Scott's Blog

Mom insisted that her children follow some basic principles or precepts that she reiterated throughout childhood and which I still abide by: Don't use the N-word. Always wear a seat…

Growing up, education was always important to Mom, and ultimately became her profession for over forty years. An oft-mentioned teaching job that Mom desired was Reading Teacher, running a full-time…

After I turned four, Mom enrolled me in New York City's Pre-K program while we lived in Manhattan, I believe in the same building as the local elementary. I can…

My uncle was a professional magician whom amazed us with his tricks: he once "guillotined" his mother, my grandmother, slicing the carrot under her neck without any injury to her,…

When I was perhaps thirteen years old, Mom took most (all?) of her children to Preston for whomever's doctor's appointment. Though Preston was - and still is - a small…

The annual Middle School Carnival was an afternoon of early-teen debauchery: play games, win prizes blow off steam and, most importantly, skip classes. Each game cost so many tickets for…

This is more a story told to me than a direct memory, less about Mom than Mom's reaction. My three younger siblings had not started school when Mom took her…

My parents were against the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War and, at least once, attended a anti-war rally. I say at least once confidently because I went with.…

Growing up I enjoyed kiting a lot, so much so that I fantasized of setting a new world's record for highest kite. Minimal research made it clear the difficulty and…

I grew up a Hawkeye, but could've been a Razorback just as easily. Mom and her boyfriend, Tom, a photographer and Peace Corp alum, decided to leave Brooklyn and the…