Feb 9The Pirate’s Life for MeWhen I wrote my dissertation (a book-length document on the subject of my choice) as the last step toward earning my Ph.D. in literature, my dissertation director explained that a student’s choice of topic said something about her personality. I think she brought that up because mine was sort of…Bullying4 min readBullying4 min read
Jan 26EndingsMy mom’s birthday is Saturday. She died in August 2019, but I still mark the occasion the same way as when she was living. I order a king cake from New Orleans. The cake part of the name is a bit of a misnomer because it’s actually more of a…Grief3 min readGrief3 min read
Jan 19The Princess and the MarathonThe great thing about a Disney marathon is that there are all sorts of distractions: bands, character stops, and cheering crowds all while running through the four theme parks. Some runners will even ride a roller coaster around mile 16 or grab a beer toward the finish line. But even…Marathon4 min readMarathon4 min read
Jan 2The Suffering of HolidaysI love the holiday season. I love the decorations. This year, I had three Christmas trees, all of them decorated since early December. I have an advent calendar. I have a wreath. I have outdoor lights. And I love seeing others’ decorations. …Christmas3 min readChristmas3 min read
Dec 23, 2022Christmas GiftsI grew up with the story of Emmet and his mom wanting to give each other special Christmas gifts and still own what I believe to be a first edition of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas published in 1971. It’s the one from my childhood. The story is a riff on…Christmas4 min readChristmas4 min read
Nov 23, 2022Grief and GratitudeMom died three years ago, in August 2019, yet there’s not a day that I don’t think about and miss her. Lately, I’ve been temporarily forgetting that she’s gone and having the urge to call her. She and I were big Gator football fans. Recently, my daughter and I were…Grief3 min readGrief3 min read
Oct 3, 2022All the FeelingsI live in Florida. For the last 100 years, the Tampa Bay area has been lucky with hurricanes never hitting us directly. I learned last week that’s a very good thing because, due to storm surge, Tampa Bay is the most dangerous place in the country for a direct hit. …Hurricane3 min readHurricane3 min read
Sep 24, 2022What’s So Funny?The context for laughter is everything. When looking for a picture to accompany this essay, my daughter suggested this one where I am laughing on the last night of our trip to North Carolina in June. I am walking from a hotel in the middle of an industrial park near…Laughter3 min readLaughter3 min read
Sep 15, 2022RainbowsMy mother spent five days in the hospital in the summer of 2019 after her eventually fatal stroke. I pretty much lived there with her while friends took care of my daughter. The room had a big window that overlooked a parking lot and some green space. It wasn’t a…Grief3 min readGrief3 min read
Sep 9, 2022The Cost of LoveThe cost of love is grief. It’s an obvious statement. Literature is filled with examples from Greek tragedies to Shakespeare to multiple contemporary works. Let’s go with the most obvious and powerful: the first 11 and a half minutes of the Disney Pixar film Up. The movie opens in 1939…Grief4 min readGrief4 min read
