The Sill of the World

This covers the week of 12/27/20 - 1/2/21. advisory As New Year's Day approaches, Duolingo is telling me something: "Fais plus de s...

This covers the week of 12/13/20 - 12/19/20. linguistic An app with a green owl mascot is helping me work on Hebrew writing and French readi...

This covers the week of 10/25/20 - 10/31/20. deadlines The assignment drags into the night. At one point I picture myself shutting the lapto...

This covers the week of 5/24/20 - 5/30/20. arboreal Trees heavy with leaves cast silky shadows. disclosed There's a story behind each na...

This covers the week of 3/15/20 - 3/21/20. forage They trawl through several stores, buying bottles of water where they can. hurrying Her se...

This covers the week of 3/8/20 - 3/14/20. cancellations In one day, most of my calendar evaporates. One cancellation after another. Business...

This covers the week of 3/1/20 - 3/7/20. coughing I'm starting to look at snifflers and coughers suspiciously. Like the young guy sittin...

This covers the week of 2/9/20 - 2/15/20. fever His face is beaded with sweat. On his nightstand, a thermos is perched on a short stack of b...

This covers the week of 1/12/20 - 1/18/20. cheerless Gray streets dusted with litter. A chain store here and there, lots of chain link fenc...

This covers the week of 12/15/19 - 12/21/19. appendicitis He's vibrating with tension as he waits to hear the news: Appendicitis or n...

This covers the week of 11/24/19 - 11/30/19. cafeteria Gossip, bickering, utensils rustling, the scrape of chairs, the shuffle of sore fe...

This covers the week of 10/6/19 - 10/12/19. bullet In an old spiral notebook, I start a bullet journal, and so far it's working well....

This covers the week of 9/22/19 - 9/28/19 . cramps Curled up on the couch with intense cramping, waiting for the OTC painkiller to kick i...

cozying When she speaks in English, her tone changes. It makes me think of confidential chats over coffee. It's a voice that invites yo...

blaring The cafe is cozy, dimly lit, with a decor of dark wood and cream. What kills the atmosphere is a large, loud TV mounted on the wall...

Title: Awakenings (1990) Director: Penny Marshall Language: English Rating: PG-13 Based on a memoir by Oliver Sacks (which is on m...

angriness At first, his mood expands to generosity. Then it contracts to a tight anger that makes the air difficult to breathe. The anger d...

casually Babies can be so nonchalant. This one has a cold, and without pause, she sneezes straight into her dad's face, then continues ...

absorptive They have a quick, vicious temper. They'll unleash it without absorbing its effects; they may even forget, an hour later, ju...

bundled There's a bundle of blankets on the couch. It takes me a few moments to realize it's a child, staring at the TV through the...