I’ve only had two eye exams in my adult life. One was around 15 years ago when I thought I had scratched my eye (it was fine), and the other was last Wednesday. Two factors combined to inspire the visit: One, I recently renewed my driver’s license, and some of the letters were a bit … Read more
Three years ago today, I said goodbye to my treasured cat companion, Biddy. I think about Biddy on any given day, but especially today and other special occasions. Today also happened to be Labor Day in the US, and I realized something that brought me a lot of joy despite the heartbreak of Biddy being … Read more
For the first time ever, I’m writing this blog as I lay almost fully reclined on the floor. It isn’t comfortable, but it will do for the next few paragraphs. On Thursday night, I lifted the lid to our recycling bin with my left hand, and I felt a twinge in my lower back. It … Read more
I recently wrote a brief comparison of houses vs condos, both of which with various pros. However, there are three smaller things I’ve come to appreciate about our new house, and I’m still learning about a few of them. Our house has a central vacuum system built into the walls. Instead of carrying the vacuum … Read more
This is cross-posted on the Stonemaier Games website, but it leans towards personal, so I thought I would share it here too. *** I made a huge intentional shift in my life in 2011. I’m now 45 years old, and looking back I realize how distinctly different my life was before and after my 30th … Read more
Last year we learned of a need at the World Bird Sanctuary for an owlet aviary designed from the ground up. The concept is that there is an adult owl at WBS, Archimedes, who cannot be released to the wild and happens to be really good at raising owlets so that they can thrive when … Read more
I’ve lived in apartments and condos for 25 years (from 2001 to 2026). For the first time since my childhood, I now live in a house and am preparing to try to sell my condo, so today I thought I would reflect on the perks of houses vs condos. House We have full ownership and … Read more
A few weeks ago, we bought a house. We weren’t moving far–just a 15-minute drive, still in St. Louis–but it still meant packing up everything we owned from our small condo and getting it over to the new place, whether by car or in the hands of the movers. The movers, by the way, were … Read more
I’ve known for a while that this day would come: The current recommended age for a man’s first colonoscopy is 45, so I signed up after my annual checkup and underwent the procedure last week. Overall, the experience was entirely fine. It was certainly different than anything I’ve done before (mostly in terms of the … Read more
Megan and I are dabbling with the idea of moving somewhere within St. Louis. As fun as it is to look at Zillow and visit open houses to discover what we value in a home, I’m finding one piece of the puzzle particularly difficult to navigate: How to find the ideal neighborhood for us, down … Read more