Scott Nagele's Blog, page 2

We’re empty netters now

It’s amazing how a little dose of parenthood can change your perspective. I suppose this is true in regard to human children too, but I’m thinking about the parenting of adopted insects. For Big Man’s birthday, we got him a butterfly kit. This is a plastic cup of caterpillars and some mysterious earthy substance that […]

Filling time while my writers are on strike

You know how sometimes a guest will come on a talk show and all they want to do is plug their new movie? Well, this is kind of like that, only worse. This is how it would be if Johnny Carson (because I’m old and can’t stay awake to watch the current shows) used his […]

When not driving the family taxi, I write books sometimes

There was a time when I used to post twice a week. That might not seem too ambitious to those who post every day, but it was a quick turnaround in my blogging world. Then, I scaled back to once a week, then once a month. Now, I post when I can get to it […]

Mouse visits now by invitation only

Nine years ago, I wrote about our first encounter with a mouse in our house. Our old, indoor cat was happy to take on a new roommate so long as it meant no interruption to his busy sleep schedule. That cat, beloved, despite his universal indifference, has long since departed this world; may he rest […]

Happy Valentine’s Day from the clogged lint screen

My wife thinks I’m not as romantic as I used to be. To this, I agree. Also, our 15-year-old clothes dryer doesn’t dry clothes as fast as it used to. Maybe we are both clogged with lint. Or maybe our heating elements are burning out. After 19 Valentine’s Days, 19 of her birthdays, 19 Christmases, […]

The house of feral boys

My wife is out of town for a week. I hope she can make it through this time with her sanity intact. It must be a great burden on her mind to know that four males are alone in her house without supervision for seven long days. There must be many things troubling her. For […]

A road through the past

I’m in favor of modern, paved roads, when it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg to drive on them (more on that later). Nine times out of 10 times, modern roads are helpful. But if you’re the fool who carries historical maps inside your head, modern roads can befuddle you occasionally. On our […]

3 kids x 3 different schools = 9 billion emails

I attempted to write a post about having three kids in three separate school buildings this year, and how I’m feeling, more than ever, like I am going back to school alongside my kids. That post wasn’t good: it came off as whiney; it wasn’t entertaining; and its tone insinuated that the blame for parents […]

Why we can’t be friends (Social media justice: part 2)

It’s official. I’m now an outcast from modern society, a pariah of current culture, a man without a profile. I’ve been permanently banned from Facebook. And I’m okay with that. In my last post, I shared how I received notice from Facebook that my account was suspended, for reasons that were a mystery to me. […]

Social media justice

It began with an email. I thought it was a scam so I ignored it. I could not have violated Facebook’s community standards. I hadn’t posted anything in months. Certainly, silence could not be against community standards. Out of curiosity, I clicked to open the Facebook app. Maybe silence is against community standards. It was […]