Here’s my collection of short stories, ramblings and thoughts.
Your personal look into my mind in the form of writing.
Just a Tale or True History?: A Little Known Legend of Alton, IL Haunted Past
Back in 1842, a two-story tavern sat on a rough patch of land where the Piasa Masonic Lodge now stands, near State and 3rd Street, just a couple blocks from Alton’s riverfront. It wasn’t much to look at, a squat wooden building with a slanted roof and a few narrow windows that barely let in…
The Three Types of Friends: for a Reason, a Season, and the Rare Friend for Life
Understanding these types isn’t just about sorting your social Rolodex. It’s about setting expectations to avoid the sting of misplaced loyalty.
Prepping List for a Family of Five: 30-Day Emergency Supply with Costs and Storage
This list provides essential supplies for a family of five to survive at least one month without outside help during most disasters. It includes approximate costs and storage methods for critical items
The Name “Gary”: Fading Fast and Gloriously Weird
There’s a unique mystery to the name Gary, a moniker that’s equal parts noble spear-carrier and doomed sidekick, a wildcard that fates its bearers to be heroes, weirdos, or just there.
The Fire Within: Why I Write
Let curiosity draw you in, for within these words lies a vision of freedom, resilience, and faith worth exploring. Read on, not only to understand me, but to discover something vital about yourself, a fire waiting to grow.
From Happy Hours to Movie Nights: The Social Change of Couples
The reality of aging, with its growing web of obligations and shifting priorities, has changed how we engage socially. I suspect many of you, nestled in similar chapters of life, feel this too, as responsibilities anchor us more firmly to home and family.
Blue Origin’s Celebrity Stunt: A Farce Today, Inevitable Tomorrow
Katy Perry and company aren’t outliers; they’re the first wave, following passengers like Michael Strahan and even Shatner, who’ve turned suborbital hops into status symbols. But markets don’t stay elite forever.
The Legendary Piasa Bird: A Tale Woven into the Fabric of Greater Alton, IL
Its name, derived from the Illiniwek language meaning “the bird that devours men,” evokes a chilling yet fascinating narrative that has left an indelible mark on the region’s history, culture, and identity.
The Ghibli-fication of the Internet: A Whimsical Takeover
OpenAI’s latest update to its GPT-4o model, unveiled on March 25, 2025, introduced a native image generation feature that has sparked a cultural phenomenon: the Ghibli-style meme explosion.
An Ode to Alton, IL: A Hidden Gem Along the Mississippi River
Nestled amid limestone bluffs and the confluence of three great rivers, the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri, Alton is a treasure trove of stories, natural beauty, and unexpected delights.
From Naive Soldier to Skeptical Veteran: A Reality Check
The real world didn’t match the script I’d been handed. It wasn’t good guys versus bad guys, us versus them. It was muddled, messy, and a lot less righteous than I’d thought. I started reading, digging into the news, finding others online like me and talking to people who saw things differently.
Bugs Bunny: The Carrot-Chomping King of Karma
What if Bugs is secretly a trickster spirit, the kind of sneaky force that keeps good and evil in check? He’s not just here to make us laugh, he’s dishing out lessons, especially to the jerks who deserve a reality check, all with a grin and a “What’s up, Doc?”
The Case for Nighttime Showers: Cleaner, Calmer, More Efficient
I’m here to make the case for nighttime showers, specifically right after a long day of accumulating dirt, sweat, and who knows what else. It’s not just about personal preference, it’s about practicality, cleanliness, and even a little romance.
Bitcoin for Beginners: How To Easily Start Investing Today
If you’re considering dipping your toes into this digital goldmine, here’s why it’s worth your attention and how you can get started.
A Night Among the Dead: The Hidden Truth About Hotel Deaths
If you stay in hotels regularly, odds are you’ve unknowingly spent a night under the same roof as a recently deceased guest. Sweet dreams.
The Call to Adventure: Why Young Men Must Chase the Unknown
It’s an urge that has sent countless men into the unknown, across oceans, into the wild, onto battlefields, and through the trials that forge character.
Channel Surfing in the Digital Age: How Social Media Revived a Lost Habit
That experience, that act of endlessly flipping through channels, has not disappeared, it has evolved. Today, instead of pressing “Channel Up” on the remote, we swipe up on our screens.
The Midnight Glow: 80s and 90s Kids Waking Up on That Couch
The television was the only thing still awake in the house, a beacon of grainy late-night programming and weirdly mesmerizing infomercials. There was an odd comfort in the fact that someone, somewhere, was still talking.
The Hidden Joys of Just Staying Home
What if we truly embraced the joy of staying home and actually appreciating what we’ve built? What if we redirected our time and effort toward the things that actually matter?
Binge-Watching Cops and the Accidental Sociology Degree
It’s the kind of late-night programming that makes you feel, by comparison, like a responsible and thriving member of society. But after bingeing it for weeks, I’ve come to realize something: Cops is basically an unsanctioned, unintentional crash course in human behavior.
On Aging: Realizing What You’ll Never Be
One day, you wake up and realize that certain dreams have slipped through your fingers, not because you stopped believing, but because time itself closed the door.
Gary W. Phipps II 