened. To use a exceptionally bad metaphor, it was like I was married for almost 13Continue reading “The First Anniversaries of a Dog & a Living”
Heartbreak Weather
July 15th, 2021 I’m still on the Old Chicago email list. For more than a few months, when I’d open one, I would feel heartbreak for what I lost. After a while, though, I would start to feel a new kind of heartbreak; I’d think of all the things I would have never experienced ifContinue reading “Heartbreak Weather”
2020: A Lesson, A Curriculum, An Education
December 31st, 2020 It is fair to say that this year sucked. It is damn fair. And it is a truth that we will have wasted our time if we decide to learn nothing from it. So, with that in mind, here is some of what I learned. – I learned not only is tomorrowContinue reading “2020: A Lesson, A Curriculum, An Education”
America Hearts Criminals
December 18th, 2020 America loves criminals — as long as they have the right color skin and their subjective ideals align. This post has been a long time coming, but better late than never. I’ve heard, too many times, this era being compared to prohibition. Besides being an absolutely baseless and embarrassing comparison, it remindedContinue reading “America Hearts Criminals”
The Breakup Breakdown
September 25th, 2020 Someone at my new work asked me tonight if I missed my old work. I have been avoiding this question since March. It’s been asked in abundance and in different keys. And my response is usually an acute tweet that confirms I am fine and it was just a job. But itContinue reading “The Breakup Breakdown”
Season Premiere
September 6th, 2020 When you’ve worked somewhere long enough, you start to develop your own ways to describe what it’s like when your workplace hires new people. I’ve always compared it to watching new seasons of your favorite TV show. Some seasons are better than others. They always have some sense of familiarity to them,Continue reading “Season Premiere”
The Den 