I’ve mentioned this a time or two before, but music has always been my first love. Not that I’m musically inclined, mind you. My memories have nevertheless always seemed inseparable from the soundtrack. At this point, I could ramble on in 20 directions – each path a song, each inspiring another story, or chapter, or…
My mama called me Sissy in a Southern way to this day, I miss. I protested once: Mommy, please don’t call me that – I spat – I hate it! In her eyes I saw She took my words literally to heart – like a knife. No salve could I find. The wound – too…
Suddenly we were back to our very early days. My girl, who never wanted to sleep in her crib alone, and me, who just needed her to sleep so I could sleep too.
Last night, frightened and anxiously seeking security, I wrapped myself in my fuzzy blanket, snuggled up to my husband, and struggled through a night of fitful sleep. This morning, I woke in the quiet of a new day, perhaps a new moment in history. As I so often do, I snapped a photo of the…
Monday, it’s another Monday. And Mondays are hard, aren’t they? But this is not just any ol’ Monday. There’s a whole host of things that are different about this day, including, but not limited too: This is the Monday following the time shift here in the United States (well, most of them). Always a wonky…
Labels are tricky, aren’t they? geek-vs-nerd-know-the-difference via officialshoebox.tumblr.com While none of us want to be reduced to some cookie-cutter category, we do want to be defined by our passions. We call ourselves “fans,” and revel in our collective geekiness. Because for better or worse, these labels are what help us form bonds with others and…
Confession time: Sometimes I get a little overzealous buying greens. Maybe it’s because I have access to about 15 different produce and farmers markets in my little corner of NYC. Maybe it’s because my intensions are often better than my eating habits. Regardless, I end up with a, sad, wilted, and unappetizing. Rather than waste these…
Families are complex. At least mine always has been. Do you remember the Newhart tv series in the 80s with a character called Larry and his brothers, Daryl and Daryl? Well, thanks to my blended family, I actually have three brothers, and two are named James. Although neither went by “James,” as a kid I…
What is your biggest fear? There’s an interesting question for someone who struggles with anxiety. My mind immediately jumps to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address: “…let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts…“ It turns out,…
When we are small children objects appear without explanation. Registered as little more than shapes colors on walls and high shelves; set pieces picked out according to someone else’s esthetic. Some tchotchkes, however, call to the mind of a child. To this day, I cannot tell you where the crystal ball came from, nor how it came…
Mother of Serendipity 