Monthly Archives: May 2026

These Aren’t the Aliens You’re Looking For

On a recent visit, my mother asked me what my thoughts were on those declassified UFO videos the United States government released. You know the ones, grainy, green-tinted, dramatic and supposedly the definitive proof that E.T. is playing tag with … Continue reading

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How We Forgot the True Meaning of Decoration Day (and Found a Great Deal on Mattresses)

There was a time when Americans looked at a field full of graves and thought, “We should bring flowers.” Now we look at a three-day weekend and think, “Forty percent off patio furniture!” Progress is a mysterious thing. Mostly, it … Continue reading

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Take the Extra Minute: Search and Rescue as a Tourist Recovery Service

Every Memorial Day the mountains fill with hikers, campers and road-trippers eager to escape the city and start summer outside. And every Memorial Day search and rescue teams quietly brace for impact, because the patterns of who gets into trouble … Continue reading

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The Beautiful Risk of Chasing a Difficult Dream

Sometimes the “rockstar” jobs pay surprisingly little. Not the literal rockstars, mind you. The ones who make it to stadium tours on private jets usually do just fine. I mean the professions that people grow up romanticizing. The careers where … Continue reading

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The Airlock Bank: When Security Becomes the Customer Experience

My wife and I are currently on a hunt. Not for a house or a car. We are in the market for a new bank. Our regional bank was recently absorbed by a much larger national institution and with that … Continue reading

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Take the Extra Minute: An Imperial Safety Briefing for the TK-Trooper

As search and rescue volunteers, we live by the creed of preparedness, planning and visibility. We preach the gospel of readiness, the wisdom of planning and the essential need for high-visibility gear. The Empire, on the other hand, apparently skipped … Continue reading

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