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New Year’s Eve 1993

Elysha and I are probably staying home on New Year’s Eve this year. Our kids will go to bed, and we’ll watch a movie or play a game. We occasionally have friends over to ring in the new year, but I think we’ll be on our own this time.  I’ve had some memorable New Year’s…

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The last one had better be the best one.

Earlier this week I wrote about Elysha’s gift giving prowess. It got me thinking: Thank goodness I married her. Imagine if she had dumped me for some other terrible man, and I had gone onto marry someone else. Elysha would likely have remained the most thoughtful gift giver who I had ever met, but I…

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Writing a novel is hard enough already. I don’t need these additional challenges.

All this before 7:00 AM. I love them dearly, but I’ve got TWO deadlines for TWO different books creeping up on me, and quiet time in my home is impossible to find. Instead, I’m listening to the kids spell “Nebraska” backwards and puzzle out the four states that begin with the word “New.” It’s cute,…

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HBO had some interesting offerings on Christmas Eve

As I started to wrap gifts on Christmas Eve, I switched on HBO, thinking, “Maybe I’ll watch that Elf movie for the first time. Or A Christmas Story. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Love Actually. Hey. Maybe Die Hard will be on.” You know. One of those classic Christmas staples.  HBO had apparently failed to notice that…

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My 2017 Christmas haul

Every Christmas, I take inventory of the holiday gifts that my wife gives me. Some people wish for cashmere sweaters, the latest gadget, stylish watches, and jewelry. My hope is often for the least pretentious, most unexpected, quirkiest little gift possible, and she never fails to deliver.  For the past nine years, I’ve been documenting…

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Any gift that includes murder, blood, and betrayal is perfect in my book

I never expect a holiday gift from my students, and when asked what I want, my reply is always the same: “Word hard. Be kind. That would be more than enough for me.” Despite these protestations, I often receive gifts.  This year the class was kind enough to give me my very first pair of…

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Lest us not forget the real story of Christmas

It’s a damn shame how racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and disregard for human life outside our borders keep getting in the way of the those God loving conservatives like Mike Pence and Jeff Sessions and what should be their desire to help those less fortunate.  If only they knew the true meaning (and origins) of Christmas. 

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I was a coward. I’m filled with regret.

Standing in line at a Moth StorySLAM in New York earlier this week, I found myself sandwiched between two young couples.  The woman in front of me was listening to headphones when her male companion arrived. After a bit of chit chat, she said, “I found this new band that I totally love. I think…

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Penguins were mating at a little girl’s birthday party

My daughter Clara, age 8, was sitting at the neighbor’s dining room table with about half a dozen other kids, eating a birthday cake that was originally shaped and frosted to look like a penguin.  Between bites, she turned to the little girl beside her and asked, “Do you want to know how penguins mate?”…

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Trump isn’t fit to clean toilets

In response to Trump’s tweet earlier this week about Senator Gillibrand: USA Today’s Editorial Board wrote: “With his latest tweet, clearly implying that a United States senator would trade sexual favors for campaign cash, President Trump has shown he is not fit for office. Rock bottom is no impediment for a president who can always find room…

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