020921 — Blog — Rulerless

Remembering when we could go places and do things together

I keep thinking back to a perfect day last October.

I woke up in a boutique hotel room just off of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. after having spent a lovely weekend with my family (including my littlest nephew). The city was a bit on edge because the Astros had taken the lead over the Nationals the night before in Game 5 of the World Series, which I had watched in between bites of cake and ice cream the night before in a common area of the hotel (along with getting a little work done).

Casey von NeumannSeptember 17, 2020110320, 112020, 120120, 020921, 040921, 062121, 080422Comment

The value of these days

When the lockdown began, I was ready. I was on high-alert mode.

For two months, I worked long hours from my parents’ dining room table and my childhood bedroom, taking breaks to walk along the cold windy beach until the beaches closed, and then down and around the cul-de-sacs of the neighborhood on the days after that. Sometimes, I played a little tennis with my mom — until the tennis courts closed, and then we hit the ball back and forth in the gravel driveway in the afternoons.

Casey von NeumannJuly 17, 2020072920, 112020, 020921, 031221, 070921 Comments

Nobody knows

There comes a point in the news cycle where there’s nothing new happening, yet the flow of words and images must continue.

That’s when the news media starts reporting on stuff other people said about what could happen next.

“So-and-so predicts worst economic downturn in modern history!”

“A source says that students won’t be back to school until 2021!”

Casey von NeumannMay 1, 2020decisions, 072220, 080620, 090320, 092420, 102620, 110320, 011121, 020921, 040221, 042522, 120822 Comments

What's at the top of the endless list?

As I look over my misspent life — in those moments when it feels like I’ve had a misspent life — I can come up with a long list of things I wish I had done, and nagging regrets about the things I did.

Some of these things are impossible to do anything about (damn biological clock), but some of them are things I can begin to resolve today, if I would stop being so morose.

Casey von NeumannApril 20, 2020060520, 111720, 020221, 020821, 020921, 030921, 082321Comment

Things aren't going to change

Once upon a time, I was trying to make the case to an eleven-year-old that she would need to learn basic skills like doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and blow-drying her own hair.

“When you’re eighteen, you’ll be on your own,” I said.

“Well then, can’t I just learn it all then?” she asked.

Casey von NeumannFebruary 3, 2020061920, change, 081220, 020921, 080221, 090621Comment