A Life Worthy

  • Plague Boy

    sick2

    There’s no use denying it—I am what I am.  For the last few days, I have hardly stirred from my big green chair.  I have slept, eaten, napped, read junk novels, snoozed, scrolled aimlessly through Facebook, slumbered, and slept.

    I’ve been sick.

    There are no spectacular symptoms I can point you to.  No raging fever, no projectile vomiting, no delirium—at least, none that I’ve noticed. I’m not bleeding, either internally or externally.  Neither pox nor pustules are in ready evidence.  I’m just totally wiped out.

    Frankly, I almost wish I had some better symptoms. (more…)

  • More On Dating

    The Dating Game

    Boy, that title could be problematic if you’re not careful…

    As I was saying last Friday, Cathy and I have had some interesting dates in our time.

    But.

    Kids and work and debt and mortgages and plain old inertia seem to have robbed us of something.  We don’t date anymore.  Oh, we go out to eat sometimes, if we have a coupon, (more…)

  • Dates, Dumps, and Danger

    Dumping Garbage at Croton Landfill Operation 0...

    This place is a dump.

    No, really.

    I remember my first real date with Cathy.  It was the perfect evening.  We had dinner together at an exotic restaurant, then went for a romantic walk down a secluded woodland path.  We strolled along together, just the two of us, getting used to the feeling of her hand in mine and matching the length of our strides to each other’s.  We walked quietly, enjoying the excitement of love a’blossoming, drinking in the sounds of birds singing and the smell of—

    Wait a minute.

    What is that smell? (more…)

  • Refocus

    You may have noticed that sometimes I get a little scattered.

    My writing can be a bit…oh…hodgepodgey.  Looking back over the six months since I started this blog, I see that I have written about hiking, braces, car failures, home improvement nightmares, dogs, dates, worship, and my favorite chair, among other bits and bobs.

    Sort of a digital stream of consciousness.

    I thought it might be time to sort of remind you, and myself, exactly why I’m here.  (more…)

  • The Gift of Time

    Is my family cheap…or are we deep?

    Both, I’m thinking.

    At gift giving times—birthdays, Christmas, Arbor Day, etc.—my family often opts for presents involving experiences.  Not that we aren’t fond of stuff.  We love stuff, and judging by the amount we’ve accumulated over the years, stuff loves us.  I think it’s just that years of near-poverty and my own phobic response to clutter have rendered us open to more (more…)

  • Exercise II—Tenement or Temple?

    A bottle of 50 200mg Advil caplets

    #17 on The List: Reclaim body from a year of neglect and failed exercise programs.

    Not so much yet.

    It’s not entirely my fault.  I didn’t overdo—I thought.  My plan called for a mix of the basics: pushups, sit-ups, chin-ups, and a short run.  The whole thing was designed to take maybe 30 minutes per day.  Totally doable. (more…)

  • Exercise

    I have pain.

    I spent several hours over the past two days cutting back the climbing rose arch that covers the front of our house.  It was #7-C on The List, so it felt good to get it done.  A real sense of accomplishment comes with reducing 30 ft. of diseased and bug-ridden plant life to two bins of wanna-be compost.

    But now, the pain. (more…)

  • The List

    To-do list book.

    It happens every time.

    Whenever I get some time off, I immediately think of all the things I have to get done during my time off.  I want to be organized—knowing that organization is key to any successful endeavor—so I create it. (more…)

  • Do Over

    It’s the saving grace of many a childhood game.

    Party Hats

    It’s the secret wish of every man.

    It’s the Do Over.

    Tell me you’ve never wished for it.  The chance to go back and take the shot, make the investment, show the self-discipline, learn the skill, do the bold and dangerous thing, the “What if?” (more…)

  • Miracle on Yale Drive

    Presents

    ‘Twas the next billing cycle, and havoc was wrought

    To our finances by all the stuff that we’d bought.

    I tried to be good; I strove to be frugal;

    Still, you would think that I thought I owned Google. (more…)