Tired? Nope.
Short of Breath? Nope.
Maybe I’m fine.
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Politically moderate. Mildly adventurous. Always thinking (but not too hard). The Upstairs Project is Chris Congdon's blog.
All tagged USA
you're one, too
If you were to come into the closet with me and shut the door . . . waaay back into the closet, behind my old high school marching band uniform . . .
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that first step
It’s an unnatural thing to do - to walk right up to the edge, and then take one more step.
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swordfight!
Anger, sorrow and optimism after General Conference 2019. (and the worst urinal on earth)
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the wall
As the caravans form and move through Mexico, about half the US population is shouting “build the wall” and the other half is deeply opposed and instead says, “we should have a conversation on immigration reform”.
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souvenirs
Badly framed and poorly focused, shot from the window of a moving bus, I’m not likely to forget the fleeting glimpse, imprinted in my mind, of those people about to lose everything.
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famous stars
It's eerie at first – the amplified rising and falling of pitch. A human voice? A human voice.
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in line
There is no pharmacological laxative as effective as the impending start of a mountain bike race.
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quick fix
The saddle of a cheap motorbike, the deck of a riverboat, the open bed of a prehistoric pickup truck - in Africa, I’m happiest on the move.
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the right place
I don’t even see a church, a cemetery or a tavern, so I can only conclude that the place is free from sin and death. That, by definition, would make it heaven.
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black side | white side
more white people looking at the wall.
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the hell happened here
‘the hell happened here?
Ask it as a question or just state the obvious.
The hell happened here.
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dogs of war
he’ll hide in the ditch and stay down until I’m past. Then he’ll cross the road behind me and sprint up on my other side where I’m not expecting him and just about the time I think I’ve made it …
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bowling
as I watch, the ball gradually fades to the left and squeezes itself between the pins in an apologetic way as if it is saying, “pardon me, sorry to bother you”.
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janice's farm
I feel extra-masculine manhandling barbed wire, driving my Dodge through waist-high weeds and stepping in cow shit. Those are the kinds of things us city boys only get to do in our imaginations as we’re watching truck ads on TV. I hope MSL notices how broad my shoulders are.
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blood on the sand
it's the kind of conflict that is characterized as “low-level” and “local” and it hardly makes the news here, but it isn’t low-level at all for the folks living and dying at ground-zero
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you could be here ... or not
You can work as much or as little as you want and spend the rest of your time relaxing on the beach, and in just a moment, I'm going to share with you the secret of this luxurious lifestyle.
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gentlemen, remove your hats
Being told to take off my hat deprives me of the opportunity to show respect with a voluntary action … now it just feels like I’m following orders.
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big heads
The minivan was making an odd thumping noise. I was glad it wasn’t mine and felt sorry for whoever owned it. A tow truck was going to be expensive this far from town.
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comfortable clothes
Mom needed to explain something about one of the other guests so that we wouldn’t say something embarrassing in front of everybody.
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