It’s not often that I get to say that it’s a gorgeous morning here in State College. Just a week ago we got 2-3 inches of snow. Yesterday started off cold and gray and rainy. Today feels like the type of day I have been waiting for for weeks. I’ve been sitting in the morning…
Category: Dear Diary
April Sunshine, Wednesday Afternoon
My neighbor is older – maybe in his 70s. He gets around fine. He still mows his lawn. His white t-shirt hangs off of hunched and thin shoulders. His hair is white and he usually wears a ball cap. His name is Tom, but it could just as well be John or Dave or Hank….
Crabs in a Bucket
She waited for a break in the conversation to jump in and attack. I had been explaining a tax return (as best as I can) to her friend or partner, but hadn’t gotten very far in my explanation before she wagged her finger towards me. She demanded to know why she didn’t get a certain…
My Dog After His Walk
Hey Matt, Matt… h… hey Matt, that was a good walk, huh? Wasn’t it? That was a good walk, huh Matt? Um and um hey Matt, Matt… Matt, remember… remember that one time? Remember, when…? when after our walk, you… you … you gave me all the treats instead of putting them away… ? remember?…
Sick Day
By 3pm on Wednesday, I knew it was coming. I could feel that soreness in my throat that walks a few steps ahead of its slacker cousins the stuffed up nose and groggy head. I was getting sick. Dammit. What started as “oh, I know this feeling…” steamrolled into certainty shortly after dinner. It was…
How Could You?
It took a few minutes for the feeling to go away. My chest was tight. My breathing was irregular and quick and shallow. The song playing in my head was Milky Chance’s version of Tainted Love. She had casually mentioned that another guy had gone down on her this past summer. They were just foolin’…
Not a Valentine’s Post
I feel like I should write something… it’s been a while and I feel guilty – sorta. I thought about writing another Valentine’s Day post, but this one from a year ago still holds up. I’ve also wanted to write about the absolute stuck in the pit of despair feeling I had over the weekend,…
Not Quite Stir-Crazy
I had a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss our organization’s retirement plan. Reviewing retirement plans, healthcare plans, and tracking a few dozen different vendors (cleaning service, entryway carpets, copier maintenance, auditors, insurance, etc. etc. etc) are the less than glamorous aspects of running an organization. On Wednesday, I attended a summit of network CEOs…
A Tale of Two Sundays
Sundays are the worst. Maybe not all Sundays, but enough of them. And maybe not all of Sunday, but parts of it. I know, I know – for someone who is trying to be more mindful and practice things like gratitude, I’m doing a pretty shitty job of it with statements like Sundays are the…
The All-New, 2022…
This past Monday I had car trouble. My old-ish car with 180k miles on it nearly stalled in the middle of an intersection. By the afternoon the problem had been fixed (for free because it was related to a recent repair) but in the process of checking things out, another problem was discovered. The shop…
January 6: One Year Later
One year ago, on this day, I paused from my work, put on the television and began watching the news. I was curious to see how the certification of the election would go. Earlier that morning I had seen some news pieces about protesters gathering in Washington. There were pictures of them giving the middle…
Tiny Victories
Despite the constant laments about not having time for this or that, writing or exercise, or quiet observation, I sometimes have to acknowledge those moments of success when time and I seem to get along. I was up early this morning. I awoke breathing short and fast from a dream in which I drove a…