Rebuilding Rob

  • Rob‘s March madness bracket update – Sweet 16 edition, day 1

    Rob‘s March madness bracket update – Sweet 16 edition, day 1

    My 2026 March Madness bracket is officially in shambles after an 0-for-4 start to the Sweet 16. From Iowa’s comeback over Nebraska to Purdue’s 79-77 nail-biter against Texas, I’m breaking down the Day 1 scores and analyzing where my picks went wrong. See how Arizona’s 109-point blowout and Illinois’ defensive…

  • The 40th Birthday Bass: Restringing the Potential

    The 40th Birthday Bass: Restringing the Potential

    Thinking about picking up an old hobby? From a 40th birthday bass guitar gift to mastering “Blitzkrieg Bop” on Rocksmith, I’m looking at why it’s time to finally restring and play again.

  • The “Crying Word” Effect

    The “Crying Word” Effect

    NPR’s recent look at the word “gaslighting” highlights a growing problem in our lexicon: the watering down of heavy-hitting language. As an English teacher, I explore the “Crying Word” effect—how misusing terms like “gaslighting,” “bullying,” and “narcissism” minimizes the impact of genuine trauma and devalues the precision of our speech.

  • Digital Body Language: Closing the Context Gap

    Digital Body Language: Closing the Context Gap

    From a “hoity-toity language guy” to an emoji convert—explore why text messages often fail us and how “digital body language” bridges the context gap. Whether it’s a Starfleet-style “Understood” or a Gen Z thumbs-up, find out why emojis might be our modern-day hieroglyphics—and why that might actually be a good…

  • Rob Reviews: Daredevil: Born Again, season 2 episode 1 “The Northern Star”

    Rob Reviews: Daredevil: Born Again, season 2 episode 1 “The Northern Star”

    The “dance” between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk reaches a fever pitch in the Season 2 premiere of Daredevil: Born Again. From the high-stakes sinking of the “Northern Star” to the terrifying rise of Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force, the battle for New York has moved from the shadows of Hell’s…

  • The Story So Far: A Letter to the Man on the Porch

    The Story So Far: A Letter to the Man on the Porch

    “The Story So Far: A Letter to the Man on the Porch.” As I approach 1,000 consecutive days of blogging, I’m looking back 14 years to where it all began. This is the letter I’d send my younger self about divorce, fatherhood, and finding the audacity of potential in solitude.

  • The Academy is Closing (And I’m Worried About the Fleet)

    The Academy is Closing (And I’m Worried About the Fleet)

    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has been canceled after Season 2. Are we facing another decade-long “dry spell” for the franchise? Rob dives into the business behind the move and why fans need to stop keeping Trek “in the box.”

  • The 25th Hour: What if the World Just Stopped?

    The 25th Hour: What if the World Just Stopped?

    What if you had a 25th hour in a world that stood still? Exploring the “Time Stone” perspective on life, this post dives into the relief of dropping the “teacher armor,” the journey of a 930+ day blogging streak, and the simple freedom found in a frozen suburban morning.

  • Rob’s March Madness Day 4 Results – 2026 edition

    Rob’s March Madness Day 4 Results – 2026 edition

    Rob breaks down Day 4 of the 2026 March Madness Tournament. From St. John’s historic Sweet 16 return to Iowa’s massive upset over #1 seed Florida, see the analysis of a 5-3 Sunday performance as the Sweet 16 is set.

  • Preserving the legacy

    Preserving the legacy

    If 14 years of writing vanished tomorrow, what would you save? Rob reflects on the three pivotal blog posts that define the “Rebuilding Rob” journey—from the very first step to the philosophy of being “strong enough to be gentle”—as he closes in on a major 1,000-day milestone.