Everything changes when Christine goes out of town. Cook dinner? Nah, let’s go to McDonald’s. Clear the counter? I’m the only one who uses it anyway. Clean up? It can wait until 30 minutes before she gets back. Go to bed? Might as well let the kids stay up so they fall asleep faster. Do … Continue reading When Mama’s Away…
Taking Care of Papa Bird
Read the first part here: Taking Care of Mama Bird Cardinals mate for life. The male collects sticks for the nest, gathers food for the female, feeding her beak-to-beak, and occasionally even sits on the nest. Sometimes they sing to each other. I had no idea. I’ve never seen the male sitting on the nest … Continue reading Taking Care of Papa Bird
Taking Care of Mama Bird
For the last two years, a bird has made its nest under our front stoop. A cardinal, I think. The male flaps about the yard in his bright red plumage. The female, quiet and dull brown, sits upon her nest. Opening the front door is enough to scare her off the stoop and onto the … Continue reading Taking Care of Mama Bird
Why We Do the Things We Do
I do a lot of things to keep my wife happy. I’m not sure whether any of them actually work, but I try. That’s my primary motivation for doing whatever housework I do, and I often end up cooking dinner, washing dishes, folding laundry, picking up toys, dusting the furniture (haha just kidding, who really … Continue reading Why We Do the Things We Do
Confessions of a Grammar Nazi
When I was a kid, you did not want to mix up your adverbs and adjectives around me. Forget to the put the -ly on an adverb and you were sure to hear a swift rebuke. Heaven help you if you ever split an infinitive or uttered a double negative. If we could hear commas, … Continue reading Confessions of a Grammar Nazi
What’s Wrong With People Watching?
People watching is easy. You find a spot with a good view and you start staring. The difficulty comes when you don’t want anyone to know what you are doing, when you don’t want to be the creepy guy ogling strangers like they’re a car wreck on the side of the road. So you’re stuck … Continue reading What’s Wrong With People Watching?
Antisocial Crack
If social media is cocaine for our connection-addicted psyches, then those of us with social anxiety are the ones smoking crack. The addiction is instant, the highs are half as long, and the punishments twice as harsh. We crave it, but we can’t handle it. We know it’s dangerous, but we keep coming back for … Continue reading Antisocial Crack
