In addition to promotional writing for clients, I do some personal writing. Here are those stories—memoir type stuff mostly—in other words the overly sentimental ramblings of a middle aged man. There are biographical sketches, travelogues, family tales, humor, and an old west ghost story. Enjoy! — Justin
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Governor's DriverAN UNSUNG AMERICAN STORY
This is the little known story of a former neighbor of mine named Pat Patterson, who was the bodyguard and driver for California Governor Earl Warren back in the late 1940s. He and Warren had a kindred relationship, unlikely in that era, since Pat was African American and of minor rank. Their relationship actually played a small part in the history of the U.S. civil rights movement. Read the story |
HandmadeTo edit, click on the text to start adding your own words.
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Just Add CoffeeTo edit, click on the text to start adding your own words.
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Take AnywhereTo edit, click on the text to start adding your own words.
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Ghost Town, Nevada
I am part of a group of people who like to get out into the Nevada desert backcountry, out to one little remote ghost town. It started with a love of the desolate landscape and of western lore, but it turned into a freewheeling experience with wild parties and daredevil antics. These are recollections of those times. Read the story. |
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Little League Odyessy
I coached my son's baseball teams from pee wee ball up through Little League. At the start of my final year coaching him, I wrote this reflection on the times we shared together, and on the game of baseball. Read the story |
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Rust Belt Kitchen
RANK & FILE RECIPES FROM THE INDUSTRIAL AGE The Rust Belt Kitchen is where my mom, grandma and Aunt LaVerne used to cook the old Croatian dishes back in our hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s a mythical place that lives on in my imagination, and in a cookbook I'm working on that spans central and eastern European ethnicities from the industrial age. It's part recipes, part family story, and part about our blue collar town back in the last century—the dark, smoky landscape of steel mills, railroads, rivers and brick row houses lining the hillside neighborhoods. Read the introduction here , and check back soon to buy the cookbook. |
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Scenes from a Funeral Day
My father in law's funeral brought together the story of an everyman hero who had all the right stuff, and left an incredible human legacy. At a time when people are fixated on superheroes and icons, Asa's story is about what matters most. |
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CALAMITY TOURIST IN THREE ACTS
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CALAMITY TOURIST, ACT I
Airplane Wreck, 1986 My dad has been fascinated with aviation since he was a kid. He eventually got his pilot's license and spent many years flying. This is his story, and the story of an ill-fated flight we took over central Pennsylvania farm country on Thanksgiving Day, 1986. Read the story |
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CALAMITY TOURIST, ACT II
Avalanche on Mount Tallac Even a guy who toils in cubicleland has a few tales to tell, a few of his own adventures he carries around like currency from another era. He begins, in his best mock heroic voice, "the mountain was angry that day, my friend." And then tells of the day he and his friends blundered into peril in the high Sierra. Story to come soon... |
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CALAMITY TOURIST, ACT III
Lost & Found in the Black Rock We came to the Nevada badlands seeking adventure, with our fancy notions and city folk hubris. But we got more adventure than we bargained for. The desert trapped us, swallowed us up. And then fucked with us again and again. When it briefly lost interest in its pitiful captives, we managed to beat a hasty escape. Read the story |
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The Quiet Wisdom of Miss Betsy
She was the preschool teacher for all three of our children. But to say that she was just a preschool teacher misses the whole point. This short, diminutive, cheerful woman is connected to the deepest and most powerful things in life. Read the story |
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Huck Finn Fever Dream
NIGHT OF THE ANGRY BEAVER ATTACK One summer evening my friend Bauer joined us on the American River for a little paddle. This story celebrates a cool urban experience, and our band of canoe club nerds...with a little B movie creature element thrown in for good measure. Read the story |
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A Hungry Dog Goes Farther
Just a little memory from back in the college days, about hitchhiking, the friends you make, and the fragmentary pieces of advice you happen to remember after all the years. Read the story |
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TRAVELOGUE:
The Sages of LA Nightlife This travelogue details how we gained an unlikely bit of urban zen wisdom from a Hollywood character named Jimmy Swan. This is paired with the story of a more recent Los Angeles nightlife odyssey, where we learned the value of confident improvisation . Read the story |
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Independence Day, 2016
This year our family reached a big milestone when our oldest daughter Audrey went off to college. As exciting as it was, it was also fraught with all kinds of life reckonings for parents. This story recalls three moments when we began to grasp the fleeting nature of our own family enterprise. Read the story |
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BOY MEETS GIRL:
Dumb Luck Happenstance of the Universe It’s only in hindsight sometimes that you see the larger story arc and understand the moments that may have gone unappreciated at the time. Such was the case in August of 1991 when a foolish young guy was out for the evening and did not realize his life was about to change forever. Read the story |
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The Fable of Orson Grisby
Orson Grisby was a washed up old prospector in the waning days of the California Gold Rush. This is the story of his last ditch attempt to strike it rich, a tale of greed and miscalculation set in the foreboding 40-Mile desert of central Nevada. There's a lot of historical detail. It's based on a campfire story I made up for my kids a few years ago. Read the story. |
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Ichiro, What is the Meaning of Life?
One day several years ago some buddies and I played hooky from work and took in an Oakland As game. We got to see a singular performance by Ichiro Suzuki, then on the Seattle Mariners. This is a celebration of an afternoon at the ballpark and of the great Japanese right fielder. Read the story |
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Chasing the Ghost of Clemente
If you grew up in Pittsburgh in the 1970s you were a Roberto Clemente fan. For me, like many, Clemente remains a haunted, mythical figure who transcends baseball and sports. This piece attempts to get at what makes Clemente such an enduring worldwide hero and why he was a rare human spirit. Read the story |
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Calamity Tourist
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