When I graduated from college a few years ago, I did not have many possessions. I owned a small television and a few game consoles. I owned my PC and a 25lb monitor. I also owned a rickety twin bed, but little else in the way of furnishing. It was late ’06 when Tom and I moved out to Chelsea, MA. To congratulate me on my first bachelor pad, my cousin Neil gave me a gift. Back when he was starting out as a bachelor he was given a lamp. A very special lamp. And now he is passing this very special lamp down to me. It is a Horse Head lamp.

It is 1:00 – lunch time. I turn off the fan I leave on my desk and grab my essentials; a sandwich, my mp3 player, my cellphone. If I were any more on autopilot right now my brain would have literally vacated my skull, leaving behind a little sign that reads “On Holiday,” in bold Papyrus.

It was on February 27th, 2006 that I would receive an email correspondence from a kindly Nigerian man named Donald Peters. Times were far simple back then, as I was just a senior in college, awaiting to be released into that big, bad world. When I saw Donald’s email my young and still exuberant eyes widened! Could it be? One of God’s Creatures was asking me for help? How could I say no? I couldn’t, that’s how! I drafted an email to Mr. Donald Peters that would affirm his faith in Mankind.

(I assume Tom had intended this to be posted in June 2009.) So it’s finally June. Here at ZSN, that means adding ice to the Scotches that are older than us, and switching from snow boots to sandals (sneakers are okay, but only if there will be sneaking involved). It also means that we’re entering [...]