This year we enjoyed an immensely satisfying Thanksgiving, filled with a harmonious family of 28 with ages ranging from 2 months to 85 years old, representing 4 different generations. We hosted the event at our house, and I had adopted two tricks that my mother had used for large groups. I listed a chore on…
Read MoreIn my second year of medical school, I subscribed to an odd little periodical called “Disease-a-Month,” basically a Cliff Notes for the aspiring doctor. Each month the bright yellow pamphlet would provide a summary of the most salient facts about a particular ailment: diabetes, asthma, hypertension, etc. One day, I was surprised to open the…
Read MoreA couple of years ago we decided to break the pattern of our holiday celebrations, unchanged for the past 25 years. Instead of traipsing from one suburb to the next to touch bases with as many family members as possible, we decided that the four of us would take off on a family vacation where…
Read MorePrior and subsequent chapters are posted in the murder mystery category. I met Penny at a Starbuck’s near the dreary complex of cinder block dorms at SantaTeresaUniversity. On the phone, her baby doll voice made her sound like a timid child. But in person this was one tough chick, heavily tattooed with multiple piercings…
Read MoreIntroduction One of the anticipatory pleasures of summer vacation is lining up your reading. Generally, I like to consider different categories fitting different moods and times of day. You can always tote work with you on vacation, but let’s be honest here, this is generally for show only and you just won’t get to it. …
Read MoreAs an anatomic pathologist, I am frequently in a dilemma when asked what kind of work I do. For non-physicians the answer almost invariably requires further explanation. Sometimes I include the explanation all in one breath, “I’m a pathologist. We do autopsies and analyze anything that is removed at surgery, like an appendix or a…
Read MoreMy father began to contemplate retirement in the early 1980s, and thought computers might be a suitable focus for his newly acquired free time. When Nick spotted a computer seminar, we thought that this would be the perfect introduction. As the speaker tried to explain the difference between RAM and ROM, I could see that…
Read MoreOne day I was sitting in the kitchen as my mother arrived from the grocery store and starting unloading groceries, as she had probably done almost once every day for at least 30 years. But she hummed and there was a joyous zip to her step. She suddenly turned to me and said in a…
Read More1: No As we headed out on our bike ridewe were suddenly accompanied by an uninvited dog. We got off and tried to shoo him home, but he didn’t move. I clearly did not want a tag along dog – we were headed out on a long ride, around a lake and between two mountains,…
Read MoreAs I passed by a pool filled with kids on a muggy day, I realized that they were playing the game Marco Polo. I had played this game as a kid, but thought it was perhaps a faddish or very local thing, but here it was again a generation later. Marco Polo is an aquatic…
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