I guess you could say I believe in omens. I'm not going to see a bluebird fly overhead and then move to Belchertown, Massachusetts, but sometimes there are signs. And particularly what I love is when the universe reassures those moments of precognition, no matter how insane or stupid they might ...
Like I've said before, my family is superstitious, but if you have as much bad luck as we do, you get that way. The number thirteen is taboo, no one ever walks under a ladder, and black cats are the root of all evil. If I could sum this all up in one quick anecdote It would be one about my ...
My family doesn't really have traditions, but we do have habits, addictions, and superstitions. The main addiction I know I have when it comes to those special days of the year is movies. I love movies. And when something comes up like a holiday I have a list of films to watch. Now, you are ...
The holiday season is when memories and tradition reign supreme, from that odd ornament ya made in kindergarten to when you eat Christmas dinner. And every family has their own rules of engagement. My Ma laid down a rule decades ago that stands today as one of the pillar elements of ...
In my head, I have two pictures of myself. One of the person I am, and one of the person I want to be. And more likely than not, when I make a decision, I am doing so based on the person I want to be. If I didn't do that you wouldn't be reading this right now. So, many months ago, I started ...
Let me start by saying that I can take the cold much better than I can take the heat. As my Ma is known for saying, 'You can always put more clothing on, but you can only take so much off.' Okay, so, traditionally my Ma turns on the furnace on November the first. This happens regardless of ...
As you may know, I am one in which anxieties tend to grow and fester. And I have a story, which I believe justifies my said anxieties. What you're about to read is a story that has come to be known as The Baby Food Incident. Okay, so we have a friend of the family, a couple. And this couple ...
Well, I have had a week. And in this week I have learned that I stay calm and in charge during an emergency — as long as I am the one having said emergency. Let's go back to last Wednesday, 9 p.m. I start to itch. My eyes start to itch, my forehead, my arms, my neck, my back, everything. I ...
My first short story acceptance letter hangs framed by the back door. My first 100 or so rejection letters hung for the longest time in the living room, under a comic strip of Snoopy writing a letter on his typewriter. The letter that Snoopy writes reads, "Gentlemen, Regarding the recent ...
I am like a dead tooth when it comes to horror movies, almost completely desensitized. And there is a reason for that. So, between my parents, and not ever really enjoying the outdoors, I got a good movie education as a kid. I'm not sayin' we sat around talkin' Fellini or the themes of ...