I dream a problem to solve: I need a small parking area for my fleet of six jets, he tells me. I am standing in a mall lot, on the upper deck, in the middle of a city. The site includes a spiral ramp on one side, and a poorly lit corner bounded by a […]
What Makes a Woman Tick?
It’s only fair, right? Isn’t it time to examine my own side of the gender gap? So what makes a woman tick? Weird science Now why is it that when I set myself the task of elaborating on what makes a woman a woman, the first word that popped into my mind was biology. And […]
Bleeding Hearts
The healthy heart Those three little words aren’t always enough. We need more than “I love you,” we need less than “I love you,” we need talking and listening and actions of give and take. The more holes punched into your heart, the more it bleeds and the less you are able to share with […]
Sandra’s Bangs (Living in a Fishbowl)
Yesterday I considered red paint for my walls, red paint for my hair, and settled for a new shade of vermilion on my toe nails. Last night, I also cut myself bangs. Very Sandra Bullock. And don’t we all know that she appeared at the Golden Globes with a new do? Blunt bangs, and commentary […]
Dance While You Can
At night, for more than a week, I heard their sounds outside. Laughter mostly. Music occasionally. Fortunately, they have always been considerate about keeping the decibel level down for the old folks in the neighborhood. You know. Those of us over the age of 20. And they were content, sitting around the fire pit, often […]
Real Camille?
Bad Habits Okay, so send me to my room without supper. I watched the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last night. The big moment was approaching! The Kelsey-Camille Kiss Off. How could I miss that? And might we actually see the real Camille, when vulnerable? Might we see the Real Kelsey – the one we’ve […]
Squeezed
Some days, no matter what you do, you’re out of time. You multitask and your arms, legs, even your hair follicles – the whole kit and caboodle – it’s all insufficient. Maybe Murphy’s Law kicks in – no more than usual, mind you. But the fact is, you’re caught. Squeezed. Really squeezed – all deadlines […]
To Be Or Not To Be: Choosing Your Child By Gender
How could I not be a little horrified when I read this headline? Couple aborts twin boys because they want a girl using IVF. When it comes to the art of headline writing, I’d say that qualifies as a grabber. It caught my attention, provoked my ire, and brought me to this article that appeared […]
Argyles
The clothes make the teen (man) There was the suspender phase. And the bow-tie phase. And the tie-dye phase (which has yet to end). Ripped jeans? Ever in fashion. Likewise, the torn and worn leather jacket. Apparently, one has moved on to a taste for preppy classics: neat sweaters (to my relief) and strangely, argyle […]
Giving Shape to Invisibility
Giving shape to invisibility. I plucked those evocative words from a writer I’ve recently discovered, Wolf Pascoe at Just Add Father, and the reference comes from this: When I was eight, my father died suddenly. My mother never remarried. As a result, a good part of my life has been defined by what was missing. […]