An inauspicious beginning
It’s hot, again. Brutally hot, again. “Like living in the convection-current animation from the as-seen-on-TV food dehydrator commercial” hot. Aaaaaaa-gain. We went to an outdoor concert last night and drank too much beer; …

Instead of working, I would like to:
Paint the wall I’ve meant to paint since I moved in seven months ago, which is in a state of decorating indecision as a result, since why hang anything …

The last few days, I’ve started to miss my old summer jobs — not the jobs themselves, but the mindlessness of them, the frank sweating, the clear boundaries, physically going and working with my hands …

Last night, we bowled. And when I say “we,” I mean about twenty people, and when I say “we bowled,” I mean we bowled the hell out of that alley — at one point, we …

There is a thing that happens in New York under unusual circumstances, a thing not widely understood outside the city. It’s not that we all pull together, exactly; it’s not that we get along better, …

Everyone has his or her own system of prying the old carcass out of bed in the morning. Mine involves careful placement of the alarm clock — not right next to the bed, but not …

Chapter 1: Vrrrrrrrroomba!
I get home from the post office and the Roomba is all charged up and ready to go. I have provisionally named the Roomba “RoomBob,” knowing that I will have to pick another …

My birthday is in one month and one day, which puts it on a Tuesday, so my birthday itself, eh — but the lead-up to my birthday, in which I haunt my Amazon wish list’s …

Welcome to AFS 435: Advanced Foley Studio. AFS 435 is an independent-study unit for sound-design students looking to build their ambient-noise portfolios. You will receive one grade for the semester, based on your ability to …

It’s looking like snow. Jenny hopes it snows; snow dulls the old smells, makes it easier for Rina to work, plus maybe they’ll open the bookstore late and she won’t have to go in for …