Hillary Carlip’s fantastic Fresh Yarn is back with new writers, new personal essays, and new fun.

I’ve got a couple of essays published on the site and it’s an honor to be in the company of so many cool writers. Check it out.
Hillary Carlip’s fantastic Fresh Yarn is back with new writers, new personal essays, and new fun.

I’ve got a couple of essays published on the site and it’s an honor to be in the company of so many cool writers. Check it out.

So I’ve been named one of the editors of the brand spankin’ new The Nervous Breakdown. The new site’s got a little bit of everything, from Arts & Culture to Poetry to Fiction to Nonfiction to Tips on Grooming Your Pet. Okay, maybe there’s no grooming tips yet but keep checking back. Anyway, it’s well worth the trip.
While you’re there, be sure to check out my piece about being short and unathletic and being picked last for the team (every team) in middle school P.E. class. Read that here.
I’m back today with a BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW piece on The Nervous Breakdown. Read about my quest to rid the world of the scam that is tapas here.
While you’re at it, be sure to check out what the site’s kick-ass contributors are writing about these days.
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We’ve been invaded. Again. Fruit flies have taken over our apartment and, quite frankly, they’re pretty pissed off. Probably because we killed a bunch of their brothers and sisters when they invaded last year. And the year before. In any event, they’re back and they ain’t happy.
Now as any responsible homeowner knows, there’s a right way and a wrong way to kill a fruit fly. The right way, of course, involves one dressing up like a fruit fly (Dick’s Sporting Goods has a nice assortment of fruit fly hunting gear), crouching down next to the fridge, and waiting anywhere from five minutes to three days until the flies let their guard down and then you swat the hell of out them with a towel. The wrong way is sitting down and trying to reason with the flies, providing them with a well thought-out explanation as to why they should leave your place and go bother someone else and, in some cases, even offering them bus fare to do so.
Then there’s the Bloom way. This involves creating a fruit fly trap (see Exhibit 1.1).

Exhibit 1.1
To create said trap, you take a plastic bottle (not seen in photograph), fill the bottle with a little vinegar, and make a “funnel” from a sheet of notebook paper (preferably college-ruled). Here’s the beautiful part: the flies, attracted to the vinegar, fly into the trap but can’t get out.
We’re currently in Day Three of this landmark case (Bloom v. Fruit Flies). We’ve already caught several dozen…but there’s more. THEY. KEEP. COMING.
Okay, fruit flies. You want a war? You’ve got one.
To be continued.
I’m back on The Nervous Breakdown today with another brand spankin’ new piece of comedy.
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Check it out here. I’ll be your best friend.
My latest column is published (for your convenience) on two dandy websites.
First off, check out The Nervous Breakdown. While you’re there, enjoying my tale of Chloe’s (formerly the Wonder Shih Tzu; now Shih Tzu Badass) peeing woes, be sure to check out some of the other published writers. Lots of good stuff here.
Writer N.L. Belardes (you can also find him on TheNervousBreakdown.com) also posted this pee saga on facenews.org, an independent news source.
Thanks for reading.

Setting: National Constitution Center in Philadelphia; Men’s Restroom; center stall
GUY (in center stall): Ugh! I’ve GOT to get out of here!
Setting: Pet Store. Grooming Center.
GROOMER: What kind of dog is Chloe?
ME: She’s a Shih Tzu.
Groomer scribbles on a card: Chloe. Shit Su.
I’m back on The Nervous Breakdown (writer Brad Listi’s acclaimed website that’s been mentioned on The Huffington Post). This time, it’s the story of my trip to deepest, darkest Africa.
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Setting: Starbucks. Counter.
ME (to barista): Can I get an iced coffee, please?
BARISTA: Regular or decaf?
ME: Regular.
BARISTA: We’re out of regular.