When It All Came Together, and It All Fell Apart

Dearest Rachel – I’ve been meaning to write you on this topic for some time, although I’ve always rather hesitated about doing so. It’s always seemed both bigger than I can cover in a single post (although I don’t seem to have a problem with a couple thousand words about what happened the weekend beforeContinue reading “When It All Came Together, and It All Fell Apart”

Never Insult a Customer?

Dearest Rachel – You might remember the “Dirty Knife Sketch” from Monty Python’s Flying Circus (honestly, this is one of those things where I’m going to have such a hard time finding a ‘Megumi’ with a comparable sense of humor to yours. Between these guys and the Three Stooges, you were such a rare birdContinue reading “Never Insult a Customer?”

Righteous But Ribald

Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure where to begin with this particular topic; it feels almost awkward to bring up, let alone explain what brought it to mind. Then again, I could argue that the way we would spend Saturday mornings make this topic the most natural thing to discuss every now and again. ButContinue reading “Righteous But Ribald”

Sometimes There’s A Reason

Dearest Rachel – There are people who have made their careers making fun of the stupid things that others do, say and, particularly in this case, ask. MAD Magazine’s late Al Jaffee (would you know if he’s up there with you? Would you recognize him if he was?) had his collections of “Snappy Answers to StupidContinue reading “Sometimes There’s A Reason”

Well, Ain’t This a Crock

Dearest Rachel – Even before you had to go, I’d been known to say that misadventures make for the best stories. They aren’t fun when you’re in the middle of them, but some of the ‘best’ (if you can call them that) ones make for uproarious tales, at least in retrospect. Most of them have to doContinue reading “Well, Ain’t This a Crock”

“Hello, Caller Number Fifty…?”

Dearest Rachel – It generally begins just as I’m about to leave the house these days, sometimes while I’m eating breakfast (which alarms me more because the phone is liable to wake Daniel), sometimes while I’m showering, sometimes while I’m getting dressed. But since it’s the only way to get rid of the interruption withoutContinue reading ““Hello, Caller Number Fifty…?””

Funnier in My Head

Dearest Rachel – In some ways, last night had to have involved one of the more stereotypical dreams that I’ve ever had; it involved getting up in front of a crowd and speaking. but once you get into the details, it gets a little bit less conventional. That’s because I had been asked to doContinue reading “Funnier in My Head”

The Return of Samurai Dan

Dearest Rachel – For all that I’ve talked about the atmosphere surrounding the convention, I haven’t told you anything about the actual scheduled events. Part of that is because, even when we were attending these things together, we were rarely all that concerned about the panels, the guests, the screenings and all the other scheduledContinue reading “The Return of Samurai Dan”

No Sense in Going Back

Dearest Rachel – Last night’s dreams were mostly scattered fragments, with very little to them to allow me to remember and relate to you, even these few minutes after waking up. The couple of bits I do remember seem hardly worth telling you about either, except that by that very nature, they form a minorContinue reading “No Sense in Going Back”

More Memories of Hugs

Dearest Rachel – After telling you about Daniel and his efforts to carry on your legacy of embracing others for various worthy reasons, I had other thoughts and memories on the subject, but decided that they merit a separate letter, so as not to distract from the good he was and is doing in followingContinue reading “More Memories of Hugs”

Glitches, Botches, Dreams and Reality

Dearest Rachel – For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been watching several new channels that I’m sure you would’ve appreciated were you still around, hanging out with us in the family room while YouTube was running in the background. We started looking for such channels after watching a video essay on the concept itself,Continue reading “Glitches, Botches, Dreams and Reality”

The Payoff

Dearest Rachel – After pondering last night’s dream, I found myself wondering about how, exactly, I would be expected to make good on such a wager in the first place. For that matter, for the other guy – whoever the heck he was – to even expect me to do so would have required himContinue reading “The Payoff”

The Twelfth Pain

Dearest Rachel – I remember your calling me at some point while I was at the ‘office’ last year on this day. “Do you know what’s going on in Washington?” To be sure, I was keeping up with the news feed, but there’s always a lag between the activity and the written word describing it;Continue reading “The Twelfth Pain”

If You Laugh at Different Comics…

…If you root for different teams,Waste no time, weep no more,Show him what the door is for.Rub him out of the roll callAnd drum him out of your dreams. Oscar Hammerstein II, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair”, South Pacific (1949) Dearest Rachel – I mentioned before about the fact that thereContinue reading “If You Laugh at Different Comics…”

If You’re Looking for Devils

Dearest Rachel – When I was a freshman in high school, I think it was our youth group that went to another church where there was a presentation about the evils of rock music. I heard it all there: the ‘fact’ that the Eagles’ Hotel California album featured Anton LeVay head of the church ofContinue reading “If You’re Looking for Devils”