The Living and the Dead (2024)

26/07/2024

Years ago, I worked with the American Battlefield Trust to create an augmented reality app. It's a free download on the app store. We returned to Gettysburg on Saturday, and while Graham ran ten miles, the rest of us hiked Pickett's Charge. Before we started, we assembled at the step-off point of the Virginians just beyond their monument, and I read them the…...

Years ago, I worked with the American Battlefield Trust to create an augmented reality app. It’s a free download on the app store. We returned to Gettysburg on Saturday, and while Graham ran …

20/07/2024

Thursday night, we were winding down in the hotel---the kids were taking turns in the restroom, getting their showers, brushing teeth, etc. Eli got frustrated with his twin, and exclaimed, "Geez, Emma. You are slower than molasses." He paused a moment, then said, "I really don't know who this 'Molasses' is, but I guess that guy must be super slow."...

Thursday night, we were winding down in the hotel—the kids were taking turns in the restroom, getting their showers, brushing teeth, etc. Eli got frustrated with his twin, and exclaimed, & #82…

19/07/2024

On Thursday, I took the cousins and Graham to the Antietam National Battlefield, and oh boy. Before we went, I looked up some family ancestry. We picked someone from the Laws family tree and someone from the Settle family tree. Eli's job was to learn all he could about Charles Foster Settle and the 5th Texas Infantry, and Emma's job was to learn all she could about Joel Leander Chapin and the…...

On Thursday, I took the cousins and Graham to the Antietam National Battlefield, and oh boy. Before we went, I looked up some family ancestry. We picked someone from the Laws family tree and someon…

18/07/2024

Wednesday morning, we embarked on the Laws cousin roadtrip to take in Antietam and Gettysburg. We had a solid eight-hour drive to Hagerstown, Maryland, where I had booked our hotels. The ride was amazing, incredible even. And by amazing, I mean, "Wow, I didn't know this was possible," and by incredible, I mean, "You will not find my story credible."...

Wednesday morning, we embarked on the Laws cousin roadtrip to take in Antietam and Gettysburg. We had a solid eight-hour drive to Hagerstown, Maryland, where I had booked our hotels. The ride was a…

17/07/2024

I collect Civil War, Revolutionary War, and Colonial-era ephemera---nothing too exotic, just old soldiers' letters, tax receipts, ship manifests, that sort of thing. (Don't come rob my house, stalkers---I've never paid more than $100 for anything.) I had to work this morning before taking the afternoon off to take the cousins to Lexington and Concord. To engage the youthful brains, I gave them an indoor scavenger hunt consisting of these clues:...

I collect Civil War, Revolutionary War, and Colonial-era ephemera—nothing too exotic, just old soldiers’ letters, tax receipts, ship manifests, that sort of thing. (Don’t come rob…

16/07/2024

The Laws cousins from Houston arrived on Monday. They’re escaping the hurricane-wrecked city and roadtripping with the boys this week. Graham and I headed into the urban hellscape known as Logan to pick them up. The twins, Eli and Emma, have never been to Boston while their older brother Will hasn’t visited in a decade. Graham guided them out of the airport and brought them to the car....

The Laws cousins from Houston arrived on Monday. They’re escaping the hurricane-wrecked city and roadtripping with the boys this week. Graham and I headed into the urban hellscape known as Logan to…

15/07/2024

Last Monday, Graham headed to Church camp, which was held at University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. He stayed in the dorms, and his buddy Elijah was his roommate. He had his phone and could use it whenever. His updates from camp the entire week were as follows. MondayGraham: Some of the kids in my company are weirdos....

Last Monday, Graham headed to Church camp, which was held at University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. He stayed in the dorms, and his buddy Elijah was his roommate. He had his phone and could…

12/07/2024

When I was a missionary, I spent five months with an elder who was a quarter Cherokee and who grew up on the reservation in North Carolina. We were going from house to house and knocking doors near Occidental College, and as we approached the porch of a small yellow house, my companion froze. "Hold up there, Elder," he said....

When I was a missionary, I spent five months with an elder who was a quarter Cherokee and who grew up on the reservation in North Carolina. We were going from house to house and knocking doors near…

11/07/2024

The family of Lindsay's boyfriend, Carson, joined us for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Our eastern Pennsylvania visitors included, oldest to youngest, Chad, Carrie, Carson, and Griffin. Griffin is entering eighth grade and started the visit off with a bang---he marched in wearing a hideous Philadelphia 76ers hat. Tactical error on his part. "Wow, you rep losers of your own free will and choice," I said....

The family of Lindsay’s boyfriend, Carson, joined us for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Our eastern Pennsylvania visitors included, oldest to youngest, Chad, Carrie, Carson, and Griffin.…

10/07/2024

Lauren and I got engaged in her final semester at BYU. In the waning days of that semester, she was drafting a huge paper on Eleanor Roosevelt and advice columns she used to write. I was an English major and writer, so Lauren asked me to read her paper and offer comments. It was probably after my second comment that she said, “Well, this was a bad idea....

Lauren and I got engaged in her final semester at BYU. In the waning days of that semester, she was drafting a huge paper on Eleanor Roosevelt and advice columns she used to write. I was an English…

09/07/2024

A few weeks after Bowie joined Lucia and Brayden, Lucia texted me to ask if I thought it was a bad idea to get another dog. I said something along the lines that if both halves of the marriage were good with it, it was probably fine. Turns out that Lu and Brayden had been keeping an eye on Bowie's brother who had still not been sold....

A few weeks after Bowie joined Lucia and Brayden, Lucia texted me to ask if I thought it was a bad idea to get another dog. I said something along the lines that if both halves of the marriage were…

08/07/2024

I woke up the morning after the fall with the head wrap still in place and only a little blood in the gauze. Great first aid by me, if I say so myself. As we got ready to head out for our morning walk, Lauren said, "I hope you're planning to take that thing off," pointing at the head dressing....

I woke up the morning after the fall with the head wrap still in place and only a little blood in the gauze. Great first aid by me, if I say so myself. As we got ready to head out for our morning w…

07/07/2024

After a hiatus to write a novel, I am back and with stories more devastating than ever. You know the old saying: no poorly executed good deed goes unpunished. A couple weeks ago, Lauren drove Lindsay to western NY to connect with the family of Lindsay’s boyfriend. When I finished work and dinner, I had a couple hours and as I finished using the restroom, I looked around and decided it was high time to deal with some of the bathroom mold and mildew that had grown high on the walls approaching the vaulted ceiling of our master bathroom....

After a hiatus to write a novel, I am back and with stories more devastating than ever. You know the old saying: no poorly executed good deed goes unpunished. A couple weeks ago, Lauren drove Linds…

13/05/2024

I have heard members of my religion exclaim that "God is in the details" and "God micromanages our lives" and "we should turn it all over to God." I start almost every day ready to turn it all over to God and go back to bed, but I suppose that's not how it works. The trouble with believing these sentiments to their fullest is that doing so can lead you to believe that God is conspiring against you half or more of the time....

I have heard members of my religion exclaim that “God is in the details” and “God micromanages our lives” and “we should turn it all over to God.” I start almost…

10/05/2024

Latter-Day Saints are big into family history and into how their actions may affect future generations. The legend in the Laws family is that a General Authority relative used to encourage all his kids to have more children and used to celebrate the births of his grandchildren by exclaiming, "Another jewel in my crown!" Well, I am pleased to say that I have another jewel in my crown....

Latter-Day Saints are big into family history and into how their actions may affect future generations. The legend in the Laws family is that a General Authority relative used to encourage all his …

02/05/2024

I've been on a number of planes lately---to and from Salt Lake City twice and to and from Hawaii. As you probably know, the planes are all jammed, the space between seats is small, there's almost no way to sleep sitting up, the food is criminal, and people's behavior is wildly divergent---some realize we're all prisoners together on the metal air bus and do their best to accommodate others, while others are blissfully unaware that they are in the company of other living breathing souls and do things like take their shoes off, talk loudly on cellphones as the plane takes off, hog the armrests, put their heads on strangers' shoulders, leap over other passengers to get to the restroom and stick their asses in said strangers' faces, and on and on....

I’ve been on a number of planes lately—to and from Salt Lake City twice and to and from Hawaii. As you probably know, the planes are all jammed, the space between seats is small, there&…

01/05/2024

Graham had a dual meet on Tuesday against nearby track rival Marshfield. His buddy Jack, a sophomore on his team, had been promising to beat him in the eight hundred, and finally they squared off. With three hundred meters to go, Graham passed Jack, but on the final curve, Jack ran Graham down. I was just getting off a flight, so Graham explained to me what happened next....

Graham had a dual meet on Tuesday against nearby track rival Marshfield. His buddy Jack, a sophomore on his team, had been promising to beat him in the eight hundred, and finally they squared off. …

30/04/2024

This past Sunday, the local Church leadership asked me to teach the young men ages 12 to 18. I got about one day’s notice but I was a seminary teacher for four years, so whatever, I agreed. For the Latter-Day Saints out there, the lesson was about King Benjamin’s address. Most teachers focus on his message of service, but people get pretty reductive about the multi-layered sermon, so I followed the arc of the speech where Benjamin tells his son to gather the people together so he could talk to them and give them a new name....

This past Sunday, the local Church leadership asked me to teach the young men ages 12 to 18. I got about one day’s notice but I was a seminary teacher for four years, so whatever, I agreed. For the…

28/04/2024

On Saturday evening, the great Lionel Messi visited Gillette Stadium with Inter Miami to face off against the New England Revolution. We have been Revs season ticket holders for a few years now. The Patriots’ game day experience is a nightmare—parking costs a limb even two miles from the stadium, everyone is drunk, and traffic is a total nightmare. The Revs bring in half the fans, so traffic isn’t bad, we get to park in decent places, and it’s a bit more family friendly overall....

On Saturday evening, the great Lionel Messi visited Gillette Stadium with Inter Miami to face off against the New England Revolution. We have been Revs season ticket holders for a few years now. Th…

26/04/2024

Nothing says twenty-five years of marriage like taking a red-eye home from an event for your children, so naturally, that's what we did on our special day. Lucia's college graduation was this past week, so we made the trek to Hawaii for the occasion. We watched her walk across the stage and so forth, and it was really tremendous . ....

Nothing says twenty-five years of marriage like taking a red-eye home from an event for your children, so naturally, that’s what we did on our special day. Lucia’s college graduation wa…

02/04/2024

Lauren is still refusing to get me any lunch food, though she managed to get some cheese because no cheese hurts her too. So for today's lunch, I was reduced to generic chunk chicken breast from a can---mix with mayo, add to quesadilla, and it's okay. Dobby loves this lunch because he gets the can with leftover chunks, and then I can't eat the rest of the whole can, so he gets that too....

Lauren is still refusing to get me any lunch food, though she managed to get some cheese because no cheese hurts her too. So for today’s lunch, I was reduced to generic chunk chicken breast f…

01/04/2024

This is part of the Dreams and Nightmares Series and not part of the family stories. We were inside a ten-story red-brick building in the middle of the city with traffic whizzing by below us. It was cool and cloudy out, which was probably for the best since the building only had window a/c’s. We stood in line on the ninth floor behind maybe another twenty people, though we could see into the room where people in period costumes sat in period rocking chairs....

This is part of the Dreams and Nightmares Series and not part of the family stories. We were inside a ten-story red-brick building in the middle of the city with traffic whizzing by below us. It wa…

01/04/2024

When Lauren was with Lindsay at Lock Haven after the surgery, she realized she had to tend to some Easter matters or she would miss the date. Specifically, she needed to order Mrs. Cavanaugh's mindy mint Easter eggs for all the kids. Inasmuch as she was in Lindsay's dorm room and Lindsay was present, Lauren tried to manage this quickly and in moments when Lindsay wasn't looking....

When Lauren was with Lindsay at Lock Haven after the surgery, she realized she had to tend to some Easter matters or she would miss the date. Specifically, she needed to order Mrs. Cavanaugh’…

31/03/2024

According to our articles of faith, Latter-day Saints “believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.” One of the old classics is the rivalry of Cain and Abel, which culminates in Abel’s murder and Cain’s cursing. The ostensible reason for the murder is envy over accepted offerings. Sibling rivalry stuff. We Latter-day Saints have layered on our own interpretations fraught with priesthood and the law of sacrifice....

According to our articles of faith, Latter-day Saints “believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.” One of the old classics is the rivalry of Cain and Abel, which …

30/03/2024

Grant is five practices into spring football. The schedule is to practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, then have film and team meetings Wednesday, Friday, and Monday. Both practices and meetings start at 4:30 pm Eastern. So imagine my surprise when I am wrapping up work today at 5:15 pm, and I get this message from Grant: Grant: Hey dad I love you....

Grant is five practices into spring football. The schedule is to practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, then have film and team meetings Wednesday, Friday, and Monday. Both practices and meeting…

29/03/2024

Lauren was on afternoon pickup duty Thursday, but Graham texted 3:20 that track hadn’t even started yet. The coaches had a department meeting and were supposed to arrive by 3. That was going to cause a conflict with a meeting Lauren had, so I wound up on driving duty. I imagine the coaches weren’t in a hurry partly because rain had been coming down at a Noah’s Ark sort of pace for hours, and I am sure they assumed the kids would just go home after their meeting....

Lauren was on afternoon pickup duty Thursday, but Graham texted 3:20 that track hadn’t even started yet. The coaches had a department meeting and were supposed to arrive by 3. That was going to cau…

28/03/2024

Lindsay is now way deep into knee rehab, and Lock Haven seems the greatest place to do it. The school is full of people doing degrees in physical therapy and similar health-care specialties, so Lindsay does two days at an official practice off-campus and two on-campus with the training staff. She had originally been told she would be on crutches for a month, but the crowd out there is saying she may be off them in a week....

Lindsay is now way deep into knee rehab, and Lock Haven seems the greatest place to do it. The school is full of people doing degrees in physical therapy and similar health-care specialties, so Lin…

27/03/2024

This is literary fiction and not part of my family stories. It contains crude language. Early in my freshman year at Carroll High School, I was sitting in the breezeway during lunch with my empty tray next to me when Ryan Gomez walked up with two other freshman football players. I pulled a snickers bar from my backpack and opened it—it was soft and starting to melt in the humid Corpus Christi air....

This is literary fiction and not part of my family stories. It contains crude language. Early in my freshman year at Carroll High School, I was sitting in the breezeway during lunch with my empty t…

26/03/2024

On Sunday, I was in the front yard playing with Dobby when Lauren texted me. L: I'm working on the grocery order for tomorrow. Do you need anything? G: Chicken, steak tips, and vegetables. The stuff I use to prep for lunches. L: Okay Simple enough. I start off weeks by cutting up a bunch of vegetables and lean meats, which I can then whip up into quick meals with instant mashed potatoes or rice or whatever....

On Sunday, I was in the front yard playing with Dobby when Lauren texted me. L: I’m working on the grocery order for tomorrow. Do you need anything? G: Chicken, steak tips, and vegetables. Th…

25/03/2024

As the week went by, I started to have a reservation or two about what was going on in Pennsylvania. Lauren kept telling me how great it was to be with Lindsay, how great Carson was, how it was really good she had gone out there because of all she could do for Lindsay, how welcoming all of Lindsay’s friends were to her, how the RA had given her entry privileges, and on and on....

As the week went by, I started to have a reservation or two about what was going on in Pennsylvania. Lauren kept telling me how great it was to be with Lindsay, how great Carson was, how it was rea…

The Living and the Dead

26/07/2024

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