When Becky and I decided to build a house, it did seem a bit impulsive. We had just met. When Covid hit a few months later, the idea seemed suddenly improbable. Then impossible. Then, positively insane. Our original plan was to do what most people do and just buy a pre-existing place—a used house, as … Continue reading To build a house. Or not. →

Nearly three years ago, something weird started going on inside my head. The chief symptom was spontaneous vertigo. Some dizzy spells were barely noticeable. Some were accompanied by deafness and profuse sweating. Some sent me crumpling to the ground in spinning agony. My only comfort was in thinking my symptoms were so striking, and so … Continue reading Something in my head →

I learned to play Scrabble from a grandmother who didn't cut kids any slack when it came to this game she loved. When I finally learned to play at her level, it felt great. Until it didn't. I was eight years old when I first played Scrabble with Grandma and lost that game by more … Continue reading Grandma is a seven-letter word →

By the age of three I had mastered such standard life skills as how to stack things, how to operate a toilet, and how to start a fire. Indeed, I nearly burned our house down. You’d think that such a traumatic experience at that age would make some impression on my developing brain, such that … Continue reading Playing with fire →