My childhood friend, Juan David, and I shared a love for old salsa and jazz. When he was hired to...
Life
The Frailty of a Landing: A dangerous time to be airborne
The airplane was one foot off the ground from the Harry Reid International Airport runway when it...
Pragmatic Colombian Sex Advice to Scar Teenagers for Life
I was in eighth grade when the Catholic school I went to decided we were ready for sex education....
Pablo Escobar Left Many Problems Behind And 99 Hippos is One of Them
“Did you hear about the hippopotamuses in Colombia?” I love people’s random comments when...
Committed to Raising Little Beaners
Photo by Max Böhme on Unsplash “Amélie loves beans!” My oldest daughter, Jovie, tells me. “That’s...
The Virgin Can Be Scarier Than an Atomic Iguana
I still remember the last time I lost sleep. September 14, 1994. Okay, I made a date, but I...
Weed, Cocaine, and Riding a Mule Around the World
Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary(Monty) on Unsplash I was telling someone at work how when I first moved...
The Vasectomy Dialogues
When I think of manly, I think of my friend Travis. It’s weird that I don’t think of myself. I’m...
A Hispanic by Any Other Name
"Juan," the nurse in the waiting room called out. "Juan," she repeated. I was busy playing with my...
The Divine in a Scatological Nativity Scene
Me cago en la… would whisper Salvador Maté through his teeth — ruined from chain-smoking. Every...
Unequivocally Racially Ambiguous
Gummy Smiles, Big Teeth, And Racial Confusion Photo by Olenka Kotyk on Unsplash I inherited a very...
I Have Never Smoked Weed
Okay, Sorta Photo by Roberto Valdivia on Unsplash Yes, I’m Colombian. And when people find out I’m...
Recent Articles
Drinking Agua ‘e Panela en el Páramo and Swimming with Seals in Poipu
The childish, simple pleasures of wanderlust Poipu, Kauai. August, 2021. Photo by author. Okay, put me down now.” Jovie, my oldest daughter, instructed me. “What?” I responded, shocked she wasn’t...
Almost Losing a Finger to Save My Life
Life has a price and so does each body part Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash My mistake was clearly dumb. We were in the middle of the pandemic, and after getting my MasterClass subscription, I...
Spanking The Elderly Into Better Behavior
Corporal abuse as a universal and compassionate law Photo by Daniel K Cheung on Unsplash It is not often, but every now and then, I’ll find myself in a conversation about how corporal punishment is...