Ironic in 2025
30 years later, the scenarios from Alanis Morrisette's "Ironic" need updating.
Was Your Day Good or Bad, According to Ice Cube
Tom Petty Taught Us About Regret Without Even Using the Word
Every boy has this weird desire to be the “bad boy.” Any men who grew up watching Beverly Hills, 90210 would simultaneously agree that it was Dylan, not Brandon or Steve, that we most wanted to be like. It’s the rebellion. It’s the freedom. It’s the standing in the shadows, cigarette in hand, narrowed-eyes look that didn’t care about the wreckage of broken hearts left outside the door.
Stop Being Polite to God
Conor O’Malley’s mom is dying. And there’s nothing he can do about it.
Recently I saw a question on an online book forum. “What’s the saddest book?” Several answered A Monster Calls. I immediately picked it up that afternoon from the local library.
Recently I saw a question on an online book forum. “What’s the saddest book?” Several answered A Monster Calls. I immediately picked it up that afternoon from the local library.
I’m the Guy Double-Dipping My Chip at the Company Banquet
But while I’m here, half-eaten chip in hand with queso dripping on the lower part of my clip-on tie, let me confess all of my in-office sins to you.
Sometimes the Car Isn’t Fast Enough
“Fast Car” is a love song. It’s not rooted in the tradition of what we think of in terms of a love song, but the depth of the story makes “Fast Car” a real love song.
5 Ways to Enhance Your Prayer Life
Prayer is a privilege you can readily enjoy each day. Its full spiritual and emotional benefits will keep drawing you back to it. As Christians, we have been urged to “pray without ceasing,” (I Thessalonians 5:17, ESV). This is a loving command to help remind us that God stands ready to unburden our hearts and minds every moment of the day.
4 Tips for Quiet Time
Think for a moment about someone special in your life. It might be a spouse or a best friend. How did that person become someone you cared for and trusted? It would be fair to say that closeness didn't happen by chance. It probably occurred by spending lots of quality time with them. Not just now and then, but regularly.
Is God in Your Tool Belt?
For every trial we face, every obstacle, every overwhelming task, we have a tool belt. Our tool belt is full of things we swear by. Things we need to accomplish the weighty job before us. If it's a financial crisis, we have money. And if we don't have that, we have credit cards, or banks to ask for loans from, or pleas to collection agencies to give us more time.
The Perfect Remedy for Fear
According to the numbers, the top-grossing horror movie of all time is It, the thriller based on Stephen King's book of the same title. I haven't seen the movie or read the book, but from what I can tell the premise has to do with killer clowns. That sounds like a scary movie for sure. Worldwide the movie brought in over $700 million. That's a lot of cash just to be scared by some actors wearing wigs and red noses.
Only Whitney Houston Could Get Me Dancing at the Prom
But what I cannot escape from, no matter how often I hear “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is the sheer explosion of joy radiating from Whitney. The effortless range of her vocals. The laughter that invites you to, if not dance, to find a space where you can enjoy being you. Even better if you can enjoy it with someone who loves you.
The Best Way To Make Money As A Writer
Before writing a letter to someone, say a private note folded over once and slid across the counter towards an unsuspecting bank teller, be sure you know exactly what you want to say.
The Best Song of 1986: “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
The verses, the chorus, they all play their part. But it’s the 2:39 mark where the band reduces the sound to just their voices and a bass drum. You get the sense that they’re not joking. They’re not backing down from the hurt. They’re not backing away from the fun they’re having singing about the hurt.
Tell The Babysitter We’ll Be Home Late Because a Jagged Edge Song Just Came On The Radio
It would be easy, truthfully,
to compose a note with flowery words.
I could plagiarize Shakespeare or Neruda
or an old R&B song.
to compose a note with flowery words.
I could plagiarize Shakespeare or Neruda
or an old R&B song.
Pursuing Christ (and Punk Rock Music)
Throughout life, whatever age we’re in, whatever season of life, we choose songs that fit our mood. We find songs to soothe the emotions stirring inside our souls. Teenagers are often guided by emotion. So it was nothing for me to blare Korn driving to Wednesday night youth group, only to find myself popping in a Newsboys album on the drive home after.
Slow Day at Stamie’s Swimwear
Stepping behind the register, Canaan found her nametag in the basket. It read Canen, a misspelling Mr. Rollins couldn’t care less about. He was more interested in moving merchandise out the door than he was in the spelling of some 16-year-old employee.
428 Words on the Passing of Meat Loaf
At 13 years old, the love songs of the day were numerous, but I didn’t get them. You can imagine a prepubescent boy hearing “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, wondering every time he got in the car with mom and dad and looked quizzically at the dashboard, trying to figure out what the fascination was.
Control
I hold the hand of my daughter
until she reaches an age where
holding hands with another man
is more appealing.
until she reaches an age where
holding hands with another man
is more appealing.
Nine Signs It's Time to Quit Your Job
You go to the meetings and throw out half-baked ideas on increasing sales. You ramble through conversations with co-workers about new products or new company initiatives. You see your boss, or his boss, or the boss of his boss, and masquerade enthusiasm like an Oscar-winning actor. All the while, you’re dying inside. Faking it is hard and exhausting. If you notice you’re stuck in the role of a pretender, it might be time to make an exit.
The Sacrifice of the St. Paul Thunderbolt
One of the biggest, bravest men in history stood just six feet tall and weighed around 160 pounds. Pasty white, knobby knees, and fists that flew faster than even his nickname insinuated: the St. Paul Thunderbolt.
My Favorite Trip to Take is a Power Trip
I’ve spent time in some places where the bosses thrived on ego. Places where power was a god.
I’ve seen retail stores with managers that were so desperate to maintain high revenue that they kept their own well-qualified employees from moving up, lest the profit machine be disrupted.
I’ve seen managers with grudges years old intentionally submarine relationships because maintaining pride was more important than forming partnerships.
I’ve seen retail stores with managers that were so desperate to maintain high revenue that they kept their own well-qualified employees from moving up, lest the profit machine be disrupted.
I’ve seen managers with grudges years old intentionally submarine relationships because maintaining pride was more important than forming partnerships.
Jackie Kennedy Looks Out of an Eighth-Floor Window One Autumn Morning
Birds sling themselves
from the branch of the
Yoshino cherry
from the branch of the
Yoshino cherry
The Best Song of 1985: “Summer of ‘69” by Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams had a band. He had one in 1969, in fact. Or so the song goes. But one guy quits, the other falls in love and gets married, and Bryan Adams is left with nothing but a souvenir of the times. A cheap guitar from the summer he thought for sure would last forever.
The Best Song of 1984: “Jump” by Van Halen
It’s not fair for me to line up these songs side-by-side and say that Van Halen shrugged off a serious issue. They simply changed the inspiration to something else. Could they have done a somber tune related to depression and mental health? Possibly. But the band who had a hit with a song called “Hot For Teacher” is not a band you recruit for your PSA on suicide.
Load More