Saladmaster Disaster
When Renae, a graduate student that both my wife and I had taught, repeatedly begged us to attend a fried-chicken-dinner Saladmaster sales pitch at her apartment, we finally relented. We’d get a free meal with […]
Tag: Humor Outcasts
A Scene from the Movie of My Life
I’ve long thought that movies have an advantage over real life partly because of the soundtracks—the perfect music to help you feel exactly what you’re supposed to feel in the cinematic moment—and partly because the […]
Banned Books
Artwork by Lauren Faulkenberry. Idea/text by Bill Spencer. Lauren Faulkenberry is a novelist and illustrator living in western North Carolina. Originally from South Carolina, she has worked as an archaeologist, an editor, and a ranger […]
The Identical-Twin Defense
One reason that life is so complicated is that not only can lies sometimes sound like the truth but also sometimes the absolute truth can sound like it must be a lie. One example of […]
Shortcut to Urubamba
Would you like to think globally but stay locally? Then you should follow in my footsteps. I got the benefits of trotting the globe without the risks and hassles. Instead of being a world traveler, […]
R. Cogburn’s Epiphany
Artwork by Lauren Faulkenberry. Idea/text by Bill Spencer. Lauren Faulkenberry is a novelist and illustrator living in western North Carolina. Originally from South Carolina, she has worked as an archaeologist, an editor, and a ranger […]
I Killed Mr. Lincoln
There’s a joke that a British gardener left a suicide note of a single word—clay. If I told the joke, the punchline would be “roses.” Imagine you have a beloved 98-year-old grandmother. Let’s call her […]
The Root of All My Imperfections
I had a difficult childhood. Both of my parents were addicts, and my three brothers and I suffered the consequences. My parents were addicted to nicotine. Yes, my mother and father went around all day […]
Caller I.D. & Me
I rate Caller I.D. among the top 5 recent technology advancements that have made my life more livable. Since I know who’s calling, I don’t have to waste words, and I know what tone to […]