“Let the man be the man,” says Patti Stanger from an adjoining room, as I rinse dishes and load them into the washer. It’s just one of many catch phrases she uses on the Bravo series, “Millionaire Matchmaker.” I admit I’m no stranger to Bravo in the background, which might explain my otherwise mystifying middle-of-the-night […]
False Positive
He was feeling fit and strong, sleeping and eating well, and it was a routine medical examination. He didn’t know the physician, and she was young. He hadn’t undergone many tests in a few years, so when she ticked off the lab work that is standard at his age, he said “sure” and that was […]
Timeless
The Little Black Dress. The perfect string of pearls. The chilled champagne in a fluted glass, raised in a toast. When it comes to fashion or style, though we want to know what’s in vogue right now, we designate certain looks and activities as timeless. They’re classics. We may also look to the arts – […]
The Testosterone Tumble
Here’s a provocative piece of news that came out earlier this week and gives me pause – and not applause. Apparently, testosterone plunges in men who actively exercise Daddy duties. Say what? The New York Times offers its interpretation of this (disturbing?) data on maleness and fatherhood, and a “politically correct” spin which I find […]
Safe Crossing
I once felt safe in the deepest caverns of my body. I was strong, I was agile, I was in possession of endless stamina. I felt the immortality of youth, as do we all. I once felt safe in a place called Marriage. I was misguided in my choices and my beliefs, and now the […]
Missing Moguls, Tales of Taxes, Staggering Statistics
This one caught my eye the other evening – the reappearance of former Computerland CEO William Millard, and the apparent cat-and-mouse game to hunt him down and collect some $100 million in taxes. I’m not entirely sure why these mysteries fascinate me, though certainly the larger-than-life personalities have much to do with it, including the […]
Where The Boys Are
It’s not that empty nest doesn’t have its advantages; it does. I worked on my monthly budget last evening. The straight-off-the-top out-of-pocket expenses that I can now eliminate are significant. Very significant. Which makes it crystal clear that the estimates of $1,000/month per child (to raise them) are – or were – very low, in […]
Pausing At The Light
It takes planning, and a willingness to run the risk of inconvenience if the traffic patterns are off, or my back starts acting up. But a trip to the Farmer’s Market for all that food, glorious food? For the sensual pleasure of an abundance of organically raised produce, not to mention grass-fed beef and wild-caught […]
Not A Cloud In Sight
The sky is blue. Not a cloud in sight. The neighborhood is silent except for the swell and retreat of cicadas in song, the occasional barking of fenced-in dogs, the passing of a car in no particular hurry. A private plane overhead banks and soars. The air is surprisingly sweet and fresh, as though some […]
Why Reading This Doesn’t Matter a Damn
Every little thought. Every little detail. Every. Single. Word. Does it matter, really? What we say and why we say it? What we write and our motivations for doing so? Who’s reading? Who’s not reading? Why do we think that each statement or question we put to ourselves is of interest to anyone else? Why […]