No. 30: Postal
“The places change, the numbers change, but the choice of weapon remains the same. In the United States, people who want to kill a lot of other people most often do it with guns.” –The Washington Post, November 9, 2018. I went postal at a kids’ birthday party. Fortunately, I didn’t have a gun. That […]
No. 28: My Achilles Heel
I started training for the Miami marathon because I’m a midlife crisis cliché. I ran cross-country in high school. The most I’d ever run was 10 miles, but I told myself since I was a kid that at 50, I’d run a marathon. I’m 50. I did three miles, three times a week. Then four […]
No. 27: My New Year’s Resolution: Watch More TV
In 2019, I resolve to watch more TV. The problem is I prefer to work. I’m preoccupied with getting my stories published and producing a podcast, which is why I hardly ever cozy up in front of the TV and veg out. The TV was always on in my house growing up. My brother was […]
No. 26: Jewish Christmas
On Monday, after dinner, my wife, Vicky, our son, Sebastian, and I went to the Firefighter’s Christmas tree lot and picked out a tree. Tashi, who’s 14, stayed home to do her hair. Sebastian, who’s nine, dragged the tree inside and Vicky directed him to put it in the corner of our living room, right […]
No. 24: Oversharing on Facebook Can Lead to Good
A few weeks ago, I posted something on Facebook. My mom wrote in the comments, “Would you like it if your mom was as forthcoming as you? Asking for a friend.” I wrote a story about letting a man go inside me without wearing a condom and why, after years of advocating for safer-sex, and […]
No. 23: The Things She Carries in Her Giant Purse
My wife, Vicky, is an immigrant. When we met eleven years ago, she had already been living in the United States 13 years. I thought she spoke perfect English, but when dessert came she said, “Let’s dive onto this pie.” She told me she’s from Venezuela. I’m from Miami and knew nothing about Venezuela. I […]
No. 22: Fifty Yards
My nine-year-old beat me in a running race. We’ve raced before. The last time, when he was about six, I ran just slightly ahead of him, close enough so he felt like he was in the race and also close enough so he could pull on my shirt. But I never let him win. That […]
No. 21: Can You Hear Me Now?
I called South Florida ENT Associates. I said, “I’d like to make an appointment for a hearing test.” The receptionist asked my name, had I gotten a referral and, “What service can we help you with?” I said, “I’d like to make an appointment for a hearing test.” She said, “Oh, right.” I thought: Is […]
No. 20: Funny Story…
My brother has cancer. /A few weeks ago, my mom had my brother’s family and my family over for dinner. Tony had just gotten a lump removed from his neck. There was a possibility it was cancer, but he hadn’t yet gotten the results. When it was time to set the table, Tony said, “I can’t […]
No. 19: How Do I Teach My Children?
There are some things I’ve had a hard time explaining to my kids. Not the obvious things, like how babies are made. That was easy. / When my daughter, Tashi, asked me at nine, I said, “I went to a sperm bank and bought sperm. Then I went to a nurse who put the sperm inside […]
