A Moment in the Fog
When I was 19 and commercial fishing in Alaska, I fell in love with a girl. For 15-seconds. It was 3am and within the brief window of...
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This is a space for reflective medicine. This means accounts of adventures, insights, and epic blunders. It means confessions, contentions, and compassion. It means shared humanity and laughter. Thank you for reading!
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Feb 27
- 2 min
The Anger Parasite (an experiment)
Sometimes anger is a gem. Driving us to needed reactions. Setting boundaries. Shouting no! Demanding yes! A valuable power source. Often,...
1 view0 comments
Mateo Zytkoskee
- Feb 27
- 3 min
Used Car Shopping: Middle East Edition
We were being driven out past rubble heaps and old trailers that looked like they belonged in a nuclear test site. The guy driving us,...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Feb 27
- 2 min
International Barbers
I like barber shops because they tend to be old school with groups of dudes lounging around listening to music and bullshitting about...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Nov 1, 2022
- 2 min
A Bird to Remember
I'm biking to work when I pass a little dead bird on the polished granite tiles surrounding the front of the American University's...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Nov 1, 2022
- 1 min
Having Both
As I prepare a last-minute Halloween costume for a party in Dubai—I’m going as a guru, which feels beautifully absurd—I think about my...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Nov 1, 2022
- 3 min
Treasure Hunting!
I'm a treasure hunter. Which means--as I imagine is the case for 99.9% of treasure hunters--failure more often than feeling the shovel...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Sep 28, 2022
- 1 min
A Minute
Mind racing after work today. Getting from point A to point B on my bike as quickly as possible. Emails still to send. Kids to be fed....
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Sep 28, 2022
- 3 min
The Nesto HyperMart
I'm a fan of deals. I hunt them and take great pride in telling the tales of my bargain related exploits. Therefore, you should know...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Sep 18, 2022
- 1 min
Child's Pose
The call to prayer begins at 5am—not loud but definitely audible enough to nudge me out of my incredibly light sleep (an unfortunate...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Sep 18, 2022
- 2 min
Remains
The man's teaching contract was not renewed when he turned 70. A general rule here. He was angry about it. Wouldn't vacate his office,...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Aug 2, 2022
- 3 min
The Screamer
I'm in the middle of playing "The wheels on the bus" on my ukulele for two Argentinian toddlers while their grandmother helps me with the...
24 views0 comments
Mateo Zytkoskee
- Aug 2, 2022
- 1 min
The Unexpected Celebration
After a day packed with work and adulting beginning at 7am, I'm feeling a touch resentful as I make the 20 minute drive out to the local...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Aug 2, 2022
- 3 min
Moment of Defeat
A crowd of gangly pre-teens and tired looking parents watch as a boy—maybe 11 or 12—tries to coax himself onto a platform containing a...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Aug 2, 2022
- 4 min
Resiliency & Uncertainty
In my twenties, I worked a sketchy job with an old leathery man called Hollywood. No one would tell me how he earned this nickname, but...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Aug 2, 2022
- 2 min
Step Aside
One night when I was living in Dubai, a buddy and I were walking back to his car after an event in the heart of the city. The sidewalk...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Aug 2, 2022
- 3 min
Extras
I’ve developed an odd habit lately—though, who knows, maybe you do it too. I watch the extras in shows and movies. As in, the actor whose...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- Jun 28, 2022
- 2 min
Echoes
Up at 7am on a Sat morning. For no reason. After a 2am night. Echoes of the world bouncing around my brain. 24-hours earlier, my wife is...
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- May 10, 2022
- 5 min
Playing Doctor
It occurs to me in this moment what has changed, why the kids’ version of playing doctor is no longer driving me into the garage to cry alon
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Mateo Zytkoskee
- May 10, 2022
- 2 min
Surviving Cancer
The truth is also that I am deeply wounded and, I’ve come to see, will always be. Always. The question is, what am I going to do with these
8 views0 comments
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