In a time before we knew of RateBeer and before there was mapquest, there was Coop’s, a set of maps that purported to include the addresses of all the breweries in a particular region. And when we embarked on a two-week Northern California brewery tour in the Fall of 2000, there certainly were more than [...]
Archive for the ‘memories’ Category
When are we going back?
Posted in beer, Kathy, memories, Travel on October 29, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
On Becoming a Man
Posted in memories on August 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
Twenty-five years ago today, I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah, and so was declared a man in the Jewish religion. Even at age 13, I recognized the absurdity of calling myself an adult in any real way, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t appreciate the presents. Still, this rite of passage required months of preparation [...]
The First Happy Birthday
Posted in memories on May 6, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
May 5, 1998. She got up early, like she did every morning, like it was just another day, to walk her puppy before getting ready for work. As she made her way to the front door her roommate was coming back in from her morning jog. “Have you been outside yet?” the roommate inquired. “No, [...]
Roller Coaster
Posted in memories, pregnancy on March 22, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster.Gil: Oh?Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!Gil: What a great story.Grandma: I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so [...]
Somali, East Africa
Posted in memories on March 4, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
Fall 1987. I return to campus at the start of my junior year, to share a lovely on-campus apartment with three friends of mine. By junior year, most people have moved into off-campus apartments, but I figure this place not only has good location, it’s a great place. It’s a penthouse, on what’s essentially the [...]
Lessons in Silence
Posted in Life, memories on February 8, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
Thanksgiving 2005. We’re not in the car with the family much, but when we are there is constant talking. It doesn’t have to be about anything, so long as someone is saying something. If I didn’t know better I’d be able to think that maybe it’s because we’re together so infrequently, there’s so much ground [...]
Two Years Ago Today
Posted in memories on December 24, 2005 | Leave a Comment »
My maternal grandfather died two years ago today. He was my last surviving grandparent. At his funeral three days later, I gave the following eulogy: I’m not sure what I can say about a man that turned 55 six days before I was born. I never knew the man that escaped Nazi Germany, returned in [...]
August 29, 1981, ~9pm
Posted in family, memories, reflection on December 23, 2005 | Leave a Comment »
Today my parents’ Chanukah card arrived — it was one of those picture cards, and on the back Dad wrote, “Looking back after 40 years, we have accomplished many things. The greatest accomplishment, however, was to produce and raise 4 wonderful children, pictured here when they were still naive, innocent, and undeniably happy.” The picture [...]
On a Slow Moving Car
Posted in memories on December 9, 2005 | Leave a Comment »
Picture yourself when you were about eight, sitting with your friend on your friend’s Mom’s car in the garage. It’s just a standard 4-door blue-grey Buick or Oldsmobile, and both of you are sitting on the hood with your feet pressed onto the brick wall of the back of the garage. You’re chatting about baseball [...]
Stefan
Posted in memories on November 22, 2005 | Leave a Comment »
Prague, 1996. A pale young man comes to the open door of my hostel room. He’s in his early 20s, tall with short, straight dark hair and brown eyes. His English is fluent, which is a good thing given my monolingualism. He asks about the time, or something equally inane, and before I know it, [...]
