My youngest son and I tried wake surfing for the first time last week. Despite all the helpful advice I kept shouting at him from the boat like “Try sinking less quickly!” and “You probably need more sunscreen!”, he just couldn’t get up. But the more he failed, the more impressed I became with his… Continue reading Trying, Still
This is a picture of Sentry 2018, or “S18” for short. She’s a spirited young araneus cavaticus that guards my back fence. We just met today. She inherited this position from her mother, S17, who used to welcome me into her home every time I mowed the lawn last summer. Sweet lady. I can sometimes… Continue reading Will Work for Food
There’s a small scar above my left eye, a keepsake from the time my sister and I tried to dig our way to China. I don’t remember the exact thought process that led to this bold venture, but since I was 5 and she was 13, I’m sure our reasoning was perfectly sound. I’m also… Continue reading Whole
Let me explain. My 19-year-old son sent a family text last Sunday night confirming our weekly video call. He’d been working on a project all day at A.S.U. but was getting ready to walk back to his apartment so he could join us online at 9pm. Less than 30-minutes later, I was on the phone… Continue reading This Holiday Season, I’m Grateful for a Candy Bar
I’m terrible at a lot of things, but especially at baseball. I know this because my Little League coach told me so when I was eleven. I was, perhaps, a bit pudgy and uncoordinated for my age, so things like throwing and catching and running were embarrassingly problematic. Still, I showed up to every practice… Continue reading Not Everyone Deserves a Trophy
Well, it’s done. I dropped my firstborn son off at college. In another town. In another state. 1500 miles away from “home.” And it didn’t go anything like I’d imagined. My wife and I flew down to Phoenix with him a week before classes started so we could get him settled into his dorm and… Continue reading Courageously Onward
I recently learned about the passing of a kid I knew from high school. Odd duck. He used to sit in the bathroom stall and chuck tissues over the door while making bird noises. That was almost 25 years ago. The obituary talked about his jobs, hobbies, friendships, and the loved ones he left behind.… Continue reading Odd Duck, Like Me
I’m rich. Yes, this came as a big surprise to me, too. I always thought I’d notice if anything like this ever happened because I’d start wearing a monocle and would be able to afford luxuries like cufflinks and name-brand cereal. Instead, I read the news in a rejection letter for a government loan that… Continue reading My Best Long-Term Investments
Eating My Way to the Top 