I am Justin Tadlock.

I am also a writer. A front-end developer. A gardener. A small-town Alabama kid just trying to figure out whatever it is that that folks are supposed to figure out on this journey. Welcome to my little home on the web.

Over Twenty Years Together

November would’ve made 21 years. Smeagol was with me for over half my life, and pretty much my full adult life to this point. He was with me as I fell in and out of love who knows how many times over the years. He was with me as I … Continue reading →

Forty

I’d be lying if I said today was a great birthday. It may be one I won’t soon forget but for all the wrong reasons. It’ll likely go down as the worst one of my now-40 years after losing my father just a couple of weeks ago. His is the … Continue reading →

2024 Goals

A new year is here. And it’s time for new adventures and new experiences. But, first, I need to lay out my plans. As always, my goals are never entirely set in stone. Circumstances and events—basically, just life itself—will always change how the year unfolds. Because I cannot see into … Continue reading →

2023: A Year of Challenges

As has become my ritual, I’m spending December 31 reflecting on everything that happened throughout the year. Then, I’ll spend the night hunkered down with the kitties, safe from the pops and bangs at midnight. 2023 has most definitely been a challenging year. So challenging that I failed to write … Continue reading →

Five Years of Reading

Five years ago, on December 3, 2018, I made a decision. That decision was to make reading a habit. More specifically, I decided that I would read every single day for a year. Rain or shine. Sick or well. Two hours or 15 minutes. I would read from a book … Continue reading →

Goodbye, Twinkle

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,How I wonder what you are!Up above the world so high,Like a diamond in the sky… Those were the lyrics that my grandfather—Papa, as we call him—were teaching my then two-year-old niece. It was early 2020 or so. A tiny kitten, who had no name at the … Continue reading →

Thirty-nine

Thirty-nine is the new twenty-nine, right? Right? …? That was the age that Grandma Tadlock always gave whenever I’d ask how old she was—she was forever 29. I suppose I could just stay the same age no matter how many years I’ve racked up. So, I’m entering the final year … Continue reading →

2023 Goals

Today was my third New Year’s Day in my new home. Well, it’s hardly a “new” home at this point. Or, maybe it is. Technically, I’ve been here for just over two years, but I have yet to finish unpacking. How about we compromise and call it newish? So, today … Continue reading →

2022: Year in Review

It seems that nearly every time I’ve sat down to write here on the ol’ blog in the last couple of months, something has gotten in the way. I have untouched ideas and unfinished drafts that I hope to get to at some point. But, it has been a busy … Continue reading →