2021, you had one job

2021, you had one job

Just one job, 2021. All you had to do was beat 2020. Not difficult, since 2020 was a dumpster fire in the bottom of a latrine. But you, 2021, you struggled even with that. Look what happened on January 6th! I mean, FFS, 2021! Okay, so that was still during the...
Baby’s first colonoscopy

Baby’s first colonoscopy

When Anne and Gene Culver, late of Florissant, Missouri, welcomed their third child into the world some 52 years ago, I can guarantee they weren’t envisioning a day when I’d be this old, having this procedure. But I wished for either or both of them to be...
What about the pears?

What about the pears?

Dinner was great: chicken milanese, ratatouille, and spiced pears for dessert. Trigger alert: if you’ve been in a fire and have been traumatized by that, this might not be the best thing to read. It is scaring me just to type it. Last Wednesday night we were...
Alaska never disappoints

Alaska never disappoints

If it did, I’m sure it would have a different name, like “Jersey City” or “Canton”. But no, this is Alaska, and it sounds majestic because it is. Or maybe it’s because I hear my brother’s booming bass saying it:...
Trees and cicadas. Tree-cadas.

Trees and cicadas. Tree-cadas.

Washington is genuinely sultry these days, but as recently as a week ago we had lovely sunny non-humid days where riding around on a bike didn’t feel like being trapped inside a Snuffleupagous. (For those of you unfamiliar with the beast in question, think...
Fifteen minutes for full potency

Fifteen minutes for full potency

Carol Kane, in The Princess Bride: “You’ve gotta wait, what, fifteen minutes for full potency.” This immortal clip has been running through my head for Five. Full. Weeks. From my first shot, 36 hours after arriving in DC, to the second shot precisely...