Rapid Eye Reality’s 2009 superlatives
In 2009, my wife gave me another son. She gave me room to be me. She gave me encouragement like no one else could. In 2009, my oldest son looked at me in a...
Yearly Archive: 2009
Being us on Christmas
The other day as we sat beneath stockings and in the glow of a perfectly-lit North Carolina pine, my son asked, “Dad, can we celebrate Hanukkah sometime?” This is where my son’s experience is...
Slower down the mountain
Several years ago, I was somewhere in Colorado (more than likely Copper or Breckenridge) and standing at the bottom of a run with several friends. We stood in the mountain air and worked on...
Otis Resolved 2010
Last year at this time, I posted a sort of peremptory list of resolutions for the coming year. The way I see it, the top of the year is full of people resolving to...
People who died
I did something odd last night. I was doing it before I even knew why. I’m still not sure I have a decent grasp on my motivation. A guy who went to my high...
Charity Worley: One year gone
One year ago, Linda Casey walked out of her house on a cold morning and found her daughter dead. She made a phone call that was eventually broadcast to the tri-state area by a...
A day with my boy
I just spent ten days pretending I’m a lot younger than I am and acting generally selfish. It was, as you might expect, a damned good time (with the exception of that time it...
Fellas, I’m ready to get up and do my thing
Thank you for your e-mail. I will be away from my desk until Monday, December 14. If your inquiry relates to my family, please forward your question to my wife. If it regards my...
Being Howie Mandel
An hour ago, I walked into a convenience store and bought a diet Dr. Pepper and a Gatorade. I filled the tank with gas, put a little air in the back tire, and got...
Six Weeks of Crazy nears its crazy end
The following isn’t so much interesting as it is an excuse for why I’ve been away so much recently. About five weeks ago, I started using the phrase “Six Weeks of Crazy” to describe...
Slammed
Five of us sat around a small table in Playa Conchal, Costa Rica drinking Imperial beer and chatting about our lives. A nearby disco played bad music for a few dancers. A few yards...
John Ludwig: Sometimes it’s too easy
I’m not one to toot my own horn unless the horn is so tootable that even the most humble of prognosticators couldn’t help but keep his lips off the mouthpiece. Here’s what I wrote...
Last kiss
Anna Lea worked in a doctor’s office and was sure the way those women screamed in pain was all put on, a desperate cry for attention from a pregnant woman. Grasping the idea of...
Part of growing up
“It’s Wolverine, Dad. X-Men,” he said when he’d turned on the TV. The look on his face let me know that this was not a show his mom would let him watch. The boy...