Whenever I visit my sisters, with their kids, there’s usually a time of day when the kids fall apart and become complete basket cases. More often than not, the problem requires nothing more than a little food and, if it’s really bad, some sleep. Funny how life as an adult really is no different. For as much […]
I can sustain a hard-driving pace for a long time and perform really well. I actually kind of thrive on it. In part, I think it’s because the push to get something done under pressure — and then getting it done well — is enormously satisfying to me (even more so if I happen to get praise from […]
Just working. A lot. (Topped 80 hours last week; am on track to do it again this week.) Which means I’m in survival mode, cutting out everything optional in the interest of sleep. But don’t worry, I’m taking notes on things to write about when my life goes back to normal and I have all […]
The George Washington Masonic Memorial is an impressive landmark that’s hard to miss — it towers over the city of Alexandria, Virginia, on a hill at the edge of Old Town. The main entrance leads into a hall heavy with the sense of its own monumentalness, full of columns and too much black marble. If […]
The saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” seems particularly apt right now. This week was incredibly busy and now, looking back, I find that I have no good stories to tell. It was plenty interesting to me while I was going through it, but to an outside ear, the narrative is […]
This weekend I had the great pleasure of welcoming mon père to Washington, DC. He had spent the past week up in Aberdeen, Maryland, attending a series of lectures and courses about biological and chemical agents that can be weaponized (he’s a civilian public health official at an Air Force base out West, with particular […]
Tonight I had five people from church over for a little dinner party. Every few months the ward coordinates these small-group dinners: They pass the sign-up sheet around, and I indicate whether I want to host, how many people I can accommodate, and what my views are on children. The person in charge then sends me the contact information for […]
Miss Waterhouse’s high school students are nothing if not persistent. Remember how I was the focus of a recent session of show-and-tell? Well, according to the latest news out of Denver, I was again a trending topic during discussions about a possible trip to New York. Apparently, when it comes to must-see sights, I rank right up there with the Statue of Liberty, Broadway and Ground Zero. (This arrangement […]
Summer is over and the theatre season has begun! It officially started for me tonight with the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s brand-new production of The Heir Apparent — David Ives’ new translation of Jean-François Regnard’s 1708 comedy Le Légataire Universel. It’s the first play in the STC’s 25th Anniversary season. Translation? Well, not exactly. I think […]
This morning I got to the gym and my trainer greeted me with a declaration along the lines of “There comes a time in a young man’s life when he is confronted with an epic challenge. The manner in which you approach this challenge will determine the quality of your character for the rest of your […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 