Commentary & Short Stories

Here are some of my feelings about surviving Christmas as a parent: 1) Kids should be told that Santa’s fake, and that his round belly, indicative of low testosterone and…

Years ago, probably around 2002, I saw a tall guy wearing shades in a dark Cleveland nightclub. I laughed and said to my brother, “Who’s that?” My bro was like,…

Men tend to forgo preventive healthcare. In fact, we only visit the doctor if we’re dying or have the clap. The Movember Foundation is working to change this by raising…

It’s almost noon. My two youngest boys have just returned home from preschool, where they were quiet and well-behaved. But now they’re back in their comfort zone. They quickly resort…

To eat Arby’s is to punish myself with an instant colon cleanse. But this morning I was willing to take that risk to try Arby’s venison sandwich, which they’re selling…

July 1977: My dad was 20 and spent most of his time managing his afro and a McDonald’s in Cleveland. My mom was 18 and had recently given birth to…

Discount airlines are a great way to travel once you understand that, like prison, their tiny seats can trap your body but not your mind. My favorite is Frontier Airlines.…

There was a time when I held a 100 percent interview-to-hire ratio. Of course I had only had three jobs—grocery bagger, bookseller, and movie theater popcorn eater/maker—but the wins increased…

My day trip to Santa Barbara began at Arroyo Burro Beach. Kids and dogs played, and moms and old folks sunbathed. I wandered along the shore for half an hour…

The first day of our road trip from San Diego to Columbus ended on the run-down part of the Vegas Strip. My wife and I had never of the Westgate…

I do not enjoy winter. With ice comes the risk of slipping and breaking a bone that Donald won’t allow Obamacare to fix. With snow comes blizzards and avalanches and the need to resort to cannibalism while stranded. So why would I go to Iceland in the middle of winter? Because I was curious, my wife’s been wanting to go for years, and round-trip tickets were only $300 each.

When you become a parent, it’s hard to make new friends. Other parents assume your life outside of home is over and you have little to talk about besides the…

Living in Southern California means easy access to Las Vegas. Maybe too easy. Everyone goes and you hear about it far too often, mostly by way of the trite phrase…

We do not fit the stereotype of a family on food stamps. I hold a graduate degree and work as a contractor with community health organizations, along with various other…

Coming into fatherhood I assumed my only baby-related expenses would be diapers and Air Jordans. I was wrong. According to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I can…

It’s been that said that once you go black, you don’t go back (until your family finds out and threatens to disown you). But it can also be said, as…

Six years ago, when my first child was just a zygote, my former supervisor decided that I should prepare to be a stay-at-home dad. He fired my black ass on…

I was underemployed. My fiancé was looking to resign from her job. We had accidentally given birth to three children. My trust fund, a water cooler bottle full of quarters…

My girlfriend, Amber, stood outside the shower, waiting for it to warm, unsure if her water broke or bladder leaked. I brought my finger to her inner thigh and dabbed…

My wife, Amber, sat on the couch sobbing. I asked her what’s wrong. No response. I figured this was a case of prenatal blues, those far too common occurrences where…