On September 30th Skylar took my phone from me. He does this from time to time. I've learned not to ask too many questions when it happens. He usually returns

One thing Skylar unintentionally signed up for when he first moved to Salt Lake City eight years ago was periodic attendance at Mormon services. He knew I wasn't religious so

I was sitting on the front porch, sipping my coffee, two mornings ago when a woman in an oversized sunhat and holding on for dear life to a leash being

Skylar finished his first year of residency so as a reward they offered him 12 seconds off before he begins the next year. We decided to use those 12 seconds

There was a time when I never looked at weather forecasts. I'd just live in ignorant bliss, letting nature happen at me, at will, and without even the faintest desire

One of Skylar's closest friends got married in 2020. I don't know if you remember that year, but it turned out to be a very bad time to get married

I'll never forget watching the news one evening in February of this year. They were broadcasting from a dark Kyiv, just getting ready to wake up for the day as

We were walking through the Portland airport on Sunday morning when Skylar burned his hand. His parents had just dropped us off. We hadn't been to Portland to visit his

Skylar's bounce in his step was bouncier than usual. I've learned to notice the signs that he's about to do something odd, inconvenient, or expensive. Heightened whistling. A quick pace.

It was in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday when I got a text from Skylar. "I'm sooooo hungryyyyyy" it said. He's been working long shifts at the

A couple of years ago Skylar visited his friend Emma in Oakland. This isn't really relevant to this story, but I already need to pause here and let you know

I just walked into the coffee shop—the same one where I go every day—to write. But it's hard. I get distracted. Distracted by the same people who are