When the Windows of the Bus Get All Foggy on the Inside
On rain, finally. With my coat sleeve, I wiped away the condensation so I could look out and see the weather.
Everything
On going forward. On Election Day, I took my son on a picnic. It was 70-something degrees out—not typical November weather here at all, but I thought we...
Cape Cod National Seashore
On the ocean. Sometimes, when I am trying to get the baby to sleep, I will play him “The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore.” I thought about this last...
Aurora Borealis
On fleeting things I have this very specific memory, from when I was in high school, of this fucking ridiculous Jeep on big lifted Monster Truck wheels in...
Seeded Grapes
On answers. It’s the way they’re supposed to be, but I hadn’t considered it until I ate one of the grapes, a stray rolling around at the bottom of my...
Oysters
On polite fictions. Someone asked what I’d been most excited to eat post-pregnancy, and I realized I hadn’t gotten oysters yet. So, we went out early to get...
Tomato Season
On abundance. When I was in my teens and early twenties, I worked at a flower shop in the evening after school and daily into the summer. Throughout the...
3:00 a.m.
On sleep (and not) If you’re around to see 3:00 a.m., you’ve gotten up for some reason or been awake all night. Both are unpleasant in their own right. It is...
Having a baby
On best-laid plans. Programming note: Hi, everybody! I’m back and semi-unretired for the rest of my actual work leave. Expect a new Enthusiasms in your inbox...
Being Pregnant
On the past nine months. Programming note: Enthusiasms is going on leave! I am taking off the rest of June and July and aiming to be back in August (maybe...
Photos from my Birthday(s)
On occasions. There have been worse birthdays. C. got Covid this week, which meant a lot of plans were canceled—but we still managed to get a cake and...
Watching WWE
On a good neighbor. You can see the room where Mario would watch TV from our backyard. In the winter, it would just be the blue glow from the screen through...
Taking an L
On admitting defeat. My brain has felt very smooth lately, I have to admit. For example, on Monday, I left my home with the express purpose of running an...
Cats, Part 2
On good company. C. has been away for a conference, so it’s just been me and the cats all week. It’s a bit funny, being right here on the cusp of probably...
Allergy Season
On muddling through. My eye is so watery lately, is a thought I have each spring, a perennial mystery to be solved. One of the big oak trees in my...
When All the Trees are In Bloom
On returning. During the spring of 2020, I read somewhere that dinosaurs ate magnolia blossoms. I didn’t really care to verify it—one of those things that...
Solar Eclipse
On the cosmos. Programming note: Hey, what the hell! These keep not sending out as expected! Here’s an unintentionally late edition of Enthusiasms for your...
Gay Easter Parade in New Orleans, Louisiana
On miracles. I caught a fistful of beads—with my left hand, no less—before they flew past and hit someone else in the face. French Quarter Journal/Melanie...
Getting Caught in the Rain
On being prepared. Shit, I thought, looking at the blue-grey clouds rolling in. Left my umbrella at home. Rain Landscape, Wassily Kandinsky/Wikimedia Commons...
Daylight Saving Time
On the future. Because of the time change, the sun was blasting right in my face. Going west on the Pike, riding the bus home from work. On top of that, one...
