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New to Five Minute Observations? Welcome. I’m Joe Class III, and I write stories and essays about what I notice, the encounters that reveal something true, and the moments that stick with you after they’re gone. If you’re just getting started, these three pieces will give you a sense of what this space is about:…
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High school is where teenagers get to learn what life is like. You’ve got all the makings of a John Hughes movie. Every cliché. All the stereotypes. Kids who enjoy smoking marijuana. Bookworms, nerds, and geeks who love playing Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and reading about fantasy worlds, the likes of which J.R.R. Tolkien…
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I’ve said it before, so let me repeat myself. I am NOT a conspiracy theorist. But if I were, how would I explain how I’ve seen more than eight Cheetos trucks driving north on I-55. My first thought was I’m imagining this. If that were true, how would you explain me driving south I-55 when…
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“What do you mean?” His tone was less than friendly, which was saying something. He chewed on the end of an unlit cigar. “You are telling me someone got away with your truck?” Snapping his fingers, “Just like that? Please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me you are kidding?” “Um, yeah.…
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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana, philosopher When we’re kids I don’t think we stop to think about the consequences of our actions. That’s not true. I’m confident we don’t give it a second thought. Why would we? We’re kids! We are supposed to be having fun, playing,…
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Slower than molasses on a frosty morning, the residents proceeded to the cafeteria. The six of them, Genny, Travis, Frank, Mark, Tony, and Isabell, shuffled down the hallway, still rubbing sleep from their eyes. Travis and Tony wore athletic shorts, sandals with socks, and t-shirts. Tony had the Def Leppard shirt, and Travis wore one…
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Carnivals. Fairgrounds. Smells of cotton candy, that sticky, sweet, sugary smell mixed with fresh popcorn, caramel apples, hot dogs, funnel cakes, and the nearly burned smell of oil that all kinds of deep-fried food are dunked into. If you think those smells are bad, stick around for a few days. After a few days, the…
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Echoing through my head, the words, ‘Stop being judgemental!’ felt like a neon sign on the Las Vegas strip blinking violently at me. Being cut off in traffic, I let more than a few choice words leave my lips. As I’m writing this, I wonder, am I the judgemental one, in this instance? Am I…
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Fresh-cut grass. Damp, lush fields of green. Sunlight peeking out from behind the cloud, melting like a pat of butter on a hot grill. Sunday morning, June 21st, 1991, a little after 10 a.m., is when a torrent of rain hit the small carnival in Beaverton, Oregon. Me and the girl I had just met…
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On top of his Stussy bucket hat sat a stuffed black and white stuffed cow, which wasn’t an unusual sight. Not in Portland during the Rose Festival. Wearing jean shorts, white Reeboks, and a Camel t-shirt, his short almond-colored hair was barely noticeable under the hat. And, unless you got real close, you wouldn’t notice…
Stories. Enjoy!
