Author Archives: chick

Actor James Van Der Beek died this month at age 48. He was a good-looking, talented, and seemingly decent guy, and his death strikes me as yet another example of how unfair the world is. Why should he be taken … Continue reading →

This is the coldest, snowiest winter we’ve had in a long time. There’s been snow on the ground for weeks (over a month, my Mom says. I haven’t been keeping track, but I’ll take her word for it). Every few … Continue reading →

The funeral for my father-in-law was awful in all the ways that funerals always are. It was also my first time being in the receiving line. I’d tried to beg off, but my sisters-in-law wouldn’t let me, so I had … Continue reading →

Watching as much TV as I have lately, I’ve seen a lot of commercials. Notably, there’s an AT&T commercial starring Luke Wilson in which he says, “When you’ve been around [as long as AT&T], you can spot a hustle a … Continue reading →

I went shopping on the Sunday afternoon before Christmas. I was still bleary-eyed and emotionally wrung-out, barely able to concentrate, but I needed to pick up some things at the store. So there I was at Target, walking down one … Continue reading →

Last year, after my father-in-law’s funeral, I asked my boss if I could take back the PTO days I’d used for Christmas week and replace them with bereavement time. I felt a little icky asking but also justified. Losing a … Continue reading →