Narcissism Should Be Illegal

"Narcissism should be illegal," we said to our lawyers. They understood the impulse. We had a business partner who is a narcissistic sociopath. Not clinical. Descriptive. Someone else's words, but accurate. The kind of person who gets caught lying and responds by lying about the lying.…

Mom, you had a f*$#%ng library

MOM. Mom? MOMMMMM!!! HELLO? She’s probably reading a damn book. Sure enough, if you weren’t responding, you were somewhere in the house, utterly lost in another novel. I could’ve told you I saw Santa, who handed me a ticket to Australia with aliens to sell gift cards…

Mom. We didn't need any rules.

Growing up, as I reflect on my childhood, we had so few rules that they were practically invisible. You encouraged us to live freely—to color outside the lines, to ignore the confines of lanes, and to embrace creativity in every aspect of life, no matter what. When Jackass aired…

Mom, you were unphased

I remember when you went to Germany and Austria while I was in 4th grade. You and Dad brought back one of the best gifts I’d ever received—a marionette. I was fascinated by it, spending hours learning its movements and figuring out every detail. I loved it so…

Water Balloon Launcher? Thanks Mom!

I am grateful for the smiles of memories you sewed for us. Do you remember sending me that water balloon launcher during my mission in Holland in 2001? I can still feel the smile that spread across my face when I opened it. I had called you many times, ready…

Dear Mom

November was always the month when we would come together daily and share what we're thankful for. I'm thankful for you. I still don’t know if you were really there with me, carrying me through my 2023 accident. Lindsey told me I was crying your…

DTOs Are Powerful.

Whether you're in C#, Python, Java, PHP, TypeScript, or Ruby, somewhere in your codebase there's a dictionary getting passed around like a mystery grab bag at a white elephant party. "Here's some stuff. Figure it out." Look familiar? public void ProcessUser(IDictionary&…

The Narcissist's Playbook

A narcissist will never admit they have a problem. If confronted with their own bad behavior they will do their very best to make people believe they are the victim. A narcissist deflects because their ego can't handle being wrong. A sociopath deflects because it works. They'…

Favorite Time of the Week

Our favorite time of the week at home is when my son returns after working two days at the fire station here in Lehi (2 on, 4 off). Hearing his stories brings smiles to my wife’s and my faces.I hope you never have to meet him, because if…

Mirror, Mirror.

Always. Forever. Your smile was the first evil teeth behind every handshake, warmth that calculated. You tried to bury us with paper and whispers, schemes dressed as neighborly concern. We didn't flinch. We just held up the glass. Now my smile meets yours. Not warmth recognition. I enjoy…