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”
Tag Archives: writing
Proof of Concept
Dearest Rachel – I’ve concluded that there’s no way that I’m going to be able to tell you everything about my upcoming trip in so many words; pictures are going to be necessary, and perhaps moving pictures even more so. So between one thing and another, I’ve decided to put together short video letters to tellContinue reading “Proof of Concept”
And There Will Be Joy!
Dearest Rachel – I know that it was one of our favorite films, but do you remember the last words of the King of Florin? It’s a fairly obscure line in the midst of a scene that memorable for other reasons, but let me see if I can’t refresh your memory (there’s a lot going onContinue reading “And There Will Be Joy!”
Unfinished Thoughts
Dearest Rachel – Most of the time, when I’m writing you, I find that I need to do so all at one sitting. Which makes sense; if I’m writing you every day, I need to have a certain amount of time set aside every day to do so, so why not finish the job duringContinue reading “Unfinished Thoughts”
The Challenge of Storytelling
Dearest Rachel – It happens so much less often these days – especially during busy seasons, such as the impending Christmas holidays – that you would think I would have plenty to tell you about when the girls come over. But it doesn’t seem to work out that way in practice. To be fair, whileContinue reading “The Challenge of Storytelling”
Someone Else’s Story, For a Change
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know what it is about me, but I seem to be the opposite of the human stereotype, when it comes to time and energy. I used to consider myself a morning person only out of necessity (or by default, as it was fairly obvious that I was never a nightContinue reading “Someone Else’s Story, For a Change”
from Rachel: To Be a Bride
Practice scripture memory by writing Isaiah 61:3 in the margin. “‘And provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty, instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, aContinue reading “from Rachel: To Be a Bride”
Sinking Leadership
Dearest Rachel – This is not a topic that would come up between us very often, but I know we would occasionally discuss the phenomenon when it would happen to us individually (and it usually did happen to us on an individual basis; as I describe it, you’ll understand why). We would be reading aContinue reading “Sinking Leadership”
Tinted Greys
Dearest Rachel – Much as I like to have it taken care of before I start in on the ‘real work’ of my day, unless I’ve had a dream I simply must tell you about before I forget it, writing you is rarely my first task of the day. And no, ‘tasks’ like opening myContinue reading “Tinted Greys”
To Frame the Events of the Day
Dearest Rachel – You might think that, after a day as unusual as yesterday (even for a Sunday), I would have so much to tell you about. And yet, I was dismayed to wake up this morning without a thought in my mind as to what to say to you – or really, to sayContinue reading “To Frame the Events of the Day”
Little Things in the Morning
Dearest Rachel – You’ve heard tell from me on one day or another about how I have so little to write to you, and that’s still quite true; in the nine hundred days since your departure, some of them have simply run together, and offered nothing in particular to set them apart in terms ofContinue reading “Little Things in the Morning”
The Treasure of Your Words
Dearest Rachel – So… later this afternoon, I head over to Jenn’s place and hop a ride with her and Bill to tonight’s wedding. I still have yet to try on a jacket, tie on a tie, and write a check to the happy couple as a gift (I’m not one for shopping, after all,Continue reading “The Treasure of Your Words”
Essay Test
Dearest Rachel – It’s something of an axiom these days to compare dating with a job interview, especially given the line of questioning one winds up dealing with under the guise of small talk. At least one comedian I know of has suggested that the only difference is that you’re much less likely to windContinue reading “Essay Test”
Dull Docket
Dearest Rachel – This letter may be shorter than most of the ones I’ve written to you lately (although you never know; I might be able to stretch it out into a thousand words all the same). I hope that’s okay with you. The thing is, there’s not much to tell you about today thatContinue reading “Dull Docket”
A Manga for This?
Dearest Rachel – Some days, when I’m recording what’s happening to me, in order to assemble it into a letter to send to you, I find myself distracted (if that’s the right word) by the events surrounding me. Granted, these are the very events that I’m trying to take in so as to tell youContinue reading “A Manga for This?”
Fahn-cy!
Dearest Rachel – On my first trip back to the hotel, after the opening ceremonies, and in order to check in, I passed by a number of cosplayers in the corridors, as to be expected of an anime convention. Most of them were either of the “ho-hum, I’ve seen them before an infinite number ofContinue reading “Fahn-cy!”
Fewer Words, but More than Speech
Dearest Rachel – There’s no particular reason for it; it isn’t as if the morning sky is particularly grey today, nor can I hear the impact of raindrops on the bedroom roof. It wasn’t that I stayed up particularly late last night, either, although I did find myself finishing a third batch of laundry atContinue reading “Fewer Words, but More than Speech”
Not What I Intended
Dearest Rachel – You just never know the sort of things that will stick with you; the smallest throwaway line heard in childhood may nestle in the back of your mind and serve as a guide from time to time whether you want it to or not. I don’t know how your parents kept youContinue reading “Not What I Intended”
Out Of Nowhere
Dearest Rachel – The thing about writing to you as opposed to a face-to-face conversation is that – apart from the unfortunate fact that I’m the only one doing the ‘talking’ here, of course – is that there’s a sort of unspoken requirement for everything to mesh into a coherent whole. An actual conversation canContinue reading “Out Of Nowhere”
Empty-Headed Morning
Dearest Rachel – After all but nodding off in front of the family room television last night at around ten, I did the sensible thing, and headed off to bed. So it shouldn’t come as any great surprise when I find myself awake at six, long before my routine kicks in and I prepare toContinue reading “Empty-Headed Morning”
Where Did I Expect to Be?
Dearest Rachel – I don’t have to keep track of the days; I just keep writing to you, and the computer does it for me. Just a few days ago, it sent me a notification, congratulating me on another anniversary on this site. Given what spurred me to start this, I’m not sure that IContinue reading “Where Did I Expect to Be?”
Behind the Purple Door
Dearest Rachel – Well, I mentioned in my last letter that there were topics that I can’t write about here in any detail – and then I proceeded to go into more detail than I thought possible, but only about the first two of them. And these weren’t even the ones that I actively avoidContinue reading “Behind the Purple Door”
Topics You’re Not to Talk About
Dearest Rachel – There are days when you hear me complaining about a lack of topics to talk to you about. Maybe nothing particularly notable happened (or is expected to happen) that day to fill you in on, or I’ve just crammed my head with a few hours of mindless entertainment while the boys hangContinue reading “Topics You’re Not to Talk About”
A Few Words About Kevin
Dearest Rachel – As I mentioned the other day, Kevin’s stepdad asked me to write a few words about him for his memorial service, whether I could attend or not. With that in mind, and seeing as it would probably be read about now, here is what I wrote: I’m not about to claim toContinue reading “A Few Words About Kevin”
Distance and Distraction
Dearest Rachel – I feel like I should feel worse about the situation regarding Kevin’s accident, but it’s not coming to me at this point. I haven’t been able to shed a single tear about him, and that rather upsets me. it just doesn’t seem right. And yet, I’m aware of many different things thatContinue reading “Distance and Distraction”
Other People’s Stories
Dearest Rachel – Ever since I mentioned the possibility of turning recordings of your voice into future conversation (and bemoaned the fact that I have more of Mohinder’s voice than yours), I’ve been reminded of recordings we’d planned – but never got the chance – to make. When Daniel was making plans to enroll atContinue reading “Other People’s Stories”
I Still Can Be Happy
Dearest Rachel – There’s a certain unfortunate bias in my letters to you. This is in part because I generally make a point of writing to you first thing in the morning. To a certain extent, this is so I can get the task out of the way, and get on with the rest ofContinue reading “I Still Can Be Happy”
Trying Not to Break the String
Dearest Rachel – I think it was somewhere between eight and nine o’clock that Lars called me last night, in part to wish me a happy new year, and also to decide what day this week to go walking together (for the record, we’re going tomorrow, as today is apparently threatening rain). At some pointContinue reading “Trying Not to Break the String”
Preoccupied With the Same Old Things
Dearest Rachel – I already wrote nearly a thousand words to you this morning, only to be forced to accept the fact that I could never post it as it was. It was the sort of dream that might be taken as a good omen had it been on New Year’s Day (although it containedContinue reading “Preoccupied With the Same Old Things”
When Nothing’s Happened Yet
Dearest Rachel – I have to assume that the concept of time is meaningless to you at this point. There is no night, as I understand it, since God Himself is everywhere, and lights up heaven wherever He is, so there is no differentiating between days, or even from any one point of time toContinue reading “When Nothing’s Happened Yet”
Tapped Out (for the Moment)
Dearest Rachel – There are days when the slightest thing can trigger a flood of memories for me to write you about. Like Marcel Proust going on for pages about the shape, texture, and mouthfeel of a madeleine cookie, there are days when I could write for ages on the smallest thing, if I feltContinue reading “Tapped Out (for the Moment)”
Cringe
Dearest Rachel – I woke up rather a bit too early this morning; while I wanted to get an earlier start on the day because of various errands I need to take care of, five a.m. is a bit too much. But upon attaining consciousness, my mind started rifling through various topics to write youContinue reading “Cringe”
If You Could Read My Mind…
Dearest Rachel – I think I’ve told you a couple of times about how easy it is to write by dictating to Siri. Rather than bothering to find every letter on the keyboard, I can just talk to her, and everything shows up pretty quickly thereafter. Sure, there are moments when I have to stopContinue reading “If You Could Read My Mind…”
A Message to the Newlyweds
Dearest Rachel – Believe it or not, I found myself dealing with a couple of dreams last night, both of which I thought you might as well hear about. To be sure, the first was a little more than an ironic bit of punishment visited upon some quack con man, but the whole concept behindContinue reading “A Message to the Newlyweds”
#NoFilter No More
Dearest Rachel – You may not believe this, but I do have some rules that I try to adhere to with these letters I write to you. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I try to aim for about a thousand words with each letter (give or take a few hundred); enough to giveContinue reading “#NoFilter No More”
A Million Words With You
Dearest Rachel – When I first started writing to you after your departure, I wondered how long it would take to get to this point. Well, that’s not entirely true. Originally, it hadn’t crossed my mind to try to actually send you a letter every day – I was thinking of trying to tell yourContinue reading “A Million Words With You”
How Soon Until We’d Notice?
Dearest Rachel – There’s an old children’s-level joke that asks whether heat or cold is the faster, with the punchline being ‘heat… you can catch cold.’ At the risk of Aunt Florencing the joke (you’ll recall the reference, but I may have to explain this one to everyone else), I remember from even the firstContinue reading “How Soon Until We’d Notice?”
The Enchanted Box
Dearest Rachel – It’s the kind of day that makes one not want to head outside. Oh, it’s not raining buckets like it was last year, when I found Chompers on the opposite side of the driveway, toppled over in his wheelchair in the gulley. It’s actually perfectly sunny outside; too much so, in fact.Continue reading “The Enchanted Box”
A Wish For Autonomy
Dearest Rachel – I know I used to joke about how many of their cars we could buy with the shares we owned in the company, but it was always a bit of a concern as to how for one could actually travel in a given day in a Tesla. Really, it’s a disadvantage thatContinue reading “A Wish For Autonomy”
Don’t Buy Dünderbeck a Hot Dog
Dearest Rachel – I confess to never having been a fan of love poetry; for one, it takes too much effort to cobble together something that fits meter and rhyme, and for the other, once assembled, it sounds cobbled together, slightly off and unnatural. As much as I enjoy the stories told by Shakespeare’s plays,Continue reading “Don’t Buy Dünderbeck a Hot Dog”
Nerd Prom
Dearest Rachel – It never fails. You’d think that the convention would fill up the entirety of the Hyatt, where everything is based out of (or at least was, back in the old days. Nowadays, I suppose the convention center proper is the real hub for all the goings-on). Considering that the event books upContinue reading “Nerd Prom”
Travelling in Only One Direction
Dearest Rachel – Lars asked me yesterday, as we were walking through the forest preserve by Oakton College and Beck Lake, how much I’ve been telling you about what’s going on in my life. He suggests I not tell you quite as much as I do, if only for the fast that there are otherContinue reading “Travelling in Only One Direction”
Not Quite, Forrest
Dearest Rachel – I woke up this morning to an orange glow covering my eyes. Now, this shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise: having gone to bed with a sleep mask on (because for whatever reason, the neighbors’ house has their backyard burglar light on all night, and it seeps into the bedroomContinue reading “Not Quite, Forrest”
Missing the Clicks
Dearest Rachel – I don’t mind telling you, now that I’m home relatively safe and sound, I find myself wondering what to write to you about such that I’ll get the kind of attention that I’ve had for the past week or two. I’m not going to make any secret of the fact that IContinue reading “Missing the Clicks”
Words, Words, Words
Lord Polonius: What do you read, my lord?Hamlet: Words, words, words. Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2 Words, words, words!I’m so sick of words!I get words all day throughFirst from him, now from youIs that all you blighters can do?! Eliza Doolittle, “Show Me.” from My Fair Lady, (1956) Dearest Rachel – As a matter ofContinue reading “Words, Words, Words”
Permission to Skip
Dearest Rachel – This may seem inappropriate, but I feel the need to address this. Less than a week ago, I admitted to you that there were times when I just didn’t feel inspired to write you, but did so nonetheless. Which, I suppose, resulted in what an editor (were I to have one) wouldContinue reading “Permission to Skip”
Not Feeling It
Dearest Rachel – As characters in our own dramas (or, more likely, sitcoms – has it ever occurred to anyone that those experiencing life within those sitcoms doesn’t find what’s happening to them to be funny? We are, as audience members, more likely than not laughing at their pain), we are generally oblivious to ourContinue reading “Not Feeling It”
Talking to Thin Air
Dearest Rachel – There are some days in which I have to confess I’m not all that motivated to write you these letters. Sometimes it’s that I’m distracted by other things that require me to respond to them, so I spend my writing energy on something – or someone – else, thus causing what IContinue reading “Talking to Thin Air”
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”
Parting Words
Dearest Rachel – I was leaving the ‘office’ the other day. Mom was out for physical therapy, I believe. So the house was quiet, and I slipped out the door, only to find myself realizing that I forgot something: I forgot to say goodbye to Dad before heading out. So I immediately ducked back inContinue reading “Parting Words”
Letters to Rachel 