docendo disco, scribendo cogito
Upon attending the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of Schuman's Symphony No. 9 (Le fosse Ardeatine) in February, I learned something very interesting, at least to me. That thing, the concept that I learned, took me by surprise as I listened to the explanation of the eerie, minor-keyed symphony. It involves the etymology of the word... Continue Reading →
I can't say I'll miss this year. Not because it has been bad - it hasn't - but because I'm ready for a few changes. I want to be more true to myself. Is that so much to ask? No more trying to be a redneck. No more trying to be part of either political... Continue Reading →
Imagine a happy, classic American family: two parents, Reagan and Roosevelt(Rosy for short) Washington, two kids, Liberty and Unity, and a dog and maybe a cat. Let's go ahead and put a goldfish and a guppy in a tank on the bar between the kitchen and dining room. One kid is in dance and the... Continue Reading →
After a long therapeutic ride, Reagan returned home to find that everyone had gone to bed. The kids were asleep and Rosy may as well have been. He climbed into his side of the bed and drifted off into a fitful, restless sleep. The next afternoon Rosy texted him and invited him to dinner. She... Continue Reading →
Over time, as the parents aged and the kids matured, the groove became more of a rut. They never felt it change though. Reagan found himself feeling less a part of the family, as the girls seemed to do their own thing so often and have more of a connection with Rosy. Rosy was receiving... Continue Reading →
One of the, if not the, greatest days of any of the Washingtons' lives was the day the adoption was finalized. It was two days after Easter. The air was still cool in the mornings but the warmth of the sun was beginning to show up in the afternoons. The trees and the grasses were... Continue Reading →
Adopted. Some people ignorantly attach a stigma to that word. Unity doesn't though. She was born at an early age to her natural mom and mom's boyfriend at the time. One August day when she was around 5 years old, her mom dropped her off in the morning at the Playworld to be picked up... Continue Reading →
In order to truly grasp the effect of that September Day when Unity was taken away, a deeper understanding of the Washingtons is essential. Perhaps a good starting place would be to put the Rolling Stones' song "Sympathy for the Devil," in a mashup with "Life in the Fast Lane" by the Eagles. Who knows... Continue Reading →
They shared a room - Liberty and Unity. In a 1600 square foot white frame house on P Street in a northeastern U.S. neighborhood, they weren't wealthy but they weren't poor. Mom and Dad provided all they needed and a little more. Mom (Rosy) was always the generous one, giving them some of anything she... Continue Reading →
