We’d been at it for several hours, side by side, each of us on our laptops. Spread on the small ottoman pressing against my knees were stacks of old tax forms. On the chair beside me, two more folders with notes and figures. We actually began the process days ago, but I couldn’t continue, and […]
The life behind the face
I am the face of the aftermath of divorce, the aftermath of layoff, the aftermath of defeat. I am the face of invisible illness, of piercing isolation, of daily hide-and-seek. Would you know me if you saw me? I am your neighbor, your colleague, your sister; I am the woman who yells at the cashier […]
Put Your Kids to Work!
Kids? Organizing? Can the two ever mix?
More on the Mystery of Huguette Clark
The plot thickens, in a mystery of monumental proportions.
Mall Walking
When I was younger, easy fitness options were abundant. I was strong and vibrant, and health clubs were affordable. There were 5-mile hikes for pleasure, and there was disco! Not that I took advantage of dancing for fitness and enjoyment as much as I would have liked. Work was always pressing, and time, in short […]
Mad Men Episode 5: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
It’s a morality tale, and all about shame. About warfare and its aftermath, honor and its value, private shame according to cultural standards of the times, and personal experiences of shame. In Mad Men‘s Season 4 Episode 5, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, we feel the weight of the 1960s heavily; World Wart II is […]
Parenting Teens: Tips from a Professional Post Party Parent
Are you parenting partying teens? Care to hear my ten tips for surviving party chaos? For surviving normal chaos? The planned, the unplanned, the assumed stuff of parenting pandemonium? Yes, it’s Sunday morning. (Insert *sigh* of relief.) Yes, for the moment it’s quiet. (Sigh number two.) No teenagers as yet stirring in the kitchen, after […]
How to Do Nothing – Effectively
Rain is streaming down the window panes. Less so than last night, but the morning sky remains an angry, bloated charcoal. The house sleeps, though I am awake. “It’s Saturday,” I remind myself, taking a deep breath. “I can do nothing.” I sip my coffee. I listen to the quiet. I type an email to […]
Long nights and true tales
I woke in the middle of the night not feeling well, knowing it was probably nothing but that I’d have to sit it out, and unable to sleep, I decided to do a little reading. I flipped open my laptop, and found an amazing story on msnbc.com, about Huguette Clark, the reclusive 104-year old heiress […]
Juicy
Sometimes all it takes is a few words. Or an hour, even if it’s filled with 140-character communications, and they wind up being smart, provocative, and playful. Last evening I hopped on Twitter, restlessly, after a long day. I was well aware that the pleasure of pondering and writing about contemporary art – my usual, […]