I was reminded tonight of one of my first 'real' jobs in high school. I was one of, I don't recall exactly, perhaps ten or so locals who were selected to be sandwich artists at the very first Subway to arrive to my hometown. We were interviewed and selected amidst plywood, power tools and tarp, as the …
Tag: Travel
Shoe scuffs
I travelled nearly halfway across the country last week to sit on the end of a wooden bench in a shoe-scuffed middle school gym alongside a dozen middle school girls basketball players. Am I crazy? I should start by being honest; while I loved the sport, I was never that good of a player. My …
The Top 12
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 …
Places you travel 9.5 hours to see
In case your Monday needed a visual boost.
The Notorious Nomad Settles
I'm just, just getting resettled in Chicago. Blogging right now is a little risky. Anything I write sets me up for a definite (and now public) whoa, that's really what you thought? or a little did you know...a few weeks down the road.But I'm blogging anyway. Here's why:I was trying to get on the 'L' (the train) the other day …
Precancerous Moles
I am going to tell you about one of my favorite kids at camp this summer. Not that I had favorites. I will call him Henry. I thought Henry was a bit of a punk. Not that I ever think such things of campers. It might've been the way he dressed. Possibly? He wore a graphic …
Elevation: 9,620 Feet
When you try to run at an elevation of 9,620 feet, your heart will thud against the confines of your chest with such aggression that your entire body will rattle. All of your muscles, from your calves up, will clench, demanding an answer for the unpleasantries through gritted teeth (if muscles had such things). You will not, …
One veto allowed.
When my sister came home from Africa, it was like going on vacation. A constant party. Brunch. College. A night out on the town...every night. But really. We were reunited partners in crime, her and I. World, you oughta watch out, we said. We know how to have to fun. Relatively speaking. (Chicago friends, quit …
40 Flavors of Mamma’s Best
I'm doing a little bit of go-between these days. I'm committed to being home this winter (I wanted to say 'spring,' but let's be real, unless I leave in June, winter.), but I still have a (rather notable) piece of me in Chicago.This last weekend was testimony to this; my trip East involved seeing my dishes …
