Sitting in a radio booth with two coworkers, they asked me, "What kind of music do you like?" I mumbled a response about Indie music. But the strangeness of that question hit me, probably for the first time. I like a lot of kinds of music at different times, in different settings, for different reasons. … Continue reading Insert Theme Music Here
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I collect post cards. It’s not particularly original, but collecting souvenirs can hardly be considered trailblazing. There’s not a single quality I look for in a post card. Sometimes I genuinely like the photo, sometimes the shape. Sometimes a card is so quaint or corny that I have to put down the 75¢. Gaudy colors, … Continue reading The things I carried
When I interviewed a professor about the presidential election, he said there was something about those four-year cycles that resonated. Maybe it reminded him of college, the full revolution, he thought out loud. I had a habit of listening to hypotheticals, and it created a lot of unusable time on my voice recorder. This year, … Continue reading four by four
“Can you write something for me?” Ben handed back the two save the date cards, which feature an engagement photo he captured for me and my bride to be. As Stephanie and I started thinking about what we’d scrawl on the back, Ben added, “Of course, I won’t read them until I’m back in China.” … Continue reading Don’t say goodbye—a tale, a toast
The text messages came from out of nowhere, it seemed. But really, they came from my good friend, Willi. We hadn't talked for a long time until he started sending me pictures of his new house. I didn't even know he was looking for a house. The pictures showed an increasingly more violent campaign against … Continue reading Hello, I am… an old friend
I tried. I really did. My plan was creating a top 10 list of all the things I'm excited for in 2015, but I can't. After all, it wouldn't do the books and albums and mildly important events any justice. Since we all know it wasn't a fair fight. Sure, some of them are exciting, maybe … Continue reading Why I’m excited about 2015!
Aside from work and home, what is the third place I’ve been to this year? I think I have a tie for third: If you asked me at the beginning of this year, I would say school. I spent hours and hours at UIndy, even though I lived off campus. The student newspaper, The Reflector, … Continue reading Tied for third
From my desk chair at Angie’s List, I watched two men walk around on the roof of another building. It was wet, and the shingles must’ve been slippery. But there’s something about standing on a roof and looking out over your surroundings. It’s freeing. I stood on top of that building once—before there was a … Continue reading Part of me is construction
In creative writing classes, people say many things that make little to no sense. It turns out that, no matter how much someone loves to read and write, most people are ill-equipped to talk about writing (want proof? Read Billy Collins’ poem “Workshop”). It’s easier to talk about craft in those lower-level composition classes. You can … Continue reading Talking about writing, characters, humanity
When I told my friend Ben that there was a petting zoo at the pumpkin patch, he was mildly amused. But once we arrived, one animal in particular made him ecstatic, chanting its name like some sort of charismatic worshiper. He said: “Llama! Llama! Llama!” I thought it was strange that he was so obsessed … Continue reading Grass mud horse (for your list of things not to say in public)
James Figy 