WHAT A WEEK

WHAT A WEEK

Calene had a CT scan on Thursday. You know your world is surreal when CT scans and PET scans are business as usual. I have become a waiting room connoisseur, knowing which have the best chairs and plugs for my laptop. We were running a little late so I dropped Calene off and went to park. By the time I got to the imaging center they'd already taken her back. I sat down and began to write. It was just me and some other guy across the room who was speaking loudly into his phone, using a foreign language I did not understand. I have been blessed with the ability to write anywhere, shutting out distractions as if they didn't exist. I credit being a detached introvert for this skill set.

BOOKS OF 2025

BOOKS OF 2025

It is a strange contradiction that I've read every single day this year but can only remember a handful of books. I figure that means they're pretty special. So as I eschew a list of my favorite Christmas movies, because we all know it begins and ends with Love, Actually, Die Hard, and It's a Wonderful Life…here's my list of favorite books. I have to admit that I'm as surprised as you may be about what stands out.

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HOLIDAY HEAD SPACE

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HOLIDAY HEAD SPACE

A lazy morning on the couch, waiting for the Packers game to start. Cup of coffee, fireplace roaring (hey, it's almost 50 degrees), dogs sleeping on the floor. I don't particularly like the Patriots but I like that they're beating Buffalo, just because I still see them as the underdog. Obviously, I don't feel the same about the Bears beating the Browns. Or the Jets, for that matter.

FEVER DREAMS

FEVER DREAMS

I woke up with the stomach flu yesterday. Still have it. Banished to the guest bedroom so I don't get Callie sick. The mattress isn't firm enough so I couldn't get comfortable. Spent the night tossing and turning, waking up every hour. David Cassidy's "I Think I Love You" played over and over in my head. Why? Who knows with fever dreams. It could just have been ABBA or John Denver, which would be equally confounding.

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THE ARC OF ORION

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I stood in my backyard last night. Just before 1 a.m. It wasn't meant to be a symbolic moment. In truth, I was just letting the dogs out to pee before calling it a night. But in the crisp darkness and 50 degree temperature I call California-cold, I looked up at the sky and saw the three bright diagonal stars of Orion's belt blazing just above. Ptolemy named Orion one of the original 48 constellations back in the 2nd Century. Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Each is more than 1,200 light years away. I traced the asterism known as Sword of Orion, dangling straight down from the belt. If you know where to look, there is also Betelgeuse and the shoulders and the shape of a great hunter.

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FANTASY

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FANTASY

If you've got a fantasy football team that title means a very different thing than most who don't. I should actually change it to "agony," because that's what's happening with my team right now. Injuries, off days, and an amazing level of unpredictability have rendered this season a horror show. Thus I search for other outrageous hopes and dreams — fantasies, if you will — to come true.