Grandma B’s Cookies
I was well into my thirties the first time I expressed a preference. I think it was, “Ranch, please.” [Read more…]
What If You ARE the Smartest One in the Room?
Someone has to be. Why not you? Probabilistic reasoning suggests that if you are in a room with one other person, there’s a 50% chance you will be the smarter one — but only until someone else shows up. [Read more...]
Confrontation
On our way home from a somewhat contentious book club meeting, my good friend Colleen accused me of avoiding confrontation. I told her I didn’t want to talk about it. [Read more…]
Chipmunks and Cheerios
1950 As a child of five, the finest literature available to me was The Little Golden Books. My favorite characters were Chip ‘n Dale – the chipmunks, not the dancers. [Read more…]
A Wet Death Threat
1954 I stare into the gaping maw of the pool, sporting a bright pink, ruffle-skirted, never-been-wet bathing suit and matching cap — a perfectly feigned model of 9-year-old composure, dignity and self-confidence. Everywhere but in my head. [Read more...]
A Brush With Cannibalism
“The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a central dogma of the Catholic faith: when the priest consecrates bread and wine during the Mass, they are transformed into the literal body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus [Read more...]
Critical Thinking 101
1961 While Catholic school was never a rich breeding ground for independent thinking, I do remember one occasion when I briefly toyed with the idea. It was during Freshman Civics class. [Read more…]
You’re Hired!
“I can believe anything, provided it’s incredible.” ~ Oscar Wilde For the first 32 years of my life, doubt was rarely my initial or even secondary reaction to the incredible, and neither maturity nor experience did much to heighten my [Read more...]
An Inconvenient Truth
It was 1978 when I abandoned the asymmetric warfare of marriage. [Read more…]
Fixed Before I Am
Every time I finish a diet, I’m certain that I’ve finally learned my lesson, and will never again allow my body to expand beyond the seams in my latex pants. After my first divorce, I was determined never to feel ashamed to ask for, and actually expect, help and respect.
