The Chemistry of a Car Crash
In the movies, there is usually a lone car horn blaring, the hiss of steam from a broken radiator, dramatic music swelling. None of that today. Just NPR on my car radio, and when I got out, an almost reverential silence.
The Number One Conversation I Don’t Know How to Have At a Dinner Party
I also think you should know that I once used you, not by name (of course), as an illustration to my students. “Did you know,” I began, “that there are some people who know where I work and feel bad for me?”
I want a God like NASA
I don’t feel comfortable when people talk about God’s perfect plan, probably because I don’t believe in it.
Excuses, Excuses
I got the syllabus, and I saw something new: forty percent of my final grade in the class is “social media impact.”
A Night on the Lash
It was like asking the two of them to play a game of ping pong, but no one had brought any paddles and the only ball available was a brick.
Consider Your Houseplants
At first, the concept of intelligent plants seemed a little far-fetched, or, rather, whimsical, a kind of wishful thinking that envisioned a magical world, rather Tolkein-esque.
Semi-Charmed Life
We found a bike he fell in love with and, you guessed it, it’s pink and princess-emblazoned. He does not yet realize that this is not what is “expected” of him, and more power to him for it.
Are You Living Abroad as Authentically as I Am?
I remember being so overwhelmed and lost three months in. I can promise you—it gets better! How long have I been here? Almost a year, actually. Well, okay, six months. But coming up on a year.
The Edges of Time
They say the drive to grandma’s house is always longer than the way home.
The More You Know (The More You Don’t Know)
We live in a world where we think everything worth learning should be Google-able, but the truth is that we use easy answers as a crutch to support us as we fumble along on legs that aren’t strengthened by the workout routine of inquiry.
