Dear Family, This has truly been one of the most exciting months of my life. If you’re friends with me on Facebook, then you probably already know the most exciting part, but I’ll get to that later to keep myself from getting turned around. The first two weeks were just work until the last day…
On geography lessons, engagement, the kindness of strangers, and why music makes me cry (vol. xxviii, no. 6)
Dear Family, Sophie is back in the former Soviet Union. Two and a half years after having her time in Eastern Ukraine cut short by the Russian invasion, she got herself into a BYU study abroad program to Latvia for the summer. For reasons you might have to be a former missionary to fully understand,…
Sophie’s May: When She Became a (Substitute) Teacher
Dear Family, About half of this letter was written on May 30th. I hope you will forgive the fact that it is written in two parts, the first speaking as though it is still May, the other written the first few days of June. So as you begin to read the letter, do not fret;…
On automated traffic citations, a bear on the loose, beautiful music, and an injury update (vol. xxviii, no. 5)
Dear Family, I don’t know whether to feel amused or horrified by the fact that my simply typing the letters m and o in succession into Google Chrome is enough for the browser to (correctly) guess that I’m trying to get to “montgomerycountymd.gov/safespeedpay,” the website where I pay citations issued by our county’s robot army…
Sophie’s April Update: The Easter Feast, a happy birthday, and the fruitless act of quality checking
Dear Family, Firstly, I’d like to try to convey how much I love the month of April. Every time it comes around, I’m just a little happier. Maybe it’s the perfect weather, the important events, or the feeling of impending final exams (meaning impending freedom from obligation to study); I’m not sure what it is…
On fronts for the mob, overly concerned citizens, scrotal swelling, and crazy feats of endurance (vol. xxviii, no. 4)
Dear Family, I like almost everything about our neighborhood, but I’m grateful not to live under the tyranny of a homeowners association. We have an active neighborhood civic association, which I admire, even though I seldom attend the meetings. I believe I currently belong to the association, though I’m never certain. My membership frequently lapses…
Ari’s EPISTOLARIUS: The Great Hike Edition — Nov 2023-Apr 2024
Dear Family, Listen, I warned you in September’s letter that updates would be sporadic, so I shall stubbornly plead not guilty of all charges, on the grounds that there was an exculpatory clause included in our contract. Even though I’m fairly certain that the word “plead” is not used in breach-of-contract lawsuits. Or “charges,” for…
February and March Sophie Update: A “date”, accepting ambiguity, and Easter
Dear Family, And look at that, it’s April. Some of you may have noticed that I did not publish a letter in February. Whoops. I hope that you can forgive me. I promise nothing all that exciting happened, but several February events and random thoughts will appear in this letter, so never fear. For examples,…
On dining with random animals, complaining about the weather, and dodging the cops in Nicaragua (vol. xxviii, no. 3)
Dear Family, I’m appreciative of you who have inquired and expressed concern about Crystal’s ailing back. (I’m also appreciative of you who haven’t. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and would like to, feel free to read last month’s letter.) Physical therapy and pain meds are helping, but she’s still in frequent pain…
On uneventfulness, “ridiculopathy,” and a jaunt to Cancun (not by me) (vol. xxviii, no. 2)
Dear Family, Sophie alleges in her most recent letter that our family is “not all that interesting.” She writes: “We do the [Sunday] crossword together every week, we send our daily Wordle attempts (and little else) into the family group chat, and we occasionally like to muse on the exciting potential of last names better…