Labor Day Breakfast

7 September 2026: Really wonderful to start the day with breakfast at Hannah, Cory, and Theo's. Good food, cool cats, two of my best friends, and their super-fun baby? What more could I ask for?

250th...

4 July 2026: Spent the day with some of my favorite people. Home by late afternon just in time for some big storms to roll through and break the heat. Nice to have the windows open after days...

Best breakfast dates...

17 May 2026: Met Cory, Hannah, and Theo at Tudor's this morning for a breakfast date. Hard to think of a better way to start the day! 

Paranormal Activity

7 February 2026: Had a great time this afternoon with Tim, Kevin, Hannah, and Cory. After a really delicious lunch in Rockville, we headed to DC to see Paranormal Activity, a new, original play that doesn't have much in common with the film except its focus on a haunted couple and their home. I think this is the first "horror" play I've ever seen (though scenes in certain plays have certainly scared me in the past). Pretty cool experience!

Still in the midst of these very busy (and very cold!) days, it felt great to just do something fun and different with four of my favorite people. 

Buddy Birthday Lunch

13 August 2025: Best part of the day? Having a birthday lunch with Hannah at Kome. Hard to decide which gift I love more: the winter hat that Cory made for me or the little picture of Theo in his Yankee outfit that I hung right on my fridge. 

Theodore...

27 April 2025: Baby Theodore arrived last night. And wow: does our world need this little boy, born to two of the finest people I know. Even before he got here, he has given me (and everyone who loves his parents) such hope and joy. 

Baby Shower!

8 March 2025: Just an absolute joy to attend Hannah and Cory's baby shower today. I am so excited for this little baby boy to arrive; he's already brought such joy and hope to my world and he's not even here yet. 

Day in Rockville

6 July 2024: Spent almost all day today just hanging out with Tim, Kevin, Hannah, and Cory in Rockville. You know you are among good friends when just talking, playing dumb games, and laughing makes eight hours fly by before you know it. 

Flying Cows!

14 April 2024: Cory's company did some free design work for the new basketball team in Frederick, so he had some free tickets and invited me to join him and Hannah. It was a blast. And they won!

Dinner and a show...

29 March 2024: Thanks to my rapidly-improving health, I was able to end this long, difficult week on a high note: dinner with Tim, Kevin, Cory, and Hannah followed by the Rude Mechanicals' opening night performance of Lysistrata. Just a perfect evening. 

Oscar Party!

10 March 2024: Cory and Hannah came over to watch the Oscars and it was such a blast. Just so lucky to have them as friends. 

Labor Day Weekend Hang...

3 September 2023: Very lucky to spend most of today at Tim and Kevin's, just hanging out with them and Cory and Hannah. We never need to "do" much: have a meal (Tim always kills at that part), sit and visit, tell stories, and just laugh and laugh. Excellent way to spend the dya. 

Kinky Boots

18 February 2023: For Christmas, Tim and Kevin got tickets for all of us (them, me, Hannah, and Cory) to see Kinky Boots at the Olney Theater. We had lunch first, which was amazing (the food and the company). The show was great, too. Carpooled with the kids and treated them to some Dairy Queen treats when we got back, which made it and end-to-end perfect time. 

Smile

8 October 2022: Saw a movie in the theater for the first time in months, joining Hannah and Cory in Winchester to see Smile (which was fun and dumb and scary enough). Afterwards, we had lunch and just talked and laughed. Perfect way to spend a big chunk of the afternoon--even with big old stacks of work waiting at home. 

Dinner at Hannah and Cory's

3 September 2022: Got to spend yesterday evening at Hannah and Cory's--along with Tim and Kevin. Still feeling a bit under the weather at times (yet testing negative) but for those hours I was there, I felt just terrific. (Started coughing near 10:00, but what can you do?)

Pumpkin carving...

 23 October 2020: Carved a pumpkin for the first time (I think?) since my senior year of college. Happy to have done it outside on a warm-ish autumn night with two of my favorite people six feet away. Add some Chinese take-out, smores over the fire-pit, and some dumb movies and it was a perfect night.

National Book Festival, 2018

[Catch-up post]

1 September 2018: Some lines that stood out to me at this year's Book Festival:

Tayari Jones:

• "Who am I now versus who I was seven years ago?" 
• "What happens when people are forced to make choices they should never have to make?"
• "How much of yourself do you devote to a relationship and how much do you hold back for your dreams?"

Min Jin Lee:

• "I had no intention of writing this book." 
• "What is it like to forgive people who hated you?"

Tracy K. Smith:

• "Poems bring unlikely language to things deep within us."
• Poets "go to the wrong context to get the right feeling."

Robert Hass:

• "Poetry is the place where you wake up to yourself."

Celeste Ng:

• We should be "advocates for empathy."
• Books "open spaces for ambiguity."

And I got to hang with this great crew again. 

Movie night!

3 August 2018:

[Catch-up post]

Hannah, Cory, and I decided to re-watch two of our favorite films from last year, Phantom Thread and Call Me By Your Name. When it came to dining options, rather than leaning into the theme and keeping it classy, we veered in the opposite direction. So the theme was “watch beautiful movies featuring beautiful people in beautiful places wearing beautiful clothes while you eat trash food.” It was gosh-darn delightful. Not pictured: Domino’s pizza. Oh, and us.

So long, Pittsburgh...

3 June 2018:

One last stop (at the top of the Duquesne Incline) before heading home. It was a great trip.

More Pittsburgh...

2 June 2018:

[Catch-up Post]

A great day in Pittsburgh. Some silly photo highlights...

With Cory at the Warhol Museum.

Tim and Kevin stealing the show at the Warhol.

Being ridiculous in front of the Willie Stargell statue at PNC Park.