The thing about having a daily deadline to write is that I can only procrastinate for so long. Tonight, I pushed the limit to 9:37 pm, and with 30-45 minutes of writing time and 20 minutes of editing, that’ll put me right at 11 pm. Operating outside my comfort zone is how I prefer it,Continue reading “Duck and Cover”
Category Archives: Writings
The Reluctant Stenographer
When I write, I feel like a stenographer, a person of the court, jotting down verbatim the words heard and their source. Sitting there matter-of-factly, boringly, the most exciting thing about me is my wide and transparent-rimmed glasses snapped to chain links hanging loosely around my neck. I’m so boring, so the same day inContinue reading “The Reluctant Stenographer”
The Search is On
A wind tunnel spins around me, thoughts like dollar bills spinning and I grab at them, but they’re off. It’s hard to catch just one thought and pin it down. One more succinct thought was about moving, and the vacancy that’ll exist in a once-filled space. Is it the cavern behind my eye, the sunkenContinue reading “The Search is On”
Tragic Realities
The person I want to be listens to NPR. “Make love not war” and “Send nudes, not nukes” buttons adorn her green Smithsonian tote bag as she attends peace rallies, fighting for an idealistic stance on peace. But in reality, I cry. Exiting toward Southcenter Blvd after a 35-minute drive north on I-5, I’m maxedContinue reading “Tragic Realities”
One for the Books
The opened window spills a chill of night in with it, and I’m back in Costa Rica. At a small bar, likely with a warm but cheap beer, pool stick in hand next to a low-lit green-felted table. I’m alone. It’s the second to last day before my flight home and after close to aContinue reading “One for the Books”
Miss Nothing
Barefoot, I trek through the freshly cut grass, glancing at the Big Dipper and the star-studded sky, until I reach a spot tucked away at the back corner of the garage while wrapped snugly in nothing but a blanket. “I’ll miss this,” I reflect later, thinking about the chorus of frogs’ vocals that drift inContinue reading “Miss Nothing”
Adventuring PNW Style
What a day! The epic six flights of stairs to the top, with six slides to the bottom, was our first stop after we picked Joanne up at her cute townhouse. A stop by the Old Sandwich Shop allowed Evelyn to play in a dedicated kid area while we perused the fair trade items likeContinue reading “Adventuring PNW Style”
For the Fences
For $50,000, we’ve got 4-foot outer walls, a porta potty, and exterminated termites for our new build. Not a bad deal, huh? It seems like a lot of money because it is a lot of money, but with all the checks we’ve been writing I’d have put that number much higher. I don’t see whyContinue reading “For the Fences”
A Home Invention
The latest question from the contractor is whether we want barn doors or pocket doors between the kitchen and the living room. Barn doors are advised due to the thinness of the walls and the inability to hang things. But I’m pro-pocket doors. Specifically, ones with panes of glass so I can enjoy my morningContinue reading “A Home Invention”
Wishing and Hoping
An upside-down Big Dipper is directly overhead, shining through a dark bluish-black sky. I’m seated, legs out, at the end of a blacktop driveway, hoping for a second-night showing of the Northern Lights. Even though the very spot I am sitting had a view of a massive reddish-pink and purple-streaked sky, I wasn’t here. IContinue reading “Wishing and Hoping”
Going On 40 