Dearest Rachel – Lynda Barry, underground cartoonist and one of Matt Groening’s mentors and inspirations, once described love as “an exploding cigar we willingly smoke.” Considering your and my distaste for tobacco in the first place (although you might remember my claim that cigar smoke, in small doses, is redolent of childhood trips to WrigleyContinue reading “Walls of Meaningless Text”
Tag Archives: internet
The List We All Need To Make
Dearest Rachel – I don’t really need to tell you about all this, since I already did at the time (and basically in the moment – which means that the story I related over the course of several letters may have been clouded by my emotions at the time, for obvious reasons), but during thatContinue reading “The List We All Need To Make”
A Shabbat from the World
A Shabbat from the World – It would seem that the Shabbat includes a disconnection from electronic devices and the news. I don’t know how well I could do that, myself.
An Audience of One
Dearest Rachel – The other day, I got an email from someone, rather out of the blue, who had either been reading these letters or watching the videos I’ve been attaching to the ones I’ve sent you while I’ve been traveling; it wasn’t entirely clear to me as to which, since they referenced the channelContinue reading “An Audience of One”
Seeking Distractions
Dearest Rachel – Another morning dawns, and with it, the realization that I can’t have a day that passes for normal just yet. Woke up before two with a coughing jag, and took a little more medicine to allow me to go back to sleep, and managed to eke out another five hours worth, inContinue reading “Seeking Distractions”
Tuk-Tuk Temptation
Dearest Rachel – I don’t think of myself as a “car guy”; the idea of popping open the hood and messing around with a car’s engine does not appeal to me. I’m not one for getting my fingers dirty over a vehicle’s mechanical parts, nor do I relish the smell of any oil other thanContinue reading “Tuk-Tuk Temptation”
Answering the Door
Dearest Rachel – There are times when I think our tendency to answer the door (or the phone, for that matter) when it rings is a mistake born out of politeness. It’s common courtesy to respond to a knock on the door, or a ring of the doorbell; that’s why you have them. But itContinue reading “Answering the Door”
Off the Digital Wagon
Dearest Rachel – A couple of days ago, I started in on a letter to you about a recent discovery about myself and my reactions to those around me. I’ve gotten maybe a third of the way into it, and every time I re-read what I’ve written, I’m less and less sure if I canContinue reading “Off the Digital Wagon”
We Can’t Disconnect Completely
Dearest Rachel – For all that part of the appeal (at least for me, a non-fisherman) of this place – indeed, the entire island – was that it was a refuge cut off from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, you and I had difficulty going ‘cold turkey’ from it all. A weekContinue reading “We Can’t Disconnect Completely”
The Part You Used to Play
Dearest Rachel – So, yesterday was Mothers’ Day; the real one, not the early one we observed last week in order to celebrate with my mom, since we were going to be on the island this week. And with that having been said, I should mention that we made a point to head to theContinue reading “The Part You Used to Play”
Sleeping Through the Process
Dearest Rachel – After putting myself through a full-day fast last weekend (with an exception made for a can of coffee to get me through Sunday morning’s shift), I’ve made it through the entirety of this week below the two-fifteen line, and at least once a day at or below two-ten (although I still haven’tContinue reading “Sleeping Through the Process”
They’ve Stopped Making It
Dearest Rachel – It’s a silly little line that hits early on in A Charlie Brown Christmas, but it occasionally resonates with me for reasons I can’t quite pin down. The gang are catching snowflakes on their tongues as they fall around them (Lucy, fussbudget that she is, insists that she never engages in suchContinue reading “They’ve Stopped Making It”
Phone Book Paranoia
Dearest Rachel – I know a few people who are into the “true crime” genre of entertainment; heck, to a certain extent, I’ve started to follow a few YouTubers whose focus is in the genre (which – and I may have asked this of you in previous letters – I’d have been curious as toContinue reading “Phone Book Paranoia”
Where Are the IT Guys?
Dearest Rachel – I wouldn’t blame you if, at this point, you’d be wondering why I haven’t put together a recap of my first day in Mumbai, at least. I’ve been prompt enough with all the other places, now, haven’t I? Yeah, well… about that… It’s not that I don’t have the material, I promiseContinue reading “Where Are the IT Guys?”
The Great Firewall
Dearest Rachel – I think I’ve mentioned a couple of times about how, over the last couple of days, I haven’t been able to do all the work that I’d like to, or need to, because of limited Internet access. To be sure, “like” is a strong word for it, as I’m more than happyContinue reading “The Great Firewall”
Locked Out
Dearest Rachel – Really, it’s hard enough to get myself motivated to do actual work while I’m on this trip most days. Between the go-go-go of days that we’re in port, and the subsequent lethargy of sea days (compounded by having to deal with a restraining cold), I find myself dealing with a distinct lackContinue reading “Locked Out”
Just Another Clout-Chaser
Dearest Rachel – I wasn’t the one to bring it up to my dad when I visited him yesterday, but I’d already read the news item about the fellow when Dad broached the subject. Not that it should surprise me (although it did, since I assumed that most of the folks there would likely be myContinue reading “Just Another Clout-Chaser”
Publication Jitters
Dearest Rachel – When I first set this website up, and decided to write you daily letters, I found myself having to think long and hard about nearly every word that I wrote down. In fact, the first few letters were almost completely written out in longhand on paper before I ever committed anything to theContinue reading “Publication Jitters”
A Few More Drops Into the Deeps
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure you’d heard the phrases ‘dark web’ and ‘deep web’ from time to time before your departure; after all, you had majored in the computer sciences and we as a family tended to be more online than most people I know. Equally likely, you’d probably heard tell that those two concepts,Continue reading “A Few More Drops Into the Deeps”
Scamming God Himself
Dearest Rachel – Things have been rather quiet on the dating front these days; it’s been over a month since Grace and I went to church together, and while I’ve had a couple of conversations with others since then, nothing has really come of any of it. Obviously, this isn’t an ideal situation – I’mContinue reading “Scamming God Himself”
A String of Catfish
Dearest Rachel – You’ve heard from time to time about how I’ve been talking with people online, trying to make connections that could lead to a relationship in my search to find the mythical ‘Megumi,’ the second blessing to take over your role at my side. You’ve heard about the momentary promise I would findContinue reading “A String of Catfish”
The False Dichotomy of the Heroic Binary
Dearest Rachel – I know that has to sound to you like an absurdly pretentious title; you’d think it belongs on some psych or sociology major’s graduate thesis. I realize that I sometimes refer to these letters to you as ‘essays,’ but this is a little over-the-top. And that’s more than a fair assessment. TheContinue reading “The False Dichotomy of the Heroic Binary”
Fending Off the Flood
Dearest Rachel – You’re probably aware that I have this sort of open door policy towards social media. While I’m not about to set up a profile on Facebook, I exist on several other sites, and I’m willing to take friend requests from whoever asks. I don’t know who first said it, but the phraseContinue reading “Fending Off the Flood”
A Weekend in a Day
Dearest Rachel – It’s weird to realize how little of what I’d had lined up for this weekend would have happened were you still with me. It’s even stranger to realize how few of the plans that I thought I had actually managed to pan out. And yet, there was plenty else to rush inContinue reading “A Weekend in a Day”
Define ‘Temporary’
Dearest Rachel – At least it had nothing to do with the construction team. Shortly after noon on Friday, I had brought home lunch for Daniel and myself (well, since mine was a chorizo-and-egg burrito, it might been better characterized as ‘brunch’). We were hanging around in the dining/family room, surfing our various corners ofContinue reading “Define ‘Temporary’”
The Call of the Wired
Dearest Rachel – Back in the day, we used to bring our computers with us on these trips (just like we did when we went to the island) in order to entertain ourselves on certain slower days. In the early days, we had stuff on CDs, which we later swapped out for portable hard drivesContinue reading “The Call of the Wired”
Outage
Dearest Rachel – So, this evening, I had uploaded a video to YouTube to attach to a letter I was going to send to you regarding July Fourth and fireworks. I was working on the letter itself, and a few videos I’d taken from Saturday to add to the illustrations when… I could no longerContinue reading “Outage”
Yet Another Goodbye
Dearest Rachel – It seems the 2021 has been, is, and will be the year of losses for me. Your departure would’ve been more than enough to make it so, but of course there are all these littler ones that follow, or that are expected to follow. You’ve certainly heard plenty from me about Chompers;Continue reading “Yet Another Goodbye”
Letters to Rachel 