This essay is the ninth installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. December’s card was “X-rays.” I know at this point I should be on my twelfth essay. But whatever, time…

This essay is the eighth installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. October’s card was “Bubbles.” I know October isn’t the eighth month of the year; I got behind in writing…

This essay is the seventh installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. September’s card was “Cockroaches.” I know September isn’t the seventh month of the year; I got behind in writing…

This essay is the sixth installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. August’s card was “Camping Trips.” I know August isn’t the sixth month of the year; I got behind in…

This essay is the fifth installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. May’s card was “Chicago.” Right now as I type this, I’m sitting on a train on my way back…

This essay is the fourth installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. April’s card was “Red Raspberries.” I turned 27 this month. It’s not a milestone birthday. This, coupled with ongoing…

This essay is the third installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. March’s card was “Bright” and was selected in memory of my grandmother, Edythe Bright Casper. …

This essay is the second installment in a monthly series of creative essays for the year 2021. Each month’s topic is selected from cards from the party game Apples to Apples. February’s card was “Waterfalls.” I found myself writing about trees a fair amount, too. For me, the problem with…

This essay is the first in a monthly series for all of 2021. Each essay topic is selected from the deck of the card game Apples to Apples. When I was a sophomore in college, I worked as a dog walker for a woman named Lara who lived in Georgetown…