It’s here. Again. A day of last minute laundry and packing, goodbyes, airports. The house, suddenly so quiet, as my teenager prepares to fly back to college. To begin his sophomore year. It was an evening of more loads of wash than I can count, the heap of luggage in the living room finally emptied, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
500 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. . . Or is that 99?
Can’t you just hear the music? That grating, endless round we sang as kids, that we used to purposely irritate each other as teens, and again in college? Hell, I don’t even like beer, but I can picture everything from pale ale to dark lager as soon as I catch a measure of that tune. […]
Sink or Swim
Fond of clichés? Don’t they breeze into our minds and tumble out of our mouths faster than a speeding bullet? Catchy little phrases stick, don’t they? Good for what ails you? A quick fix? Oh yeah – tidy gems to sum up the world’s wisdom, like life isn’t fair, you get what you pay for, […]
Friday the 13th (but I’m not superstitious)
Friday the 13th? No – I’m not going to tackle slasher movies, and I’m not going to write about superstitions! But with the proverbial places to go and people to see (as alliteration ambles along my edges), how about 13 possible posts for your perusal – in honor of Friday the 13th? … Up for […]
Mad Men Season 4 Episode 3: The Good News
1965 will not be celebrated as Mad Men‘s Don Draper expects. Good news? What Don learns is anything but; the one person who loves the man – not the name – is dying. Dick Whitman + Don Draper = ? Part of the fascination of Mad Men is watching the inner lives of our favorite […]