This year I’ll be spending Thanksgiving by myself. I don’t have family nearby, and publishing doesn’t stop just because there’s a holiday; Friday I’ll be hip deep in getting January’s catalog out the door, long-distance travel to see family (only to have to turn around) simply doesn’t make sense. Don’t worry about me. I haveContinue reading “Party of Eight”
Category Archives: Life
Transatlanticism
If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live? I think about the question from time to time. If I found a job that could support me there or if money were no object, where would I go? Believe it or not, I have two answers, one which is slightly more realisticContinue reading “Transatlanticism”
America’s Increasing Secularism and Its Personal Aspect
This morning, on my way into work, I heard a segment on NPR’s Morning Edition about how a new Pew survey indicates that Americans are becoming less religious, and this decline in religious belief has happened over a short frame of time. The share of Americans who say they are “absolutely certain” that God existsContinue reading “America’s Increasing Secularism and Its Personal Aspect”
A Graveyard of Watermelons
Today I went for a walkabout. It’s a nice autumn day, it’s nice to get outside. The walk just so happened to coincide with the Automattic Worldwide WP 5K, a virtual 5K for users of WordPress. It’s not really a race, and I certainly didn’t run. So, I’ll say that my walk today was partContinue reading “A Graveyard of Watermelons”
Saturday Morning at the Post Office
I felt bad for the woman behind the counter at the Dallastown post office. I’d gone to the post office to buy stamps. One clerk was helping someone mail a package. The other was being berated by a man in a blue t-shirt for a Dallastown swim team. The situation, as I pieced together fromContinue reading “Saturday Morning at the Post Office”
Scenes from a Vacation Day
On Thursday, I took a vacation day and went to Washington, DC. The Washington Nationals were having Pet Day — with a special ticket, you received a 2015 calendar of the Nationals players and their pets, you could participate in a pre-game petting zoo, and part of the cost of the ticket went to theContinue reading “Scenes from a Vacation Day”
Handwriting, Printing, and Technology
I can’t write in cursive. I don’t know how anymore. I can sign my name. For everything else, I print. In school, when teachers stopped caring about cursive, I stopped caring about cursive and went back to print. I’m not alone in this. Every so often I read an article online bemoaning the fact thatContinue reading “Handwriting, Printing, and Technology”
Feelings After a Tragedy
This morning I wrote a blog post. There had been an incident at the high school I graduated from on Tuesday — a student took his teacher and classmates hostage with a gun. The piece I wrote springboarded off of that, and it was equal parts annoyance, anguish, and anger. All I needed to addContinue reading “Feelings After a Tragedy”
Looking Back Ten Years
Ten years ago today, an adventure (of sorts) began. My grandmother and I took a trip from Baltimore to Raleigh. I’ve never really spoken about that trip as I’ve found it an uncomfortable — and somewhat painful — subject. My grandmother, as some know, suffered from dementia in her final years. At the time ofContinue reading “Looking Back Ten Years”
Jury Duty and a Day in Harrisburg
In late February I received a jury summons for the Federal District Court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My first reaction to the envelope in my mailbox that cold evening was, “Oh my god, what have I done?” Finding out that it was jury service was, frankly, a relief. I let my supervisors know and, largely, pushedContinue reading “Jury Duty and a Day in Harrisburg”