The Long and Winding Road

When Oz and I walk to work, it takes about 25 minutes. If I go without him, it takes 20. If I ride my bike, it’s about 10. (All of these times expand if we run into friends along the way.) I don’t really know how long it takes if I ride the bike and […]

Here Comes the Sun

Yesterday I promised a continuation of my bicycle discussion, and I’m sure you are all anxiously awaiting my thoughts on this matter. But I forgot: today is the winter solstice, so I hope you will be able to wait a day or two longer. And explain this: there has been no sign — zero — […]

Phat

A brief history of my bicycles: I started on Spike, a blue Stingray with a silver banana seat. (I don’t want to disappoint you, but this was the only bike I named.) At six, while learning to ride in Denver, I slipped and bit my tongue — a scar that lasted decades. At seven in […]

Undermining

For the second day in a row, I have slept through my prime blogging hour — and it made me really late to work yesterday (good thing I have an “in” with the boss, who let me make it up by staying late). Today I am meeting with my accountant right at 10 to begin […]

In Concert

It’s a good thing I don’t have kids, because this would be the sort of post that would mortify them. Scar them for life, probably. On their non-existent behalf, it may embarrass all of you for them. I have a co-worker named Gilly. We are of the same vintage, and it’s very nice to have […]

Animals — And Why? We Love Them

Perhaps you will recall that one week ago today Lynn and I braved the wilds of big-box shopping in Montrose and came away with our first official new-home purchase, an area rug that was the only one in the entire stack we liked. For half of the week, we had it rolled up and leaning […]

Why I Live at the P.O.

As titles go, “Why I Live at the P.O.” is up there among the best. It’s a short story by Eudora Welty, and I don’t know if she’s still standing the test of time, but when I was in college, this story was de rigueur for every anthology ever published. (“I Stand Here Ironing ” […]

One of Those Days

On the heels of my unhappy HOA meeting experience, I walked into One of Those Days at work. I had a bunch of plans, and many things to prepare for — and it all got tossed on its head. Repeatedly. Neither Kara nor Ben was at work when I got there. Kara, sadly, had gone […]

Three Angry Men

I went to a very unpleasant meeting last night. “But wait,” I can hear some of you saying, “all meetings are unpleasant.” There was a time when I would have agreed with you. When I was 22-ish and just starting at the newspaper, I opted for the sports coverage, because meetings struck me as boring. […]

Other People’s Stories: Veronica’s Father

Writers are thieves. Or, if you care to ascribe to the Mr. Krabs World View (it’s a SpongeBob thing), they are borrowers. The best writers succeed off the backs of stories they learn from others — they just take it and make it their own. I’ve always enjoyed other people’s stories. I’ve heard some good […]