Regular Life

Thursday ended with Shannon staring at her computer screen, tears streaming down her face. “Ben’s hiding in his closet,” she said. Ben likes to do that when I get home so I can “find” him.
Then Shannon looked up at me and sobbed, “He could have died.”
Just home from work, I set down my [...]

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While I appreciate auto-flush toilets on a sanitary level (although generally I spare myself that problem by flushing with my foot), I hate the stupid things. I get my protective paper layer all nicely laid out, then I straighten up to turn around and sit, and the infernal thing flushes and splashes [...]

My comment spam filter recently placed in the moderation queue a comment that was relevant to the post. It had nothing to do with prescription drugs or “enhancement” or how to become independently wealthy (whatever in the world that really means).
The product was so intriguing that I was inspired not only to approve the [...]

I once read that a blog was a place for one to share interesting and timely links with others, perhaps within a comment or two on the topics covered. Considering that almost zero of the blogs I read actually fit that description, I laughed and ignored this.
But here I am fitting in the mold [...]

Benjamin felt much better in this picture than he has this week. Thursday night I put him to bed with a mild fever, this flu refusing to let him go.
As I walked out his bedroom door he croaked, “Daddy, would you please rub my back?”
“Of course I will,” I said.
A few hacking coughs erupted [...]

(Note: No new installment of Bernie today, but for all you who aren’t caught up, Part Seven got a “most engaging chapter yet” comment. If you aren’t reading it, then give it a try, and if you are, then eke out a few minutes to keep going.)
Do you always wash your hands before exiting [...]

You ever try plain, low-fat yogurt? I don’t mean vanilla. I mean plain. No sweeteners or flavors added.
It’s brutal.
It’s hard to eat healthy foods. Not just because of the taste or the cost, although those always are considerations. Part of the reason is that once I’ve decided to plunk down the extra cash for an [...]

Regarding this post: I messed up and published this under the old draft’s original date, so please go to the new version.
Thanks!

Note: If you do not see a banner of a bird above, and are viewing this in June 2007, then force a reload in your browser.

This is the gym where I shot this week’s Wordless Wednesday picture, on the third floor of the Fordyce Bath House in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I knew much less about [...]

I dusted off the seat and knocked the spider egg sacs out of the spokes. It was Ride Your Bike to Work Week, and I was going to join the fray.
My physical conditioning, it turns out, was not up to the task.
Later that day, after I leaned my bike against a tree to make the [...]