An Open Letter to the Person(s) Who Broke Into My Car & Stole From Me
June 12, 2026
Dear Person Who Stole From Me: Hi, I’m Ryan. You don’t know me – but you climbed into a black 2012 Hyundai Elantra parked out
My Thoughts
What I'm Thinking About
I write about marketing, branding, business strategy, artificial intelligence, the things happening in life that matter to me, television worth watching, and whatever else I can't stop thinking about long enough to not write down.
Grief, Sweetsies, and the Ice Cream That Makes the World Go Away
June 4, 2026
I’ve been to far too many funerals in the last couple of years. For most of us who grew up in Western Maryland, we eat
Can Hagerstown Support a Rage Room? I Ran The Numbers. It’s Complicated.
April 6, 2026
There I was. It was Thursday, March 19, 2026. About five thirty in the afternoon. Hub City Vinyl, 28 East Baltimore Street, downtown Hagerstown. The
The Slow Collapse of the Hagerstown Premium Outlets
March 30, 2026
Investigative Analysis: How Interstate Geography, Corporate Cannibalization, E-Commerce, and Regional Economics Are Dismantling Washington County’s Once-Thriving Retail Crown Jewel Hagerstown Premium Outlets’ 30-Second Story Drive
Senior Living Is Built on Relationships. So Why Does It Keep Losing Them?
March 20, 2026
In the intelligence community, CIA case officers file a Contact Report after every interaction in the field. The practice dates back to the OSS during
Why I Became A Hospice Volunteer (at 39)
March 16, 2026
My mother-in-law, Leslie, was enjoying a perfectly normal Saturday in May. I remember the date: May 11, 2024 – the day before Mother’s Day. Leslie
YO – I GOT A QUESTION! Is it PET SMART or PET’S MART?
March 11, 2026
I’ve had THAT SONG stuck in my head for three days. “IS IT PET SMART? OR PET’S MART? ARE YOU SAYING THAT PETS ARE SMART?
I Was Stranded on I-70 in the DarK. A Stranger Named Jon Drove Me to My Wife.
March 8, 2026
This story is a true story about the last Friday in February 2026. Here’s the scene: It’s 3:46 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27. I’m driving on
A Senior Living Sales Director Asked Me for a Google Review at a Networking Event – WTF?
March 6, 2026
Picture this: You’re attending a networking event at a nice senior living community in February 2026. Mid-event, the sales director approaches you, shoves a tablet
Cicchelli’s Italian Market, Hagerstown: A Family That Understands What It Means to Care About People
March 2, 2026
A story about pizza, hoagies, grief, meatballs, and memory – and a Hagerstown family where feeding you and taking care of you have always been
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