Today’s the last day to register to vote in Alabama in order to make it in time to vote in the 2016 Presidential race. All morning, I’ve been trying to write a heartfelt plea about why I think it’s important to vote, but it turns out heartfelt pleas can come […]
When some people experience a string of bad luck, I supposed they might chalk it up to random coincidence. I, on the other hand, usually take it as a solid sign that I’m being targeted by the universe for unfair persecution. Maybe I spent too much time reading about omens […]
To say Pokémon Go has taken the world — and Birmingham — by storm is a bit of an understatement. Chances are, if you’ve been on social media or near a national monument lately, you’ve tried your hand at hunting Pokémon … or you’ve at least been wondering what all […]
I don’t want Donald Trump to be President, and I plan to use my vote to prevent it from happening. But if it happens anyway, I’m not planning on grabbing my passport and running off to Europe or becoming an off-the-grid mole person or something. Because Trump becoming President doesn’t […]
Life is full of hard stuff. Real, important stuff like career obstacles, relationship troubles and the impending sense of mortality that defines human existence. But life is also full of stuff that’s not that hard, but is still a bummer — stuff like flossing, grocery shopping, talking our parents through […]
I’m pretty big on voting with your wallet. I think our daily choices matter, and supporting our communities by spending money at small businesses instead of at corporate chains (that tend to trample people in a blind drive for profits) is a way to vote for a better America every […]
The business of opening a business looks different than it used to. You don’t just have the option of opening a storefront anymore — you can do a pop-up shop, a farmers market, an event space. You can get your business off the ground with microloans and support it through […]
There are a lot of good things to say about Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites. It’s probably pretty obvious that I’m a fan, since I funded The Localist book through Kickstarter. My Kickstarter didn’t pay for everything, but it did let me pay the people who helped me put the […]
I had a rough morning. Maybe it’s because today is so gray and gloomy. Maybe it’s because I got excited about a Snow Day and stayed up late eating ice cream and watching movies without realizing today’s Snow “Day” doesn’t start until after the sun goes down. Maybe it’s because […]
I’m not known for my optimism. Pessimism is my default, and in general that serves me well as an editor and a business owner. (If you don’t see the glass as half-empty, how do you know the customer needs a refill?) So it’s rare for me to say something went […]