What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?
I would have to say my hard years have been almost every year since I graduated from high school financially is always been up and down, but I would say since 2013 in my separation force have been more something you would describe as hard years because I’ve just been primarily alone and now that my son is 21 and married married and out of my house, I am 100% on my own.
Dwain Northey (Gen X)
Across the nation, from the steps of the Capitol to the smallest town squares, over seven million Americans took to the streets in the historic “No Kings” rallies, a movement defined not by anger or destruction, but by an unwavering belief in democracy itself. The marches—peaceful, orderly, and inclusive—spanned generations and political backgrounds. Teachers stood beside veterans, parents pushed strollers, and students carried handmade signs echoing the sentiment that birthed a nation: “We will not be ruled by kings.”
Despite the movement’s nonviolent discipline—its organizers emphasizing peace in every statement and its participants leaving parks cleaner than they found them—the Trump administration and its echo chambers at Fox News predictably cast the protests as “anti-American” and “dangerous.” In the alternate reality of MAGA media, democracy itself has become an act of rebellion, and dissent is labeled as treason.
Within hours, headlines began to twist: “Radical Left Mobs Disrupt American Life,” “Protests Threaten National Security,” “Patriots Under Attack.” Cameras zoomed in on the rare outlier moment of a single shouting protester, looping it endlessly to feed a narrative of chaos. What Fox ignored were the thousands of moments of grace—the quiet songs sung in unison, the police officers shaking hands with marchers, the speeches quoting the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
The irony, of course, is painful. The “No Kings” rallies are perhaps the most American thing that could happen in this moment: a people standing up against the creeping notion of one man above the law, one voice above the many. The Founders themselves would recognize these crowds not as rebels, but as heirs to their cause.
But in Trump’s America, patriotism has been redefined—not as love of country, but as loyalty to a man. To challenge him, to question his authority, to say aloud that America belongs to all its citizens, not to a single gilded ego, is to be branded an enemy. And so, seven million peaceful Americans are slandered as violent, anti-American, and dangerous—when in truth, they are the living proof that democracy still breathes, still fights, and still refuses to bow to any would-be king.
Describe your most memorable vacation.
Family vacation with my X-wife’s family in 2003… actually got to relax go parasailing, scuba diving and go to a luau . This was memorable before my son and was stress free. Haven’t been on an actual relaxing vacation since then, haven’t taken more than two days in a row off in more than 15 years.
What’s your definition of romantic?
Being “Romantic” is a means of expressing or performing actions in the hopes of eliciting an emotional response that will result in a pleasurable physical reaction.
Hate to break it down to a purely psycho-social action.
What are you most worried about for the future?
Tomorrow is never promised and I can only hope that prepared my son be happy and fulfilled. Once we step through that curtain to whatever lies beyond we can only hope that what we leave behind does more good than harm.
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
OMG if I could definitively answer that question I would write a book and make millions. This question absolutely cannot be answered and have that answer fit every person everywhere. All I can say is good luck wrestling with this query.
Who do you spend the most time with?
99.9% of the time I am by myself unless you want to count the dog as a person .
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
Is this a witness protection inquiry? I can think of a reason I would want to change my name l, I have had it for 57 years and I am pretty comfortable with it. Could I change my name to Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos for 24 to 48 hours and have access to their  obscene wealth in order to siphon off a couple million that they would never miss? Maybe that would be a temporary option . 🤣🤣
Describe your dream chocolate bar.
This feels like a really obscure thought experiment. I don’t view myself as Willy Wonka so I never concocted the chocolate treat of my dreams. Personally I don’t like really sweet things and when I think of chocolate I like the Mexican chocolate that has some kind of chili that is infused into the coco … don’t know if there is mole candy bar… for all of those that don’t know what a mole is , Mole comes from a family of sauces prepared throughout the Oaxaca and Puebla regions of Mexico and is characterized by a complex, layered flavor derived from intricate blends of dried chiles, spices, fruits, and seasonings many mole’s contain chocolate.
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
Being a Gen X kid we played outside a lot and wasn’t a big reader until high school. When my family moved to Germany, I was an angry angst teenager and read every Stephen King novel to date in 1983 and a lot of Dean Koon novels so I would say I was dark and moody and red a lot of horror fiction as in high school so I would say those were my favorite as a youth .
Esoteric Meandering Shouting Into the Void 
You must be logged in to post a comment.