14May

The night 2 pro baseball Mikes bought me a beer, with a priest’s blessing, when I was 14

A bronze statue of former Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt is outside Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies MLB team.

Because Mike Schmidt struck out on an even-numbered minute in the Astrodome 50 years ago today, I got to drink a free beer.

21Apr

Wait, 1986 was 40 years ago? It was definitely an eventful year for me

Schuyler, Virginia - April 24, 2025: Original Earl Hamner home in Schuyler, VA which the television show The Waltons was based on.

There was a lot going on in my first year as a full-time newspaper reporter.

12Apr

It was a nickname I never asked for or earned, and one day it had to go away

Photo of the Pulitzer Prizes homepage on a monitor screen through a magnifying glass.

It was flattering to be called “Pulitzer” when I ordered a sandwich or pizza, but there came a time when that had to end.

04Apr

I asked for a café au lait, and I was tickled by what I got in return

An up-close view of a small Dutch Bros Coffee drive-thru with windmill branding and busy cars highlights modern coffee culture and everyday routines in Oregon.

My favorite coffee story here in the Pacific Northwest is still about my first time at a drive-thru in Oregon.

02Apr

Sometimes you look up at just the right time and see a rocket launch

A zoomed-in view of a map of Florida shows a red line between Melching Field at Conrad Park and Cape Canaveral to its southeast.

I went to a baseball game and a rocket launch happened. I couldn’t sleep last night so I wrote about it for you.

23Jan

Shh, not now, please. I’m trying to watch the credits

End credits on a movie screen in front of rows of red seats in a cinema.

Last night I found myself in tears during the climactic scene of motion picture I’ve seen several times. That’s when I decided to write this.

06Jan

Normal sometimes shows up when you least expect it

A closeup view of a map shows Normal (Illinois) as the focus of the illustration.

Normal is a place I visited a long time ago. Circumstances conspired last night for me to revisit it in memory.

28Nov

The new Merriam-Webster dictionary has me remembering the kind Sue Brooks and her thoughtfulness

A big red 12th edition Merriam-Webster hardcover dictionary is on display in an apartment on a small bookshelf, with a tea mug on top of it that says Member of the Editors Tea Club.

This new dictionary has me thinking a lot about Sue and Jack Brooks and their children: Susan, Marilyn, Alison and John.

04Jul

Mets-Braves, Rick Camp, dinner and a movie: ‘Back to the Future’

“Back to the Future” opened July 3, 1985. On July 4, Mets-Braves went 19 innings. Rain helped me see the movie and the best parts of the game.

05Apr

Is that all there is? Yes, and no. Here’s one of countless unexplainable moments in my life

Jon Hamm as Don Draper sits at the counter in a diner in 1970 in a 2015 episode titled "Severance." Photo courtesy of AMC

Don Draper, Peggy Lee, Dad and me and how a song reappeared in my life 10 years ago. And reappeared again.

CarlyJDubois.com

Tag: memories

The night 2 pro baseball Mikes bought me a beer, with a priest’s blessing, when I was 14

Wait, 1986 was 40 years ago? It was definitely an eventful year for me

It was a nickname I never asked for or earned, and one day it had to go away

I asked for a café au lait, and I was tickled by what I got in return

Sometimes you look up at just the right time and see a rocket launch

Shh, not now, please. I’m trying to watch the credits

Normal sometimes shows up when you least expect it

The new Merriam-Webster dictionary has me remembering the kind Sue Brooks and her thoughtfulness

Mets-Braves, Rick Camp, dinner and a movie: ‘Back to the Future’

Is that all there is? Yes, and no. Here’s one of countless unexplainable moments in my life