My grandmother was a truly remarkable woman. She had such a long life, and even to the end, she was just a cool lady. She was married to her beloved husband, Phil, for almost 40 years. She lived 36 years after the death of my grandfather -- 13 years after… Read full post »

Photoshop, motherhood, work stress and procrastination are a dangerous combination.

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The apron always brings a hint of a smile to her face. It is slightly rumpled, and faded, with the ghosts of many stains on the clean, striped cotton. The layers of her family’s little daily history are writ on that garment - meals made and shared, and lots of love.… Read full post »

I made this table.

It was an architecture school assignment. “Build a table that has at least 16 sq. feet of surface and uses no metal fasteners.” I got the idea that it would be cool (and cheaper) to use reclaimed wood for the surface. So I pulled apart… Read full post »

 

Mrs. George Swinton by John Singer Sargent (left), The Child’s Bath by Mary Cassatt (right)

Last Saturday, on my first visit to the fabulous windy city, I visited the Art Institute of Chicago. I wandered through the displays of Mrs. Thorne’s miniature rooms, the… Read full post »

 The lion’s share of the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Aftermath has focused on those who died, those plucked from rooftops, or stuck in the Superdome, the usually-ignored urban poor, the failures in leadership, the continuing crime, the problems of rebuilding, the de… Read full post »

Emily Post has no guidelines for the appropriate way to express gratitude to someone who has saved your life. We are completely left to our own devices. She covers weddings in exhaustive depth. She also discusses business, holidays, bereavement, proms, cell phones, other technolog… Read full post »

It can be very liberating to realize that quitting is rarely final. 

The first time I Unquit something was back in 1994. I went on a Spring Break road trip with my friend Doug and his girlfriend of 3 1/2 years. We drove straight through from New Orleans to… Read full post »

I have worked as a grocery store cashier. I have worn support hose and comfortable shoes, and stood on a rubber mat and tried to keep a high number of scans-per-minute. I know it is not an easy job. I respect that. As a customer, I am careful to… Read full post »