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Growing Pains
Respect the mountain. Not as a rule or a set of guidelines, but as Mother. She is loving, but unforgiving. She is beautiful, she is wicked. Free skiing a volcano in the summer corn will realign your heart. A soggy slog will rekindle your fear of God. Any relationship requires an abundant amount of effort to reap the rewards. Commit. You must know the mountain’s weaknesses, and her strengths. Her past can reflect her future. You must know her friends, the snow and the wind. Wi
zalpyalg001
1 day ago2 min read


Mean Mathlete
My high school bully was a pure bread mathlete and towered over me at a meager 5’4”. An alliance was impossible, for he defended his tiny world with tyranny and oppression. His colorful personality warned outsiders to stay back while he snapped and snarled at the world. He was no match for the athletes, conversationalists, or the secure. He avoided those he disagreed with, which was a great many indeed. During times of mingle, he could be found leashed to our English teacher
zalpyalg001
Oct 162 min read


Sorry!
I grew up in Portland, where apologizing is a mouth reflex. Upon the slightest inconvenience, we studder sorry or murmur my bad. Maybe we...
zalpyalg001
Oct 42 min read


After Life
I think I died today. Struck by a white Toyota, I surged into shock before I realized my bad luck. This is it. My mother cooks me...
zalpyalg001
Sep 272 min read


Kick the Dog
Strolling the board walk with your designer dog in the morning. Coffee and clothes after a late brunch. Gathering around the preverbal...
zalpyalg001
Sep 152 min read


Sound of Silence
Brain Monkey craved information. Venturing to the earth’s four corners, the glorious heights of Heaven, and the fiery pits of Hell, he...
zalpyalg001
Sep 122 min read


Rednecks and Dynamite
“Demolition? Isn’t that job for rednecks and dynamite? You appear mighty righteous for such a line,” my local consignment shop lady...
zalpyalg001
Sep 72 min read


Serendipity
You've got to ask yourself one question, do I feel lucky? Whether I am addressed by a .44 Magnum or Aristotle, this is a tricky question....
zalpyalg001
Aug 303 min read


Patriots in Paris
The Wall Street Journal riled me up this week. Fearmongering is their business model, so I was taken by no surprise when I felt the urge...
zalpyalg001
Aug 233 min read


Human
Mistakes. We all make them, we all hide them. Why when we are human? The waitress that spills the cup of water is more attractive because...
zalpyalg001
Aug 152 min read


Stormy Stormy Night
I am addicted to the heart of darkness. Looking God dead in the eye I ask, “Is this all you got?” In the depths of chaos, the spark of...
zalpyalg001
Aug 143 min read


Reflection
The fidget spinner cracked the happiness code. Our brain tweaked, like a cat with his red dot. In 2017, Amazon’s top ten best selling...
zalpyalg001
Aug 32 min read


Labels
Third World. Must we identify countries by political orientation? Wealthy nations divide the world into two, then profit on the margins....
zalpyalg001
Jul 282 min read


Green Grass Grows
Promise delivered, your late Big Al Project. I was busy trekking the White Mountains, the gnarliest 80-mile section of the Appalachian...
zalpyalg001
Jul 192 min read


Dirtbags
“If you don’t do it this year, you’ll just be another year older when you do.”- Warren Miller The water glared at me from below,...
zalpyalg001
Jul 52 min read


Three-Day Beach Vacation
The cool midnight sand massaged my feet as I made a pilgrimage to the ocean. Among the shades of black, the stars illuminated something...
zalpyalg001
Jun 283 min read


Ticky-Tacky
I want to kill myself. Trapped in my little box, the only escape is a narrow doorway that spits me out into a world trying to stuff me...
zalpyalg001
Jun 143 min read


Village People
It takes a village to raise an idiot. I had nurtured the stupid idea of summiting Mount Hood, and nobody could stop me. My village...
zalpyalg001
Jun 74 min read


Ski or Die
If I could run everywhere, I would. I am racing the clock. Every minute I conquer, there is another. Fast as I can. On to the next. I was...
zalpyalg001
May 314 min read


Portraits of the Night
Early Sunday morning my head cracked the pavement of Times Square. It started with a few playful jabs, but adrenaline overrode the...
zalpyalg001
May 244 min read
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