tales from the middle.
There’s this game I play with my students on the first day of school, where I ask them near the end of the class to write down something they think they know about me. It’s a task I assign for several purposes, most of which are self-serving. I want to take my students’ temperature, see... Continue Reading →
Author’s note: This is the final installment of a multi-part series. For an optimal reader experience, it’s best to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, and Part VI first. We make our way to the cafeteria on the second floor via elevator, which Nick uses as an opportunity to mess... Continue Reading →
Author’s note: This is Part VI of a multi-part series. For an optimal reader experience, it’s best to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V first. This incongruous juxtaposition is what fuels my interest for the remainder of the day. Just like it amused me to think about a pack... Continue Reading →
Author’s note: This is Part V of a multi-part series. For an optimal reader experience, it’s best to read Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV first. After all this talk about costume accuracy, I’m confused about the guy at the table in the corner who wears a half-assed tunic and a pair... Continue Reading →
Author’s note: This is Part IV of a multi-part series. For an optimal reader experience, it’s best to read Part I, Part II, and Part III first. After a final makeup check and assembly of Nick’s double-edged light saber, it’s time to hit the floor. Patrons are already streaming into the main lobby; some of whom are... Continue Reading →
Author’s note: This is Part III of a multi-part series. For an optimal reader experience, it’s best to read Part I and Part II first. We arrive at the museum and I meet a few of Nick’s fellow Legionnaires in the parking lot. They’re all in their late 30s or early 40s and are, to... Continue Reading →
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Author’s note: This is Part II of a multi-part series. For an optimal reader experience, it’s best to read Part I first. It’s rainy and in the 50s as I go to pick up Nick, by far the gloomiest and coldest day of the fall thus far. I’m tired and considering ditching the whole thing,... Continue Reading →
It is 8:30 on a Saturday morning in October, and I am in my Pathfinder on my way to the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia. Sitting next to me in the passenger seat is my friend Nick. At a red light, Nick tells me to pull level with the car next to us. “Let... Continue Reading →
