I was trying to sleep last night, it was a rare windless night, so every little sound in and out of the house set off my tribe of dogs. We have a guest, so that could mean someone in another room flipping a light switch or closing a door. It was garbage night, so it could also mean a neighbor wheeling out their week’s haul for the next morning’s pickup. Or it could be inexplicable whistling noises followed by coyote howls, as the case may be. The heat wasn’t anything that was genuinely stifling, but without the normal breeze to push some of the cooler night air through the house, it was definitely warmer than we were used to and it made it just that much harder to sleep. (more…)

After feeling sort of uncentered for the last several years, I feel like I’ve started to get some direction. I mean, in day to day life, it’s not like I sit in a corner rocking back and forth and moaning or something, but I’ve missed a sort of “big picture” sense of my past connecting to my present connecting to my future. (more…)

We’ve already settled with GEICO, a surprisingly hassle-free process. I guess it could be said that rather than learning any new lessons about the fragility of life or suddenly sprouting a new appreciation for the people and things around me, I’ve managed to learn that my insurance company is pretty good. That’s not nothing. (more…)

I’m still trying to figure out the meaning of the whole accident thing. I’ve come up with “don’t have deer run in front of you while you’re driving at freeway speeds,” which seems pretty strong, and by reading a lot of fortune cookies, I’ve come up with some other whoppers like, “Life is short,” and “Live every day to the fullest.” Inspiring, no? (more…)