Jessica and I went to the beach for our annual summer vacation. Jessica was under the impression that beach vacations included actual activities. But despite our slight difference in priorities, we had a wonderful time. ### My collection of travel stories, Travels with Jessica, is now available! Kindle and paperback here; other ebook formats here….

There was a time when all the editors I worked with knew I was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and so they were all slightly afraid of me. I miss those days. ### My collection of travel stories, Travels with Jessica, is now available! Kindle and paperback here; other ebook formats here. And…

So you know that I have been trying very hard to learn how to relax, which isn’t easy WHEN THE FATE OF THE FREE WORLD DEPENDS ON YOU, or at least, you know, someone has to buy the groceries around here. It is a curious fact of my life how often these two things feel…

At the coffee shop, two young women who’ve recently completed their freshman year of college are comparing notes and talking about what they’ll be doing in the fall. Then they move on to a discussion about applying for study abroad programs that will take place in their junior year, and one of them says, “It’s…

The first one comes in the fall of Jessica’s junior year, a letter from the admissions office of Kansas State University. I don’t immediately recognize what it is. Once I do, for a moment hope flaps its vain and tinsel wings. Maybe it’s true. Maybe my daughter can go to college, and get a great…