-
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:…
-
TIME OUT! Social media is the place we go when we want to see what’s up, what’s new, and what’s next in the lives of our friends and family. It’s where we find out what Aunt Brenda ate for dinner last Tuesday. Instagram photos show you unique places with amazing people, many of whom you…
-
For a brief moment I wanted to lash out, to overreact and attack a friend, all because I didn’t have enough information to make a solid decision. It took me a few days to digest what happened, not because I needed space but a break. I needed to step away and come back with fresh…
-
In case anyone was wondering, no. Life isn’t fair. Not that I think it should be. But let me tell you something. If ever there was a time that I was feeling slighted and cheated for my education, experience, and ability to create and draft a story, it would be right now. I’m a storyteller…
-
“What happens when they find out?” The board sat, waiting for the Chief Executive Officer, Donald Gershot, to reply. “Are you referring to Emulsion’s pay scale? The minimum wage in Missouri is $7.25 an hour. Isn’t it? We’re paying them above poverty levels for Missouri, correct?” Looking around the table, Donald waited to see if…
-
“ALL ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC IS SATANIC!” Me and my friends laughed at him. Well, they did. I was a bit too scared to laugh, as my Dad was a local Southern Baptist church pastor. But in Dublin, California, we didn’t call it Southern Baptist. We moved from Arkansas in the spring of 1980. My…
-
Chirping. A constant, not altogether unfamiliar chirping sound. Eyes half opened, having laid down to get some sleep minutes earlier, the sound was less aggravating and more irritating. Like nails on a chalkboard, Brad reached for the bedside table, searching for the annoyance to silence it. Permanently. Finding the cordless phone, he considered shutting it…
-
Officer Keyes sat in his patrol car, the door slightly ajar, his left foot dangling, trying to put together pieces of what exactly happened to Kyle Patterson. The EMTs were saying heart attack. The young men who caused all the excitement bailed before Beaverton Police arrived on the scene, and Patterson had a coronary event.…
-
Nolan came into McMinimin’s, looking for his favorite bartender, Caitlin, a good old-fashioned Irish girl with ginger hair, a pale complexion accented with freckles, and a few piercings in her left ear. A stranger stood behind the bar, a big man, balding, with a slight hint of a mustache that looked like he’d be attempting…
-
Walking through the door of McMinimin’s, Nolan scanned the pub’s interior, looking for a familiar face. It was a bar known by most Portland locals for its locally brewed beers. Even some unfamiliar with the other southwest watering holes knew of McMinimin’s. Nolan came to the bar after work, knowing the next 78 Tri-Met bus…
Stories. Enjoy!
