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Some of these thoughts may make sense. But don't count on it.
Browsing All posts tagged under »family«
The Long Hall
It was the summer of 1985. Jill and I were taking the first steps into our thirties, and while our goals were still ambitious, they were no longer earthshaking. The dream of changing the world had begun to fade, and we had started to focus on the smaller world right around us. We wanted what […]
When Men Were Boys
June 2, 2014
I can remember exact moments. It’s early afternoon on a Saturday, and we’re getting into our pale blue Chevrolet, a two-door Impala coupe. I turn sideways to squeeze into the back seat, then step onto the hump in the middle of the floor and drop next to the window on the far side. My father […]
Related by Blood
May 17, 2014
When we were young, my cousins and I got together at least once a week. We all grew up in big, Italian-Catholic families that were in a constant state of competition — the fathers vying to see who could smoke the most cigarettes, and the mothers to see who could have the most babies. Holidays […]
The “Let It Slide” Collection
November 12, 2013
Every year, as Catholic school students, we were sent out into the neighborhood on fundraising expeditions, wearing our uniforms and carrying cardboard suitcases filled with overpriced chocolate bars. It was my first sales job, and I was terrible at it. I’m pretty sure my Aunt Josephine bought the entire box every time, not because the […]
How the Old Days Got Their Name (Part 1)
March 14, 2013
My father was a spice salesman. It was a dull and thankless job that required him to visit about three dozen supermarkets every week. He’d finish his workdays coated with nutmeg and onion powder, his hands bleeding from having torn open hundreds of boxes and having extracted thousands of glass bottles from between corrugated dividers. […]
Dare To Say No
February 17, 2013
Recently, a fellow blogger named Rachael challenged me to write a post that addressed the topic of childhood dares. I said I’d do it if she did. Then she turned things up a notch: she double-dog dared me. It had been a while since I’d heard that expression. Decades, maybe. When adults use the word […]
Scarred for Life
February 8, 2013
When we’re young, life takes place on two physical levels. There’s the world of adults, shifting like storm clouds close to the ceiling, and the world of children, where kids create games to simulate the behavior of their parents and relatives. I could barely figure out what was happening on my own level, so I […]
Life Isn’t Fair
September 6, 2012
My parents said a lot of things, and most of the time I had no idea what they meant. I was never sure if my inability to follow them was a reflection of my own ignorance, or if it was possible that what they were saying made no sense. “You can’t win for losing,” my […]
True Love
August 17, 2012
My daughter, Allison, is suffering under the delusion that she’s getting married today. This is impossible, of course, because she’s just a little girl. Okay, she’s not really a little girl. She was born in 1985, and if you subtract that number from the year it is now, she’s twenty-seven. So if you want to […]
Ruminating About Gum
August 12, 2012
I don’t remember the first time I was allowed to chew gum. It’s one of those milestones in life that nobody bothers to record. Your mother might write down when you finally said a real word, or managed to tie your own shoes, but there’s never any mention of the gum-chewing accomplishment. And that’s a […]
The Long Hall
500 Key Words for the SAT
Writing Rules!
100 Math Tips for the SAT
Mostly Bright Ideas 
August 24, 2014
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