The Odd Guy Blog
Jeffery sits on a chair in the balcony, overlooking the sea of flashing lights and chatter behind a blazing sun. He sighs, looking at the crowd of people twirling around haphazardly, barely following the beat of Cotton Eye Joe, spilling wine all over the dance floor, even a bit on themselves. In the middle of […]
From the little box of nightmares that stays in my pocket, I see glimpses of the world we tend to shy away from. All that appears are repeated headlines and horror stories that have become far from fiction. Stories of inhumane humanity claiming the lives of many, and claiming the livelihood of many others. Bombs, […]
3…2…1… A million different conversations immediately cease, everyone freezing in pace while staring at the screen. A loud crackle breaks the sudden silence, followed by a booming release of gas. Fire grows beneath the rocket, slowly pushing it upwards. The rocket is officially off the ground, but nobody moves just yet. This is the most […]
Gentleman, gentlewomen, and everyone in between, I proclaim to you all that my team and I have made a new step towards advancing paleontological theories — beyond the stone and dirt we brush past, beyond the piles and piles of papers and folders, beyond the hours upon hours of looking at bones and rocks, we […]
Takeout — Fast, easy, and only worth an hour’s work (or even less). Takeout food has been a staple of lazy Americans all throughout, benefiting off the vast cultural diversity that being an American has to offer. Much of takeout fashion has been stagnant, usually centering around Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Greek, Middle Eastern, and Thai, […]
After a long day’s work, I find my eyes looking past myself in the mirror. I look at the person staring back at me, looking at his fatty chest, his neck, and finally his face. At times, it takes a moment to recognize the man in the mirror is myself — and each time it […]
A split screen dully displays the frenzied words that come from Jake’s scraped keyboard. The mechanic click-clacking fills the room, the vibrations bouncing off the tilted hinges of his cupboard, the loose knobs on the burner, and burrowing into the anxious, beating heart inside of Jake’s chest. A ping from his computer stops his erratic […]
The dark abyss hovered over the overnight ferry to Rome, lights dimmed to near darkness — yet the stars still hid in the presence of lesser light. I swayed in my wine-drunk state, peering at the horizon, searching for the edge where the sky and the sea blend together. My equally inebriated fellows pointed aimlessly […]
In my younger years, I was afraid of the ocean. The sand, though bothersome, was where I spent my time, Every time my grandmother and I, Went to the beach. Though wary of its inviting danger, I marveled at the grand ocean, Like admiring a shark in a tank. Yet, unlike the limits of an […]
I tasted humidity. Through dirt, metal, toxins, Because of thirst, weakness, or sorrow, Rain water fell upon me, And I drank it to feel satisfied. I felt heavy instead, Filled with empty water, With no space for vitamins, Or electrolytes, Or joy, or smiles, or memories, For the pelted beatings of the small rain, Crashed […]
Nobody likes it when somebody copies their work. Especially when the copy itself leaves out details/structures that (to the creator) is integral to the work at hand. Whenever a copy of a material is brought into question, one could immediately chalk it up to pure laziness and utter disrespect to the original source material. However, […]
Grey clouds dully shine upon wrinkly sheets, And myself folded on it. Reaching towards hands that have escaped mine. It holds me back without effort, The marks of my own creation, Drawn by my own body upon the comforting tomb of satin sheets. Yet I rise, Something calls me still. A familiar breeze calling my […]
“Play ball!” Shouts the umpire, followed by a swing, and the first strike of the game. The umpire points to his side, making a loud noise. Another pitch came, then another swing, making the ball fly towards the stands. “Heads up!” calls the rest of the crowd, until it plops on the ground, and one […]
Arnold sighs. There’s no doubt about it – it’s her. She may hide her face with sunglasses, cover her long hair with a beanie, and put on a different style of makeup than before, but her loud personality always gives herself away. It was hard to ignore her, even in the case Arnold hadn’t known […]
Ronald steps into the brand-new world’s largest Walmart, which was nearly at max capacity, despite the ads boasting it could hold nearly 100,000 people. Even so, Ronald wanted to update his store blog, especially finding an update to his newest series on finding the “Store with the best inventory-to-capacity ratio in the World”. So far, […]
Today we finished the 10th annual Dr. Siobhan Nash-Marshall Ethics Bowl. This was the first year hosting the event without Nash, but it still felt like she was there the entire time. When she passed, I remember how quickly I threw my phone. I was in my mother’s car, disoriented as the world spun around […]
Swaying in the wind, Known to it for years beyond life itself. Watcher of all alive and dead, Virtually immortal, Always there. It has been burned by fire, By the hands of nature, And by the hands of men, And yet it survives, To see it all. Men who spilled their blood across the pastures, […]
Your smile accentuates everything about you. Your piercing green eyes, Your fair, light-brown skin, Your hands caressing my yellow scarf, And once your sleek hair, Which flowed past your neck. I pass my hand across your face, Touching your ticklish spot behind your ear, Pinching the edges of your neck, Being careful not to touch […]
I wake up, looking out the window. Mother’s day. Supposedly the day where we cherish the person who gives us life, who nurtured us, who made sure we had our needs tended to. I wonder how it is for others, to see one’s mother as a being of love, rather than a totem of fear. […]
Finally, after weeks upon weeks of piling paperwork on top of paperwork, training person after person, staying till late to fill out the reports and numbers even the managers didn’t want to touch, I was able to get one day off. I haven’t had a day off in so long… My weekdays were swamped with […]
On a summer evening, I lay upon the grass beside the cliff, thinking of my mother and of her love of flowers. Her birthday was creeping up, and surely I wouldn’t want to celebrate empty handed. Chocolates were tasty, but they wouldn’t do. I couldn’t just write a letter, that’s just lazy. Not to mention, […]
I just lost my job, and I just ran out of groceries too. Damn. Out of all the things that I overplan, overthink, and overcompensate for, not having a job was definitely one of the things I should’ve planned a bit better. Why didn’t I think this would happen sooner than later? How many times […]
A Big city and a little guy That’s how I pictured myself sitting on the rooftop. This place wasn’t expected to be sweet, nor peaceful, nor the keys to a better future. And as far as I’ve seen, it’s still none of those things. Yet, I was told this city isn’t what it used to […]
Dust covers the plates we used to take out When guests and family arrived for their monthly visit. Packages upon packages of cups are stacked Right under the empty bottles of vodka and rum. I bit my fingernails Until my teeth can’t reach And I bite the skin instead. I scroll, And scroll And scroll, […]
On the day after our grandmother’s wake, I took the kites she had made for us, Deciding to drive my brother and I to the field Where I used to watch the sun fall. We take our kits, and stand right by the hill, Taking in the view above the trees, Breathing in the flowers […]
I wake up, opening one eye. I look around my bland, messy room, then shut my eyes, hoping to get some rest. My body, however, always seems to have other plans. First comes the dry throat, begging for me to get any water in me. Then comes the back pain, making me flip over and […]
Love is a risk, One most rewarding and well-known. One where you must put in all of yourself, On a bet to obtain bliss of near sanctity. With no secrets that can be hidden, With all your shameful sins uncovered, You must lay yourself bare, No longer hidden by your tailored mask. Love is a […]
My darling, my child, my canvas, lays unfinished, untouched, unloved. It sulks next to the growing cobwebs, Latching from the frame to the windowsill. I glare towards my darling, barely noticed in the corner of my eye, An edge of moonlight caressing its darker sides. My heart aches to tend to her, to show her […]
When Jack was a child, he had every need catered for by his parents; he had no need to worry about food, no need to worry about water, no need to worry about shelter. Viewed as privileged by some, he still played with the kids who struggled to find food, the kids who had no […]
I stand, I walk, I sit. My heart smells of spoiled dreams and promises. My words hold no weight, no semblance of empathy. Yet I stand, mimicking a demeanor of one that holds meaning. None see the mistakes I hold, all too similar to be considered accidental. Yet I walk, staring through the looking glass […]
Ever since we were young, our parents tell us to live our lives to the fullest extent, for that time lost will never come back. To “live our lives” holds different meanings for different people: for some, it is to live in complete hedonism, partying, drinking, and engaging in casual hookups. For others, it is […]
Here I am, standing here with my lack of warmth. People say I have soft hands, but a cold touch. My search for heat is not my fault, I’ve gone this far without any glow, any brightness. Warm skin, maybe that’s what I seek; a loving hand to caress my iced tips, an embrace to […]
Daniel gets to the radio station a few minutes late. He rubs his eyes, while running through a couple of excuses in his mind, knowing none of them would work. Daniel walks up to the recording booth, the glowing red “LIVE” sign catching his attention. He looks through the glass door, seeing the boss, his […]
Passion is a strong emotion, and a driving force which embodies the human spirit. It being an emotion, it resides in the heart, and serves as the fire that runs the rational and emotional machine we call the human. Passion, like a flame, can grow and grow, and be used for a variety of different […]
Gabal marches through the blizzard, shivering with each pained step he took. He raises his shotgun just above his head, shielding his face from the little cold daggers coming straight at him. He continues to muscle through, heading forwards, hoping to find a path to follow. The wind blows harder, nearly sending Gabal flying backwards. […]
Among the arts, music soothes the soul the most. With music, the most timid person starts dancing, the saddest person starts laughing, and the most joyous person starts crying. Not to say that it brings out our opposite, but rather it helps us find parts of ourselves we never knew existed. Music creates a sense […]
I woke up, not knowing where I was. I woke up in a bed that’s not mine, wearing clothes that are not mine, and in a room that I don’t recognize. My head hurts like hell. I feel like I went too hard on the bottle. It would definitely explain my headache, and why I’m […]
Stanley sighed deeply, gazing out towards the unreachable vision of success, on the living room couch. “What a mess,” he kept thinking to himself, “what do I do now?” He had been applying to jobs nonstop, and none of them had gotten back to him. It had been two months since he had finally finished […]
What part of our living is not powered by belief? How is it so that the very notion of connecting an abstract thought to reality is what motivates humans to do most things? If belief involves having trust in the connection of something abstract (Ideas and concepts, like Beauty, Truth, Love) to something in reality, […]
I am no stranger to Death. In fact, the first death I’ve seen happened on our way back from the zoo. I had been asleep in the car, until I was woken up by people yelling and my brother frantically shaking me. I looked out and stared at a bright red car. It was hugging […]
Do we really hate that which we say we hate? Do we really love that which we say we love? Often when we ask people if they really hate or love something, they sit back, think about it, and then correct themselves, saying that they do not actually love or hate that thing. Love and hate are […]
The pink salt rock night light illuminates the dark black, overly decorated room. Posters of all kinds of bands, movies, and books cover the left side of the room. On the right side, there’s a bookshelf lined with records, books, and figurines of all shapes and sizes. In the middle of the room was the […]
It’s been a while since I’ve seen her; about 6 months since then. I walk up to the house that she grew up in, my mother grew up in, and partly myself. The garden that grew the colorful tomatoes, peppers, and parsley that she used to use in her cooking, was uncatered, vacant, dead. The […]
Josh sits on the couch, rubbing his forehead. He looks at the ceiling, thinking back to the therapy session earlier that day. The same three questions came up every time, over and over again. Have you been working on yourself lately? No, not really. How often do you feel stressed? All the time. How have […]
Alex is one who gets lost in his own thoughts, quite often. Laying his head against the train window, Alex thinks back to the worlds he would create in his mind, sitting in the back of his parents’ car. He remembers looking at the car window, and imagining a ninja with dark clothes running on […]
You’re walking around your neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. It’s warm outside, with a little breeze. You have some light blue jeans on, with a black tee and a gray sweater. You decided to go on a walk after waking up at 12:30 pm. You have nothing to do, since you finished going through your […]
John sits at the table near the window with his eyes closed, his hand gripping his forehead. He uses the breathing techniques he’s learned from his mother, to help with his building anxiety. He opens his eyes, and stares at the medical bill in front of him; a bill of over $2000, just for an […]
Imagine coming back to your house, apartment, or studio. You’re tired from the daily monotony of getting up early in the morning, eating your go-to cereal and milk, driving to work through the same shades of gray buildings, green trees, and red fire extinguishers. You arrive at your office building, at the same time every […]
