“A Strange Encounter“ (Seattle Magazine, February 2005)
My personal hygiene habits are excellent (for a guy). I occasionally floss, use leave-in-conditioner, and cut as much of the hair out of my nostrils as I can reach. That said, I can look better. (MORE...)
(First Place Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in Humorous Writing)

“Honeymooning in Paradise” (Go World Travel Magazine, July 2006)
I am not a man who parts well with hard-earned cash. So blowing more than US$ 1,500 a night on a honeymoon vacation did not come easily. As it turned out, I would have paid more. (MORE…)

“High Noon” (California Monthly, June 2001)
The first thing I heard at Cal’s freshman orientation was: “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” This concept—however whimsically intended—would radically alter my world view. (MORE…)

“Time Served: Comments from the Jury Box” (Law&Politics, March 2006)
Justice was recently served in America , and I was part of it. Not only that, I got paid 10 bucks a day plus mileage. My penance wasn’t teaching at a public school, or working for an environmental group, but something equally heroic: I reported for jury duty. (MORE...)

They say cheaters never prosper, but neither do people who sound like fools at social events! The Cheat Sheet’s goal is to quickly summarize sophisticated topics and high-brow culture – making you look smart without all that annoying, studious effort. Then you can go out and impress folks with amazing trivia and newfound knowledge. When people ask how ya know so damn much, lie and say you read a lot.

“Star Trek: Set Phasers to Stun: It’s been 40 light years?!”
A little Star Trek (pron. Stahr Trehk) trivia will advance your standing with a plethora of nerds, geeks, sci-fi buffs and people who like tight uniforms. Start off by seeking out intelligent life, learning the Vulcan Mind-Meld (great at parties), then live long and prosper. (MORE…)