George Epley

  Columns and Shadows The columns rise like sentinels outside the hospital entrance—tall, cold, and too clean, like the bones of something ancient and uncaring. You step beneath them slowly, each stride heavy with the weight of what-ifs and maybes. The automatic doors hiss open with the sterile indifference of a machine that's seen too many stories pass through—some ending in relief, others in silence. Inside, the air is dry and smells faintly of antiseptic and old coffee. Shadows stretch long across the waiting room floor as the late afternoon sun filters through high windows, casting the chairs and plastic plants into exaggerated shapes—monsters or angels, depending on your mood. You hesitate at the threshold. Maybe it’s the pain in your chest, or maybe it’s something less physical, more like memory. The last time you came here, they said the word “serious” more than once. The doctor’s face was composed, but his eyes flickered—just a moment of truth peeking out from beneath hi...

At the corner of I-72 and Regret Avenue, wedged between a rusting Ford Pinto and an expired vending machine that only dispensed regret and root beer, there stood a tiny purple flower. Her name? Petunia. Her home? A crack in the concrete behind a Dumpster with a raccoon squatter named Gary. Petunia wasn’t supposed to grow there. According to science, logic, and three separate landscaping reports, nothing should have grown there. And yet, Petunia bloomed like she was the Queen of the Botanical Ball, putting on a floral fashion show for the squirrels and semi-truck fumes. The truck stop had seen better days. Maybe in 1973. Since then, it had turned into a strange mix of broken neon signs, lonely tumbleweeds, and a suspicious hot dog roller that hadn’t moved since Bush Senior was in office. Every day, Petunia watched the strange two-legged creatures who came and went—some wearing pajamas at noon, others arguing loudly about whether beef jerky counted as a vegetable. “Y’all seein’ this...

Wallace the penguin lived in the Cold Coast Exhibit at the city zoo. On the surface, everything looked fine. The pool was always clean, the zookeepers were kind, and the kids pressed their sticky faces to the glass like clockwork. But deep inside, Wallace was unraveling. See, penguins in the wild swim miles a day, dive for fish, dodge leopard seals, and gossip with each other in what scientists call “chaotic waddling.” Wallace did none of this. He circled the same fiberglass rock every day, again and again and again, until he started naming the cracks in it. “Good morning, Geraldine,” he whispered to a dent near the bottom. “You’re looking especially cracky today.” One morning, he stood in front of his favorite drain grate for ten straight hours, convinced it was trying to tell him a secret. By noon, he’d decided the bubbles in the pool spelled out Morse code, and by dinnertime, he was pretty sure the zoo’s intercom was just a government cover-up to hide the truth about Antarcti...

  When Cooper —Grandpa’s pride and joy—graduated from preschool, he didn’t just walk across the stage… he owned it . There he stood: cap slightly tilted like a cool jazz musician, gown billowing like a superhero’s cape, and those neon green sunglasses ? Oh, they weren’t just shades—they were a statement . The other kids looked adorable, sure. But Cooper? Cooper looked like he had just dropped his debut album, titled “Snack Time Legends.” Grandpa was in the front row, wiping his eyes with one hand and fist-bumping the air with the other. “That’s my boy!” he shouted, startling a few parents who clearly didn’t understand they were witnessing preschool royalty . After the ceremony, Cooper strolled up to Grandpa, hands in his robe pockets like he had just come from a business meeting at a juice bar. “Well,” Grandpa asked, grinning, “You ready for kindergarten?” Cooper pushed his sunglasses up his nose and replied coolly, “I was born ready. I know my letters, I count to 100, and I o...

Here are 7 reasons to use a ‘real’ camera instead of a smartphone , especially if you're serious about photography or video: 1. Larger Sensor Size = Better Image Quality DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have much larger sensors than smartphones. This means: Better performance in low light Greater dynamic range More natural depth of field (blurred backgrounds) 2. Interchangeable Lenses Real cameras let you choose from a wide variety of lenses: Wide-angle for landscapes Telephoto for wildlife or sports Macro for extreme close-ups Prime lenses for ultra-sharp portraits Smartphones use digital zoom and fixed lenses, which limit creative control and quality. 3. Full Manual Control Cameras give you total control over: Shutter speed Aperture ISO Focus Smartphones have "pro modes," but they're not as intuitive or powerful for fine-tuning exposure or motion. 4. Superior Autofocus & Tracking Modern mirrorless cameras have advanced autofocu...

    I eat at First Watch because it feels like a compromise between indulgence and responsibility. The bright, clean atmosphere, the little carafe of fresh juice, the avocado toast with just the right sprinkle of salt—it all screams "health-conscious adult," even if I'm secretly here for the million-dollar bacon and a stack of pancakes the size of a hubcap. I tell myself it's not junk food because everything comes with a sprig of parsley or a wedge of lemon, and they call things "power bowls" instead of “bowls of cheese with some kale for decoration.” I rationalize the giant skillet of potatoes by reminding myself it's brunch, not lunch, and that "brunch" has magical loophole energy. The menu has words like “antioxidant,” “organic,” and “superfood,” which must mean I’m doing something right—even if my fork keeps drifting back to the chocolate chip pancake I said I’d just “taste.” So, no, I’m not eating junk food. I’m nourishing myself—with arti...