Hello, My Name is Kevin Schwarm
A free spirit's take on work, life, travel, & consumerism

I volunteer at a local hospital in the area, working a four-hour shift each week. I work in Guest Services, which means I'm behind the counter at one of the two hospital entrances, greeting guests and patients. Essentially, we deliver flowers to patients, push certain patients and guests in wheelchairs, and direct or walk visitors to the right areas. From my perspective, it’s only four hours per week, but if you do it for several years, you get a good idea of how the organiza

I reached out to a former friend whom I knew at the university. Dave and I decided to meet for coffee at a central location to catch up. He currently lives in rural Wisconsin. It had been over 40 years, so I was somewhat hesitant about how our meeting would go. Years ago, Dave was young and impressionable, but he typically analyzed things from a fresh and objective perspective. Here’s the conversation. I walk into the café and notice a semi-recognizable person in the corner,

Since 2010, six teams with losing records (but division winners) have hosted playoff games. In each of these situations, these six teams faced opponents with better regular-season records. You see, according to the NFL, each division winner is guaranteed a first-round home playoff game regardless of their opponent's record.   This unfair competitive imbalance in the NFL will occur again this year. The Carolina Panthers won the very weak NFC South with an 8-9 record. Therefore

Is there something wrong with my reading glasses? I just read that Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former Honduran leader. Last year, Hernandez was sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking and weapons charges. According to prosecutors, Mr. Hernandez was involved in an illegal organization that lasted many years and brought more than 1 million pounds of cocaine into the US.  At the time, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor had called the drug prosecution

Recently, some in the mainstream media have said the situation involving Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump may be referred to as the "Epstein files" controversy. Regarding this controversy, I've included just a brief refresher of the high-level news reports from 2025. A quiz is included to outline the types of questions a critical thinker may have about this controversy. As a reminder, this quiz is presented in a satirical manner. Remember, no one fights so hard to keep someth

You don't get a Peace Prize while turning the National Guard into a political weapon.  You don't get a Peace Prize by waging war on American cities. You don't get a Peace Prize by blowing up boats in the Caribbean. You don't get a Peace Prize by threatening Canada and Greenland with annexation. You don't get a Peace Prize by attacking Iran. You don't get a Peace Prize by having ICE harass US citizens in our city  streets. You don't get a Peace Prize by turning the National Gu

As readers of this article may know, Tom Brady, the winningest QB in NFL history, is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2022,...

This article describes how my musical influences have changed over the years.

Several weeks ago, President Trump ordered approximately 800 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., to combat crime. This is the...

Love him or hate him, this satirical Trump quiz provides a fascinating look at Trump and his two administrations. My goal is to provide some humor and information about the man and his governance. It's not meant to be offensive; it's just a humorous way of looking at our controversial US President.

As an American, Israel’s Current Government is Not my Friend

This was the first in-person meeting of a new book club organized through our local library. The initial book to review was "Water for...

Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson recently wrote a book called Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous...

I've enclosed an article about playing basketball in my backyard as a kid. This will be one chapter in my forthcoming memoir about my...

At our local civic center, I listened in on a debate and discussion on what Elon Musk is doing to our government, in the hopes of making...

Most people stubbornly hold onto their own political views, these are rarely subject to change. Therefore, don't talk politics with anyone.

Has the Ship Sailed in Ukraine?

At the conference on Friday, February 14 (Munich, Germany), Vice President J.D. Vance launched what  The Guardian’s  Patrick Wintour...

In this latest post, Walkin' Willie and I hike around while discussing the ICE raids, the Proud Boys, the plane crash in Washington, and...

Guests Behaving Badly. A short article illustrates how some guests don't behave as you expect them to.