The first international news event I remember being conscious of was the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which occurred on April 26, 1986. I would have been twelve at the time of the accident. While I remember the Challenger disaster earlier that same year–we sat and watched the news reports come in while sitting in Mr. Kelley’s 6th grade classroom–it was Chernobyl that imprinted itself on my young mind. On and off over…
Pop culture provides plenty of sayings or quips about the meaning of “home.” From “there’s no place like home,” to “you can’t go home again,” and “home is where the heart is.” The first one I know comes from “The Wizard of Oz,” the others I am not sure and I will not spend the time now to research. In the end I think we each have our own interpretation and feelings about what is,…
My mother took me to get my first tattoo for my 17th birthday. The following summer I got my second tattoo after graduating from Army Basic Training. Many, many years passed before I got another. In the past year I’ve gotten three and I progressively get bolder with size and placement. People seem to be surprised by the size of my newest ink, and they are curious to know why it is what it is.…