Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Fall 2002. During my first two years of high school, Dad picked me up the vast majority of the time. By junior year, he was still my main ride, but I could expect Mom to pick me up once or twice a week. I believe the change happened because Dad was now operating two car washes instead of one. I... Sign in to see full entry.
Sunday, January 11, 2026
5th Grade Priority
During my three years in public school, all of which were spent in elementary school, fifth graders had priority seating in the back of the bus. It wasn’t because the back offered the bumpiest—or most fun—ride. There was a practical reason for it. Since fifth graders were the largest of the... Sign in to see full entry.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Miles and Markings
Spring 2003. My driving sessions with Dad settled down after The Hellish Driving Day in September 2002. I didn’t experience any more blowups from him. That said, I still hated those sessions because I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage. Today, I understand that little snips from Dad are just... Sign in to see full entry.
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Thursday Timing
Whenever New Year’s Day fell on a Thursday, it was the best-case scenario for us kids in school. If New Year’s Day landed anywhere from Sunday through Wednesday, we were back in school on January 2. But when it was a Thursday, we’d get Friday off too, instead of dragging everyone back to school for... Sign in to see full entry.
Friday, December 26, 2025
A Hellish Driving Day - Part 2
Late September 2002 Things were going well on the drive to Huntington. The route included a highway with a 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. While Mom had driven me there for my earlier sessions, I hadn’t fully committed the route to memory, so Dad gave directions as we went. We were approaching the... Sign in to see full entry.