I read a story in the paper this morning about the strange role that prom has taken on in teens’ lives. And I’m not just late to the party on the whole designer… Read full post »

The curtain just fell on the opening night of my beautiful 12-year-old daughter's school play. Afterward, I waited by the stage door for her to appear. Finally she came into view, radiant, and just slightly unfamiliar, her eyes blurred by bad eyeshadow and her cheeks circles of orangy rouge.

&n… Read full post »

“You’ve got to write every day, even if you don’t have anything to say.”

That’s the blogging advice my dear friend Cassiepants gave me last night on the phone. Then she invited me to join her at her pole dancing class… Read full post »

Okay, admit it. You know at some point in your life, you’ve been confidently singing along with the radio when someone’s shrieks of laughter suggest you may not have all the lyrics quite right.

Like a friend’s daughter, who brought down the house with Pat Benatar’s,… Read full post »

Milk. Bread. Eggs. Fish. Beef. Pork. Peanuts.

Once upon a time, this was a typical grocery list.

Now it’s the key to unlocking a medical mystery, and potentially the end of a lifetime… Read full post »

It comes up all the time in conversation. Most recently, it was a stranger at the dentist’s office, talking back to the television news and those of us fortunate enough to be stuck in the waiting room with her. “High unemployment, my ass. Just a bunch of lazy people looking to… Read full post »

There's a lot of attention-- and rightfully so-- on the current spate of unemployment in this country. It's at the highest rate in several generations, and  mainstream America has been confronted with the fact that regular, ordinary people who aren't lazy and don't deserve it can'… Read full post »

It might have been five years ago to the day that my father and I were arguing over who was truly a victim of Hurricane Katrina.

In his mind, the New Orleans residents were given an… Read full post »

I've heard that the primary difference between people who are published authors and those who just aspire to it is that the published authors actually completed the book.

So why do I sit here in my office, sneaking a novel or a Sudoku puzzle rather than filling up pages with words?… Read full post »

 Apparently I'm not so good at this blogging thing. Life keeps getting in the way.

 It's been quite an exciting few months. I was married in March. We've moved into a new home. Took the kids to California to meet my husband's family, and finally, FINALLY, took the kids to… Read full post »

I'm not sure who exactly this would be a good gift for. I'm also not sure whether I'm horrified or amused ...  a USB-powered humping dog.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/9c89/

So OSers, help me out. What would be the appropriate response, should you receive this as a g… Read full post »

It's such an odd thing, being engaged and a mom at the same time. I'm almost 40 years old! And I've never been so hyper-aware of it until now.

Shopping for wedding rings, we were surrounded by all of these children who were also searching for engagement rings. What are these… Read full post »

Getting so many comments on my last post has been really great. Thank you to everyone who offered their congratulations. It was very nice, and helped soften the blow of my mother's response a little bit.

It's funny, I hadn't realized until that post that almost everything I've written to date… Read full post »

I called my mother to tell her that S. (the man I've been dating for the last 2+years) and I have decided to get married.

Her response? If that's what it takes to make you happy ...

Wow.

Day 2:

So it's Day 2 of my de-stuttering experiment. I strapped on the headband, stuck the wet sponges to my head and turned on the device.

I've really got to find something to do during the 20 minute period the machine runs. I can't wear my glasses, so I… Read full post »

It was inevitable. Last night I got my first email hoax about the flu. From--as if you even have to ask--my mother.

Apparently the key to the survival of Western civilization is the lowly onion. Because someone's brother's aunt's hairdresser's mechanic's priest says so. (And gosh darn… Read full post »

Let's conduct a little experiment, shall we? After all, if you're kind enough to stop by, I might as well entertain you.

Last weekend I met a gentleman (an old college friend of my fiance's) who owns the patent for a handy, dandy little device that has apparently received approval from the… Read full post »

I was jarred awake this morning by the sound of the phone ringing. Not that it was a particularly early hour, mind you. We're on day 4 (5?) of the flu in my house, and the kids have reached the stage where they don't really need a lot of tending.

They… Read full post »

I was just thinking about my blog title. You know, someone should put together a catalog of all those wonderful ACME devices from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons and market it to those of us old enough to recall when Saturday mornings were sacred.

Remember those black circles the Coyote could throw… Read full post »

I started a little business a few months ago. I am a personal shopper, recycling brand-name clothes and accessories from thrift stores and yard sales. Great excuse for fueling my thrift shop addiction.

While shopping one day, I couldn't help overhearing the following exchange between the customer and… Read full post »

Last January I was laid off from my job as a pharmaceutical copywriter.

While we all knew there were impending layoffs, I was confident my job was safe. After all, I was the sole writer on the largest account in the building. I was necessary.

(The pitfalls of employing logic in… Read full post »

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.

 Why are you still reading? I'm telling you, I don't have anything interesting to say. You're just going to get my stream-of-consciousness ramblings.

 I keep promising other people (and myself) that I will start writing again, and maybe this will hel… Read full post »