May minutiae
File May under “fail.” I don’t even wanna talk about it. Exercise: Apart from one trip to the gym, the only exercise I got during the entire month was a byproduct of playing ten...
Category: Suburban warrior
To catch a fish
I was beginning to wish we’d never seen the fish. I wished that the sun had set, dirty faces have been washed, and I was drinking a cold one on the back porch. I...
Dos es uno
I’ll be honest. By the time the boy we call Dos came into the world, I’d forgotten a lot about what it took to be the parent of an infant or toddler. I’d forgotten...
I was so much older then…
We live in a house that is probably just big enough for two adults, two children, and a 13 pound dog. I sometimes look at it and think of the homestead as Mr. Creosote:...
April minutiae
It’s hard to know for sure, because I’ve had about an hour and half sleep and am looking at the spreadsheet while my baby rocks around the room at 5am (we’ve been up since...
The peanut butter conundrum
I was in my mid-teens before I realized that most people did not put peanut butter on their pancakes. Or waffles. Or French toast. This fact, mundane as it may seem, was eventually cause...
The Irrational Machine
Every weekday morning at 7:30am on the nose, John Smith (not his real name) gets up from the same spot on his bed. He showers with a clean wash cloth, washes under the same...
Sinner and a sinner’s son
I never can remember whether I’m sinning in South Carolina. The target for sin is one that moves and not in a way you’d expect. You’re more apt to run right into the bullseye...
Things you should read
I’m often inspired by my friends. In the past week, two people I’m proud to call buddies have written some very personal stories. At first I wondered if I was so touched by both...
Purge and discuss
Last night I sat out back with the wife drinking Cadillac margaritas and deconstructing our life heretofore. Over three hours and a couple of drinks, we talked family, addiction, and the future. With about...
March minutiae
And in March, he rested. My friend Blood and I have a lot of discussions about discipline. He’s probably the most disciplined person I know. He can work out with a hangover, stick to...
Belief
Moments ago, my wife and I were having a discussion about cleaning products. Since we’ve had kids, my wife’s idea of a household cleaner is vinegar mixed with water. Or, if it’s a really...
Fight, postscript
Around this time yesterday, I started thinking about Jamie Gardner. After nearly three decades, I’d doubled back on some fairly impressive memories from my childhood. My mind tripped and stumbled over all of the...
Fight
Jamie Gardner was the type of guy who could kill you with his hands if he didn’t scare you to death with his eyes. He wasn’t huge, but he was an elastic bundle of...