I sat at the dining room table, stitching together the King Tut toga I had promised my kid for Halloween, when I burst into tears.

We bought the Egyptian pharaoh hat at the King Tut exhibit in Indianapolis this summer on one condition: that it be Will's Halloween… Read full post »

It was during a conversation with my son a couple years ago that I realized he had absolutely no idea what it was I did for a living.

These past few days have been mostly dedicated to getting ready for my yard sale, the culmination of the purge of my household. Surrounded by stacks of things to be tagged and sold, I had to take time out to file for unemployment.

I’ve been laid off from my newspaper job since… Read full post »

But that’s the… Read full post »

All I could think about last week was Saturday night. My husband and I had a big date planned — dinner and a movie —to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary. Our 9-year-old son would spend the night at his grandmother’s; after all, who knows how late we’d be out or what… Read full post »

I found myself having to explain to my son the difference between being “fired” and being “laid off” after I lost my job on April Fools Day. (Some corporate overlord has an ironic sense of humor, eh?)

“You get fired for doing a bad job,” I told him. “Don&rsq… Read full post »

One night I went to sleep a fifth-grader with tiny bumps on my chest and woke up the next morning with breasts rivaling those of tennis star Simona Halep. I exaggerate just a bit, of course, but it’s more truth than fiction.

Simona Halep has folks talking because of her plans… Read full post »

There isn’t enough room to keep a lot of CDs in my car, so I rotate them in and out. My musical whims are like Michigan’s mercurial weather: they change from moment to moment, mood to mood.

When I was purging my household for my annual… Read full post »

After scrubbing up like a surgeon and donning an old apron to protect his clothes, my 10-year-old son is ready for action. He’s pounded the chicken and beaten the eggs and he’s ignited the gas stove with a little help from me.

He’s ready to cook.

Me? I’m enjoying… Read full post »

I’ve given thanks every day this summer that I am unemployed. Rather than trudging off to my stressful old newspaper job every day, I instead get to be witness to the summer in which my son, Will, happily transitions to the “double digits,” as he calls them.

Today, my little boy turn… Read full post »

Bruce Springsteen got snubbed. So did Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Patti Smith, Nancy Wilson, Helen O'Connell, Tom Petty and Grace Slick.

These amazing artists didn't make the final list of nominees for National Public Radio's project to explore what listeners and music experts… Read full post »

It’s been a week since my job as managing editor of Michigan’s newest daily newspaper was “eliminated” for economic reasons.

I pondered the milestone as I brushed my teeth this morning. When I looked into the mirror, my heart skipped a beat and I shrieked.

Albert Einstein was l… Read full post »

When a small hole first appeared in the wall of the first-floor bathroom of my old bungalow around Mother’s Day a year ago, I was curious. For about a week, I silently watched as the hole grew from the size of a pen tip to about the size of a thumb.… Read full post »

It didn’t take former USA Today editor and reporter Jim Hopkins to tell 42,000 Gannett Co. employees that newspaper life as they knew it was undergoing a dramatic and fundamental change.

However, it took Hopkins and his Gannett Blog (http://gannettblog.blogspot.com) to connect… Read full post »

On Sept. 27, the Detroit Lions won a game after a nearly two-year losing streak.

On Sept. 28, the newspaper that “eliminated” my job for budget reasons reported that it spent nearly $500,000 on upgrades to beef up color reproduction at its printing plant — a story… Read full post »

I planted sunflower seeds along my backyard fence a few years ago, hoping for a bounty of the flowers that always make me smile.

Nothing grew.

As time passed, I forgot I had ever planted the seeds.… Read full post »

I know I am making too much of this Stanley Cup series, but I can’t help myself. The re-match that has the champion Detroit Red Wings defending against the powerful Pittsburgh Penguins holds allegorical fascination for me.

In my heart, this series has nothing to do with hockey an… Read full post »

Teeth bared, snarling, our new puppy lunged for my face. I was trying to keep her from nipping my kid when she set her sights on me instead. BAM! My right eye bounced, flashing white, like it was whapped by a baseball. My upper lip stung. My… Read full post »

 “Born  in Michigonia.

Moved to Babylonia! King Tut!”

As a follow up to my last post, I thought you might enjoy seeing the result of my last-minute costume making.… Read full post »

I thought I'd share photos of my clematis. The abundant rain in Michgian this year has helped them to bloom like they've rarely bloomed before.

 Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I do!

 Be sure to concentrate on the clematis, not the front porch in desperate need of painting.… Read full post »

Losing your job opens your eyes in many ways: you consider your place and future in the employment universe; you realize that it doesn’t matter how well or hard you work; and you finally understand how fiscally irresponsible and greedy corporate America is.

Finding yourself unexpectedly and… Read full post »

Southeast Michigan is in a hockey daze, and we’re hoping that when Friday’s final game in the Stanley Cup series is over, we’ll be able to savor a sweet hockey hangover.

I know, I know. For most of you, watching a game played on ice in the middle of June seems weirdly… Read full post »

It’s been a week since motorists and passersby competed with armored truck crews and police for money that landed like litter along the I-75/Chrysler freeway in Detroit.

It was about 8:30 a.m. on June 11 when a Loomis armored car transporting an unknown amount of cash… Read full post »

How a gift from long ago got my son his dream dog

My in-laws never gave each other lavish gifts. But after my father-in-law, Don, was nearing the end of his battle with lung cancer, he enlisted my help with a birthday gift for my mother-in-law.… Read full post »