October 16th, 2022 It’s just another day. It’s football day. My dread is warmer than usual, my anxiety sharper. It’s not just another day. My dad legally divorced the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 over an incident neither he nor millions of other sports fans had any control over. My mom stayed committed to them. ThatContinue reading “Just Another Day”
Tag Archives: Family
Groundless
October 14th, 2022 I was going to write about fall today. I had a lot of feelings yesterday and thought of some words I was going to write this morning. I was going to take a stunning photo of an autumn tree. And then it snowed. And what I really wanted to talk about cameContinue reading “Groundless”
Amsterdam
October 4th, 2022 I knew very little of what I wanted to be as a dad. My friend Kim and I were talking about our families after work tonight; as a special ed teacher, she encountered countless parents who weren’t sure how to react to their families being “different.” She shared with me a storyContinue reading “Amsterdam”
The Kind Monster
September 6th, 2022 Starting today, I’m going to be taking the rest of the month off from posting essays. I feel like you and I could use a break from each other, in a good way. I hope you’ll catch up on posts, if that’s your thing, or pick up some of my work andContinue reading “The Kind Monster”
For You or Not For You
September 5th, 2022 When I saw the State Fair water tower on the horizon this year, the nostalgia hit me harder than normal. Instead of a general flavor, nostalgia tends to get colored by people whose loss feels recent, like yesterday, even though they’ve been gone, say, nearly two years. It got me thinking aboutContinue reading “For You or Not For You”
2
September 1st, 2022 Today is my two-year anniversary at Harry’s. (This is not a photo of us celebrating my anniversary. This is from a wedding a few weekends ago where I was the minister-bartender. Barnister? Minitender.) In 2020, a lot of people lost a lot. I lost more than I ever had in any otherContinue reading “2”
Trauma Like Candy
August 25th, 2022 When I was growing up, my dad took us camping a lot. That meant a lot of s’mores, mosquito bites, boat rides, sunburns, worms pierced with hooks, hammocks, and campfires. On one particular trip, during elementary school break, I had become fascinated with the fire pit on the grounds. It was madeContinue reading “Trauma Like Candy”
Cold World Trailer
August 15th, 2022 It has not been a cold summer, but for my readers, it has been a Cold World summer. Some of the best reviews of my writing career have made their way to me from people who have discovered the secrets of this story set on Earth in 2222; Cold World is aContinue reading “Cold World Trailer”
silly
August 15th, 2022 “As for its being silly, I don’t mind that. Sometimes it’s great fun to be silly, like children playing statues and dying of laughter. And sometimes being silly breaks the even pace and lets you get a new start.” – The Winter of Our Discontent Being silly is natural to me, butContinue reading “silly”
wEiRd
July 25th, 2022 I have an obsession with the word “weird.” It’s not one of those inexplicable things. I know why. The ASL sign for the word “weird” is to take the letter W and crawl it across your face horizontally. Go ahead, try it. I’ll wait. You look incredibly silly but I love it.Continue reading “wEiRd”
The Den 