Hi! We’ve just posted a new episode of the Wise & Shine podcast. Have a listen as I talk with the uber-talented and insightful Art Russell. In this podcast, we attempt to answer the question “What’s Really Important?” Thanks for tuning in! Continue reading New Podcast Today!
Just imagine, you’re sat fat, dumb and happy when BAM! Your engine shits itself. (And so do you.) Suddenly you’re forced to divert. You need to get on the ground pronto! Before you know it, there you are. Grounded with a bum engine – a million miles from the original destination you had in mind. So, you find yourself sat around in your underpants on … Continue reading A Radical Idea. (I’m Going To Write a Book.)
Halloween is an under-rated holiday but it shouldn’t be. These are a few of my favorite Halloween things. Continue reading Halloween Hall O’ Fame
It occurs to me that I’ve gone through something of a divorce over the past year or so. Only, it’s not been to a person but a place. Of course, there have been others. York for one. We had a few difficult years together. Then there was Oxford where I went to university. That was a nonstop party. And I’ve certainly sowed my wild oats. … Continue reading A Singapore Fling
As the leaves start to turn, like so many stomachs at the sight of a MAGA hat, one becomes reflective. I’m the one, by the way. I’m not saying I’m Number One or anything, it isn’t an ego thing. I just thought it would sound classier. But reading back over it, it feels maybe a little narcissistic – which isn’t a deal breaker – and … Continue reading Autumnal Thoughts About Fall As Autumn Nears
When Micheal Jordan returned from the NBA after an extended hiatus his publicity manager was unsure how they should announce the news. So, he wrote a number of press releases for Micheal to choose from. But Jordan didn’t like any of them. He said, “I’ll do it myself.” before picking up a pen and writing down the following message, “I’m back.” That was it. The … Continue reading I’m Back
Like most people, I’ve led an unusual life. For me, part of its unorthodoxy is my insistence on trying to make a living as a writer. Let’s just say, it’s been an uphill climb. But occasionally I comfort myself with the knowledge that there are a million reasons why things either gain recognition or fail to. So, here are a few quick and hilarious examples. … Continue reading A Mercifully Brief Post About Knowing Nothing
I’m a busy guy. I manage two writing centers at a community college in San Antonio, Texas, USA. That takes fifty hours per week. My wife has a business that I help with. I take care of her purchasing, public relations, and I occasionally assist her with sales. On top of all that, I write, make art, and engage in my own entrepreneurial activities. As … Continue reading Pardon Me While I Ramble
I have two images of wealth in my mind. One looks like what most people envision. A lavish lifestyle, a big plastic mansion, a luxury yacht, 8 sports cars… You get it. Then there is this second image. In this picture, there is a place called home. It’s quaint, rustic. Filled with messy, silly, somewhat annoying children. There are a lot of friends and family nearby. … Continue reading The Two Paths to Wealth
“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” Art Williams This anxiety that is my constant companion of late scrapes it’s nails across my chest. It hangs at the corners of my mouth. It paces and wrings its hands over and over and over wearing a trough in my brain. I don’t eat foods that … Continue reading On Being a Nurse
Several days ago, I found myself sitting in a Zoom meeting at work. My mind was wandering, mostly because I wasn’t even for sure why I’d been invited to participate. An idea suddenly came to me, so I reached for the notebook I always keep at hand to capture writing topics when they come. The other participants in the meeting—I had my camera turned on—would … Continue reading Troy’s Law of Complexification
Why nostalgia is important? Nostalgia is a shield against existential challenges. Evoking positive experiences and feelings from the past can help you cope better with the present and the future. January for me is the month to think about what happened the year before. To make a balance, to see what went well and what went less well. What I achieved, and what I would … Continue reading Why Nostalgia is Important?
It would be illusory to think that we leave our personal culture, beliefs and values in the locker room of our workplace and work mechanically. It would be also boring, I think. Therefore, some questions about work popped up. I believe that most of us hope to have the opportunity, through work, to gain recognition of our personal worth, of our uniqueness, in short of … Continue reading Some Questions about Work
Leonardo da Vinci was the most creative genius in history. Of course, saying that I learned things from Leonardo is perhaps a bit risky, because in fact Leonardo is the very embodiment of genius. As we know, Leonardo lived in a particular era for humanity, the Renaissance, when literature, philosophy, science and the fine arts experienced an unprecedented splendour. Italy was in full economic momentum … Continue reading What I Have Learned from Leonardo da Vinci
It’s a rainy Monday evening here in Salt Lake City—a perfect occasion to sit on my living room floor and write. Here’s what my mind has been mulling over: A person’s love language is how they feel and receive love. When someone tells me they read my latest poem or article that I posted, I feel so loved and seen. I am honored someone took … Continue reading Love Languages: A Question for my fellow writers
Billy Osogo I ponder endlessly on writing. As an art, there’s so much to it that even those we look up to as its masters seem to be just scratching the surface. I recently came across an excerpt by Kenyan writer Bivanyanga Wainana. In his book, One Day I Will Write About this Place he says: “It often feels like an unbearable privilege to write. … Continue reading WRITING SPRINGS
I find writing to be an immensely rewarding investment of time. Whether it’s writing poems like my friend Ellen or plays like my friend Jack Canfora. Whether it’s journaling, writing short stories or full length novels. I came across an excerpt that struck a chord. It’s by Nobel Prize Winner Mario Vargas Llosa. In his beautiful book, Letters to a Young Novelist, he writes: “There … Continue reading CALLING ALL WRITERS: ASSEMBLE!
We’ve lived in this house for eight years. We’ve watched its carpets collect happy dirt. We’ve watched its windows slowly adapt to each passing season. We’ve remodeled; hosted parties; built a container garden on the deck. We’ve relocated litter boxes; hung up photos of our families and bizarre expressionist paintings; we’ve scattered scented candles. We’ve repurposed a guest room to a nursery, delightfully filling every … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Painted Wall.
There are many things I do not know. Like what it takes to make a light switch work; or how many species of bird reside in my home state. I do not know advanced mathematic formulas; I do not know why the daffodils come back each spring. I’m just one person, with a single, yet unbelievable brain. Yet there is limited capacity. And I mess … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On Knowing.
Greetings, Dear Reader! The SnapDragon Family is currently on the road, seeing some sights during this all-too-depressing season of lockdown during winter in Pennsylvania. (starts shivering, and hides head beneath a blanket) We’re cozied up in our Berkshire Class-A RV, embracing the open road and relishing the chance to travel to the American southeast. Sure it’s just us three—we’re still in a pandemic, mind you—but … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On All I Need.
