“Summer Starts with Us!”

In my youth I lived in a tiny town called Tremont.  Every year they kick off summer with the Tremont Turkey Festival, which celebrates the high school’s mascot by eating  it: big fat turkey sandwiches.  And oh nally are they good.  Add on a bag of Kitchen Cooked chips and I’m in heaven.
I moved away [...]

Please refrain from reading between the lines

I’ve been working on finding a job like its my job.  Last week when attempting to apply for a position at a small Christian school I was asked to answer additional application questions concerning my teaching methodology and ability to serve the school’s mission.
What motivates you to teach at a liberal arts college? What positive [...]

Retained

I know you’ve been wondering, and I am so happy to report that I’ve found my retainer.  I actually went looking for it a few months back, and thought it had been lost to the garbage since I’d moved out of the house.  I couldn’t blame mom, considering I would have probably done the same [...]

ididn’trunrun

You caught me.  I haven’t run since December 31.  And I’m okay with that.

Weather to the extreeeeeeeeme

I got out of 6:30 am mass this morning and while bundling up with an additional (and necessary) 5 layers I looked across the street at my parked car.  Is…that….a flat tire?
Crap.
So that’s why my car has felt so sluggish these past 24 hours.  I had assumed it was just the extreme temperatures.  Oh, I [...]

Counterweight

Last Thanksgiving day my dad went through the Chicago Tribune ads (a normal off-work routine) and pointed to a remote-controlled helicopter in the Ace Hardware ad saying, “Now THAT is a doorbuster deal!  I think I’m going to go get one of those tomorrow.”  My mom and I laughed it off–the thought of my dad [...]

I’m glad to see that you’re eating your vegetables

In the past few weeks I’ve noticed that food has been getting stuck in my front teeth with increasing frequency.  This, of course, is rather embarrassing.  But more than that, what concerns me is that fact that food hadn’t gotten stuck before and this can only mean that the orthodontia is failing.  My teeth are [...]

I like it here.

A few days ago Stephanie asked me, “what in your life are you happy about.  Right now?”
The question–so simple, yet so deeply complicated–caught me off-guard.  And of course I didn’t have an immidate answer.  I’m in one of those “so close but not yet” stages: awaiting the end of the semester (stress…) and a completely [...]

Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte

Early-morning text message to Kyle:
If you’re going to stop for caffeine, could you get me something?  Whatever you get, with skim milk.
When he arrived in class he hands me a white cup with a green logo.  “This isn’t skim.  You need it.  All that running and stuff.”
Crap.  I never get anything other than non-fat.  [...]

all kinds of delicious

The best part about Maria cookies is that the packaging doesn’t have nutritional information.
Some three years after Stephanie brought them from Spain, I’m still hooked.
They go great with tea.