American Beauty: 20 Years Later — Published in Far Out Magazine, Sept 15th, 2019 September 17th marks the 20th Anniversary of American Beauty (Mendes, 1999), the epic film about a man in the throes of a midlife crisis. The film features Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a middle-aged magazine executive, father, and husband looking for a change. …

Inside The Studio With the Grateful Dead — Published in Far Out Magazine, November 13th, 2020 The Grateful Dead’s American Beauty celebrated its 50th anniversary last weekend. Released on November 1st, 1970, it’s the second of two albums — following Workingman’s Dead — that The Dead recorded and released that year. …

A fable about darkness — “The world goes dark,” the old man said to the boy. “At night, it surrenders its light to the darkness. It’s how the night gains its power, spreading darkness to all the evil spirits of the underworld. …

Reconnecting with your Roots — In 1990, small and medium-sized farms accounted for nearly half of all agricultural production in the US. Now it is less than a quarter. - The Guardian I take the backroads. They open up over the rolling Midwestern farmland just outside of Wapakoneta, Ohio, birthplace of Neil Armstrong. The road…

Number 4: Your Butcher — I don’t mean the clerk across the counter at the supermarket. I’m talking about a proper stand-alone butcher shop, the kind that makes sausage onsite, hand cuts meat to order, and won’t let you leave the shop without telling you the best way to prepare it. The butcher is one…

Why we make the pilgrimage to the past — Published in Far Out Magazine on Feb 3rd, 2020 The upper Midwest braces for another arctic winter this year. As it does, the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly (22), Richie Valens (17) and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson (28) turns 61. It’s widely regarded as…

What really happens when you hit send? — I just wrote the perfect cover letter, one that defines exactly what I’m looking for, all while carefully crafting the journey that brought me to this exact point in life. It’s the perfect ratio of whitespace to text, the right balance of professional history, company knowledge, and personability. As I…

The Man Behind the Myth — Published in Far Out Magazine, December 7th, 2019 It’s fitting to speak of Tom Waits in milestones, especially now that the gravel-throated luminary closes in on a new decade. Waits turns 70 this Saturday. …

How drive-thrus are changing the Midwest — What do we think of when we think about drive-thrus? For most of us, it’s just a quick, convenient meal on the go. It’s something we indulge in from time to time to either treat ourselves or as a simple means to an end. If you’re like me, you drive…