How do you begin to process a year of life? By looking through thousands of low-resolution cell phone photos, apparently. I leave 2015 with an odd feeling in my stomach and a lot to think about. It wasn't as though it was all perfect. But amidst so much hardship in our world, I feel uncomfortably grateful. …
Los especialistas
There were so many shadows, it was as if the moon was shining down on trees. This time, though, the countless lines and shapes on the dirt--spilling one on top of the other, indistinguishable--were not from the jungle, but from unfinished building beams, windows without glass, plastic chairs and bricks and a red sofa with a sinking middle cushion. The …
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I'm living in Lancaster, PA, now. It's no secret that I have a moving disorder that requires I pack my things and transport them someplace else every 6 months. So please don't feel bad if you're behind. Just come visit me. I work at a theatre where I share a cozy office with the director of my department. …
A brush full of paint
I walked into Menard's today and I wanted to die. Have you been there recently? These places are huge. With all that space they should at least grow something. Raise some livestock. Start an indoor herb garden. But just to sell things when farmland is at such a premium? What sort of strategic planning is …
That crooked nook
I feel pressured. Sometimes my brain crawls into this odd crooked nook where paper becomes empty canvas. When I arrive here, I find it feels better, best even, to extract thoughts and opinions from the secret space in my head and to throw them onto the blank board (also known as Word Doc). To pull out useless thinking and twist the thoughts …
4,000 Miles (Almost)
“A year from now we’ll all be gone all our friends will move away And they’re goin to better places But our friends will be gone away...” ---rivers and roads from the head and the heart When you drive four thousand miles (almost) in less than one month, you assume that, somewhere in one of seven …
Things I learned in February
Cold is cold, is cold, is cold. The sun does not shine in Feburary, but that does not mean life cannot be bright. Your eyes are the blue the sky does not have and every time you hold my hand it is like a hug after a long day--a hug squeezing, squeezing, squeezing my palm, …
Top of the World
The fear of falling thousands of feet. The fear of being attacked by an angry mob of deadly wasps. The fear of a twelve-inch needle. The fear of being buried alive. Of tornados. Of rats. Of spiders. Of snakes. Oh, how life has its share of scary. Yet, somehow, these fears all pale in comparison to one: The …
Welcome to the Safari
Breath in, breath out. Black glove, grey door handle. Brown boots, white snow. Shuffle, not walk. Slosh, slosh, slosh, steps squish-squash; I’m Vanessa-style skating through mud and snow. Breath in, breath out. Black glove, black door handle. Snow-covered boots, water-covered entry. Children, not adults. Little people 90% winter clothing and 10% body weight; I’m Stephen …
Christmas Letter 2014: A Filterer’s Review
If you had a conversation with me in the last 1-3 years, you may have experienced the following: (1) I asked you a question immediately. i.e. "Jane! How are you? Tell me about your life!" (2) I answered your question with a question. i.e. "Hi Vanessa, how are you?" "Jane! How are you? Tell me about your life!" …
