After Hours Articles

Tim Toterhi, CHRO
(Toe-Ter-Rye)
Tim is the author of four novels and a collection of short stories. He approaches his writing the way he approaches his life…with a playful smile and an eyebrow up.
Songs to Come
It’s March and the AC is already gently rocking drawn shades and haphazardly hung pictures throughout our home. The heat was on two weeks ago, but it 85 degrees today. Not madness for the south, but an eccentric bit of weather to be sure. It’s baby bedtime and I’m...
How to Manage a Quarter Life Crisis
John Mayer may have masterfully set the experience to music, but the Quarter Life Crisis (QLC) is nothing new. It’s been around since 25 stopped being an optimistic marker for one’s human halftime report. It’s easy to know when you’re in the midst of one. You’re...
The Narrator
He’s always been there whispering to my subconscious. It’s not a crazy thing. We all have one, that voice you hear in moments of doubt. He can be helpful under the right circumstances, telling you to take the job, kiss the girl, or cross the street when a band of...
Have a little fun. Check out my novels.
Beware the Red Pen
Dear Editor, Thanks for your notes. I understand you’d like the book to demonstrate more “inclusiveness”, so I’ve taken your suggestions. All characters are now gay, except for Gianna who is bisexual and Vinny who is questioning his non-binary, gender fluidity. I...
America is Tough to Shop for….
It’s hard to birthday shop for America. What do you get the country that has everything? Purple skies, mountain majesties, amber waves of grain? Nope, all taken. It even has two shining seas. Come on! Then it hit me. I could invent a free market system to end all isms...
The No Bull Commencement Address
I’ve never been asked to give a college commencement speech. Admittedly, this makes sense. Though a successful person by some measures, I’m not a movie star or professional athlete. I’m not a social justice warrior who identifies as a fruit bat. I didn’t transform a...
The Worst Wingman
Never ask your married friends for dating advice. We know nothing. Just because we managed to convince another human to say “I do” does not mean we have any romantic superpowers. We don’t. Seriously…not a one. This is especially true for guys. Despite our euphemistic...
Assumptions
The story begins in the middle like stories should, but not the middle of a car chase or fight scene. This one begins in the middle of a conversation.... a sentence actually. I believe her exact words were, “...he’s just…well, better.” I didn’t get the beginning. I...
Immigration is Climate Change
I’ve always been a peacemaker. A lifetime of personal unease has taught me to value security and appreciate a sense of quiet calm. While I love a robust intellectual debate, I detest bullies, bravado, and the emotional injuries that come from interpersonal conflict....