Category: Narrative
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Orlando
What do you say after a mass shooting? I hate that this particularly devastating type of tragedy is so commonplace that my question beckons an answer based in experience. I’m not the one to speak to what happened in Orlando, except to say that I’m so sorry to the families and friends who lost someone…
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Let’s not cry over spilled coffee.
Matt Buchanan at Eater is way more anxious about his morning coffee than I am. You still have to make the coffee, though. You’re so tired you’d love it if a machine made it for you, but cheap automatics aren’t good enough for your great coffee beans, and the good automatics aren’t cheap enough for your budget.…
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Engagementmoon
Well, I’m growing up. Last Wednesday, I returned from a trip to Switzerland and Italy. I left with a girlfriend and came back with a fiancé! Brittany and I have been dating for nearly six years, and on May 24 I asked her to marry me at Grossmünsterplatz in Zürich, Switzerland. I’ll save you the…
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St. Louis Park’s Hidden Gem
The only reasons I ever go to St. Louis Park, MN are to see movies at the Showplace Icon Theatre and, today, to pick up some baseball tickets. Otherwise, I don’t intentionally direct myself to St. Louis Park. It’s not that I have anything against St. Louis Park. It’s a Minneapolis suburb home to approximately 45,000…
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The Noble, Morbid and Tedious Process of Identifying the Nameless Dead
When a person dies, those close to the deceased usually follow a typical procedure: death is declared, a funeral or memorial service is arranged, the person’s affairs are concluded. If the person died suspiciously or violently, extra investigative steps must be followed; but the routine is similar. But what happens when a person dies and…
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The Boston Globe Uncovers More Sexual Abuse
In a near perfect reflection of The Boston Globe‘s unearthing of extensive allegations of sexual abuse within New England Catholic churches, the Spotlight team has published a new article — this time revealing widespread instances of sexual abuse at New England private schools. According to the article, part of the problem could be the students’ isolation from their families…
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Zingers in Pakistan
This story of the introduction and evolution of the KFC “Zinger” in Pakistan is surprisingly gripping. Here’s what happened when KFC first opened in Pakistan in 1997: People jammed into the glass-fronted restaurant for days on end. At one point, KFC had to call in the Karachi police for help managing the door. Far from…
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An Exercise in Trading Places
I really like this article from Esquire, examining the different lives of four men across the income spectrum. It’s hard to imagine the way other people live—how they plan their finances, what keeps them up at night, what they do on a daily basis—especially if, like me, you’ve never been exceptionally rich or exceptionally poor. Esquire‘s…
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Stories of Conversion
Kelsey Osgood asks: “Can an Outsider Ever Truly Become Amish?” In this collaboration between Longreads and Atlas Obscura, Osgood profiles two cases of Amish conversion: one successful, one unsuccessful. She writes of her experience in an Amish church: I sneak a few furtive glances around the room, and then look up to Alex, who is…
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Inked!
I got my second tattoo finished today! Here it is next to the original sketch I drew: It’s on my right ribs, so the image is a bit distorted since I’m raising my arm to show the entire piece. I got it done by Matt Kolling at Uptown Tattoo — check them out if you’re…
Timothy Pate 