Local Doc on the Block
Sunday, February 10th “Wait, you live there?” he asked, a little incredulous. “Yes…” “Do you know what kind of area that is?” “Yes,” I repeated myself, trying to suppress a smile. “It is… dangerous.” I stopped smiling. His expression became sharper. “Do you have kids?” “Um, no.” “Are you married?” “Um, no.”…
Last year, Parenting Magazine gave our small city of Wilmington, Delaware a rating as the Number 1 worst place to raise your children: A short drive from South Philly and Camden and midway between New York and Washington, Wilmington managed to snag the number one spot on our list for…
I got up before the alarm yesterday even though my sleep was fitful and restless. Though it was hard for me to know for sure, I was fairly certain that a series of gunshots had woken me up in the middle of the night, and that what had followed was a…
I was shocked to see a fresh layer of snow on the car. Already struggling with the bitingly cold temperature and running a few minutes late, I held an apple between my teeth and stepped out my front door. The street lay quiet and clean in the snow, and was relatively empty…
[Originally published in 2008. Today marks Sonia’s 29th birthday. Happy birthday, Sonia; we still miss you.] I watched the grainy, blocky video in silence. My friend was singing “Landslide” and I felt a certain tautness in my eyebrows and a peculiar heaviness in the corners of my mouth. By now it had become…
“Who are you going to jump?” I asked sharply. “Look me in the eye and tell me.” He couldn’t do it. We kept talking in circles, getting more and more frustrated. There was big talk earlier about it, about banding together with friends to beat up some kid. I had confiscated a stick that he…
Hi! Fellow urban dweller here, guest blogging for the DISPLACEMENT series. In light of the Prez’s upcoming re-inauguration, here is a reflection on my first voting experience in North Philly, originally written this past election. I received invites from two bloggers named Dave (one in Delaware, one in California) to…
“A‑dunk-a-dunk-a-dunk-achino!” The kid did some 70’s move as he sang and swiveled his knees. I was a little stunned. “Have you ever seen Jack and Jill?” he asked. Still stunned. “Uh, no?” “You know Al Pacino?” “Uh, yeah?” “In the movie, he does this commercial for Dunkin’ Donuts, and this thing where he goes…
