A single sleepy suburban mile, two local coffee shops, two corporate giants, and a convenience store brawl for market share. Welcome to the local coffee wars—where seasonal flavors fly before fall even arrives.
The Great Suburban Coffee Wars
Salty Air & Simple Things
From moody introverted seagulls and missing personalized keychains to the undisputed supremacy of beach ice cream, here are a few simple observations and lessons learned from a recent trip to Bethany Beach.
If Your Relationship Can Survive a Week at the Beach, It Can Survive Anything
One spouse forges ahead like Meriwether Lewis mapping the frontier; the other trails behind dragging a 50-pound cooler through scorching sand. If your marriage can survive a week at the beach, it can survive anything. Here are four essential rules for surviving the dunes, heat, and potential beach mutiny.
Making A Case for Hope
If you only look at social media, it feels like society is collapsing. But the real-world data on how we actually treat each other tells a completely different—and deeply hopeful—story.
I Smell a Racket: Shakespeare, Tip Fees, & Other Modern Cons
When I worked as a newspaper reporter, we used to keep a running list of 'rackets' that bugged us. I left the newsroom, but I'm still keeping score. From the guilt-trip of an iPad tip screen to the power of AI, here are the everyday institutions that drive me up a wall.
Goldilocks and the XL Bucket of Kettle Corn
A quick mission to buy a bucket of kettle corn on the Bethany Beach boardwalk turned into an exercise in optical illusions and $35 worth of decision-making regret. Here is how Goldilocks in flip-flops accidentally bought a 10-gallon drum of popcorn—and how nine people finished it in 24 hours.
There Oughta Be a Law (And I Have a Few Suggestions)
When I was a kid, my parents watched the CBS Evening News every single night. Walter Cronkite would sit behind his massive anchor desk and, in his calm, authoritative voice, update the world on the day's events. Inevitably, whenever Cronkite touched on a serious earthquake in a far-off land, a crooked politician going to jail, or some... Continue Reading →
12 Rounds in a Three-Piece Suit
Let's get ready to rumble. Putting a new sarcastic spin on law firms -- especially those specializing in personal injury and criminal defense -- who advertise on billboards.
A Top Gun Dogfight Over A Furniture Store Showroom
Walking into a furniture showroom shouldn't feel like a high-stakes aerial dogfight, but tell that to the salespeople locking onto us at 50,000 feet. Here is what happens when an introvert who avoids eye contact and a wife who makes instant best friends brave the retail danger zone.
Writing from the Heart with Brian 
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