The Unprovoked Call – Stay in Touch

The Unprovoked Call – Stay in Touch

As we get older, free time becomes more scarce. Gone are the days of the random meet up while being out-and-about, as we simply don’t have much out-and-about time, period. We see close friends every month or two, and friends in other cities 1-2 times a year....
Rest in Peace Covy

Rest in Peace Covy

This Thursday Meghan and I made the impossible decision to put Covy down. He hadn’t been himself since June and after multiple inconclusive vet exams, it was clear his condition was getting worse. On Tuesday I checked on him in our basement, that’s when it...
The Reaction to the Reaction: Charlie Kirk

The Reaction to the Reaction: Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed this week. I knew that he was a conservative activist and I thought of him as a click-baity social media personality but never consumed his content. We had very little in common as far as our political beliefs. I was genuinely sad when...
A Shore Thing

A Shore Thing

The Stortz family is on a vacation for a week in Avalon, NJ. It’s the one time of year where we all get together to annoy the shit out of one another. There are a few kids running around – Jude, Josie, and baby Harrison – who spice up the day to day...
Suburban Steak Saga

Suburban Steak Saga

Suburban life has been predictably boring, so last night I treated myself to the pinnacle of excitement: a steak and potato dinner at Firebirds. I’d scoped it out before – wall-to-wall collared-shirt douchebags trying way too hard at the bar. This time, I...
Happy Birthday to ME, + Grizzly Man

Happy Birthday to ME, + Grizzly Man

It’s 7:15am on Saturday, August 30th, 2025. I am 34 years old today. I have a coffee, Melon, and my laptop. Meghan and Harrison are upstairs sleeping in. It rare these days to have time completely to myself like this, which is part of why I haven’t posted...
Guess the Lyric

Guess the Lyric

She lies and says I don’t want to spoil it in the first line, but you probably know the lyric. Four plain words, sung a thousand times. It could be any song. Yet…I think you know it. The best lyrics are simple and somehow hold a whole life’s worth of...
Complaining – My Only Weakness

Complaining – My Only Weakness

ChatGPT is nasty, I’m not sure who is even writing this anymore. I find myself trapped between two opposites: when there’s nothing to do, I’m restless with boredom; when there’s too much to do, I’m overwhelmed by the weight of preparation. Either way, I end up...