When I was sixteen, I had one of those classic first jobs that teaches you more about capitalism than calculus. I was a cashier at Publix. In the 1980s, this was a solid teenage gig. You wore the polyester green uniform, smiled like it was your job—because it was—and never let a customer lift their... Continue Reading →
The Big Fight with Fran
It was a humid morning in May, the kind where your skin sticks to your clothes before you’ve made it past the mailbox. I had walked four blocks with baby Sergio in his stroller to Fran’s house, something I did often without thinking. I didn’t call first. I never had to. Fran had always been... Continue Reading →
The Perm, the Towels, and Me: My Glamorous Start in the Workforce
In 1986, at the tender age of 15, while most teens were at the mall or learning how to smoke behind 7-Eleven, I had a job at a hair salon. And by “job,” I mean my mom paid a man named Wayne Michael to let me work there. This was a shocking twist I discovered... Continue Reading →
From Sherwood to Shhh: Tech Fails at Our Final Book Club with Amy S. Kaufman
Last night, I hosted what will probably be the last hurrah of our local book club. Attendance has been shrinking faster than my patience for Facebook arguments, and even with a special guest Amy S. Kaufman, author of The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, only my two besties, Laura and Nidhi, showed up. Chris was there... Continue Reading →
The Reluctant Parent’s Guide to Raising Good Humans
Years ago, I met up with a couple of friends from high school. We had our kids with us, so we visited a local science and activity center. While our kids played, we talked about parenting. At one point, I said, “Wow! It’s weird that we are definitely not kid people, but we had kids.”... Continue Reading →
Y2K, Aliens, and a Tinsel Slash Wig: How I Danced My Way Through the End of the World
You know how some people party like it's 1999? Well, on New Year's Eve 1999, I did something even better, or stranger. While most folks worried about the Y2K apocalypse, stocking up on canned beans and bottled water, I was busy painting myself green and silver and preparing to dance with senior citizens dressed as... Continue Reading →
Crossfit and the Ghost of My Thighs: A Cautionary Tale from 2015
This post originally appeared in 2015, and I still have nightmares about it. Not dramatic movie-style nightmares. More like the kind where you drop something and realize you’ll have to squat to pick it up. My husband is a big Groupon fan. The man loves to save money, so he is always buying some sort... Continue Reading →
The great Great Dane Rearranging of it’s Still Dark O’clock
Chris and I never wanted to be a dog parent cautionary tale, but here we are. Long ago, back when we had just one tiny dog, one semi-huge dog, and three cats, we used to close our bedroom door at night. None of the animals slept with us. It was peaceful. It was clean. It... Continue Reading →
Flying First Class: The Ups, the Downs, and the Oversharing
Yesterday, we had a glorious 7 AM flight (because who doesn’t love waking up before the sun to play luggage Tetris?). The airline blessed us with an upgrade to first class—but there was a catch. Chris and I were separated by a whole five rows. He was living the dream in Row 1, while I... Continue Reading →
I usually kill plants, but I’m really trying with this orchid.
Picture a Friday evening here in the desert. A stupid show is background noising in the background. The dogs are in their preferred spots on the leather sofas they think are theirs. We are all waiting for the thing we have been waiting for all week–Daddy’s arrival home from a work trip. As soon as... Continue Reading →