The Blue Bomb

Posted on June 20, 2011 by leighton

The car I will always associate with my dad is a blue 1968 Ford Falcon station wagon. It’s the car he drove when I was a little kid. He kept driving it after I grew up. It had a few rust spots, the dash was cracked, and it had the old car smell. Dad named it the Blue Bomb Continue reading →

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Male Dichanatomy

Posted on June 17, 2011 by leighton

This is PG-13. You have been warned.

I recently wrote a post about going to Washington, D.C. titled My Political Education. I meant it to be a humorous take on a particular trip to our nation’s capitol when I was 17. A strange thing happened as I wrote the story, though. As I write, I glance at the suggested tags. I do this partially as a distraction and to see what the artificial intelligence thinks is relevant to my writing. I was three or four paragraphs in when I noticed something odd in the suggestions. For the post about a trip to D.C. one of the suggestions was “penis.” Continue reading →

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A Reasonable Explanation

Posted on June 15, 2011 by leighton

On a slightly unseasonably warm fall afternoon I found myself in the type of situation that usually only exists in ,uh, situational or romantic comedies. Chrisie and I were dating, but not yet engaged. Between classes, she came by and knocked on the door of my apartment. She probably heard the sound of two of us in the apartment scrambling around. Another woman whom I had kind of, sort of dated before Chrisie answered the door even as I rushed to get in front of her. In my undershirt. I spoke before Chrisie could say anything, “This really isn’t what it looks like. I can explain everything.” Continue reading →

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White Spots

Posted on June 13, 2011 by leighton

As far back as I can remember, people have asked me a specific question. The wording is only ever slightly different and I dread hearing it. I usually know when someone is about to ask it, because they do a double take on my hands or stare at them for a moment longer than is normal. A few look up to meet my eyes before they speak, but most never glance away when they as, “What’s wrong with your fingernails?” Continue reading →

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My Political Education

Posted on June 10, 2011 by leighton
The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Image via Wikipedia

Like many teenagers, I didn’t take much interest in politics. It seemed a boring subject that only adults wanted anything to do with. That all changed my sophomore year when I had a slight political awakening. Even though I took more interest after that, it still wasn’t much interest and a lot about politics completely escaped me. That changed about a year and a half after my political awakening when I got a political education. Continue reading →

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Just an Apple

Posted on June 8, 2011 by leighton

I’m the youngest grandchild on both sides of my family. On my dad’s side, I was the eighth grandchild. You’d think this entitled me to loads of special treatment and doting. You’d be wrong (well, I did get special treatment and doting, but no more than the other grandkids). As the youngest (and smallest), I always felt a little insecure and out of place. I was never quite sure I belonged with the other grandkids even though I was only two years younger than one of my cousins. One day I discovered a family artifact that only exacerbated this feeling. Continue reading →

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Hangin’ With the Big Kids

Posted on June 6, 2011 by leighton

I can’t remember the first time I tried to be cool and fit in, but I do remember the first time I thought I was actually pulling it off. I was ten or so and we were visiting family. I’m the youngest of eight grandchildren on my dad’s side so, at the time, I was always the youngest within most groups of relatives. On that night my brother, who is four years older, and cousins were going for pizza and my parents forced them to take me along. Continue reading →

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This is Going to Hurt

Posted on June 3, 2011 by leighton

When I was a sophomore in high school, there was a girl (isn’t there always?), and I was quite taken with her.We were both in band so I spent most of the summer between my freshman and senior year working up the courage to talk talk to her. Then I spent the first few weeks of school. Then I spent another week for good measure. Finally, one afternoon just after band practice, the perfect moment arrived. We had been talking and, completely uncharacteristically, I wasn’t acting idiotic (in fact I was as close to smooth as was possible for me). During the conversation, I went for it and asked, “Will you go with me?”
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My Theory of Wishes

Posted on June 1, 2011 by leighton

I was sitting around with friends one night when one of them asked, “Have you ever had that weird experience where you wished for something and it seemed to come true right afterwards?” Some of us indicated that we had indeed experienced such a thing while I uncharacteristically remained quiet. I’d like to say it was because I wanted to keep silent and hear everyone else’s opinions, but the truth is I really just wanted someone to ask me what I thought after everyone got quiet. Because I had an answer and a theory.
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Unknown Soldiers

Posted on May 30, 2011 by leighton

I would say that I’d never forget my first visit to Washington, D.C. except that I totally forgot all of it. Well, I do have one memory: a dead fish floating in a river (that I tell people was the Potomac, but who knows). I really won’t forget my second trip to D.C. which I made as a middle schooler. It was a P.A.S.S. trip and designed for educational purposes, but I learned much more outside our curriculum. From the entire week, three things still stand out 25 years later.
Continue reading →

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