There are some things in my life which I have loved wholly, deeply, and passionately. I would pursue these with the drive of a hungry lioness with cubs to feed and an elderly antelope in sight. I went after them — fervently. […]

Read more "Force(d) (out) of Habit"

Winter, for many who live in New England, is a season for outdoor fun: skiing, skating, snowshoeing, snowball fights, snow angels. All those things that make the cold less so due to the offset found in winter’s enjoyment. It is also a season of special chores: shoveling, sanding, salting, getting children in and out — […]

Read more "Winter Euthanasia"

This was my dad’s favorite cake: German chocolate. If you haven’t ever tried it, I can vouch for how delicious it is. I made one today. I did this because had my dad not died seventeen years ago, he’d be celebrating his 70th birthday today. Probably with me. I bet my sister would have come […]

Read more "German Chocolate Longing"

When my children were younger, I would tell them bedtime stories of my own creation. The one which they liked the most, Tom and Amber, ended up a series about a middle-aged bachelor and his oh-so-smart dog. It had a “theme song,” which cued the children into listening, and all the stories ended with “And then […]

Read more "Bedtime Stories"

Instead of writing — or even editing today — I got distracted online. You know what this is all about. You intend to “quick look something up” and end up clicking and linking. The next thing you know, an hour has passed. I admit it: I clicked and linked for far too long today. One […]

Read more "Take Our Quick Test: It’ll Tell You Nothing"

With every endeavor, there are highs and lows. I’m not saying anything which is not well known. However, what you might not know is how terribly “low” most writers get when it comes to editing. In that way, I am very much like all those other writers. Editing is tedious. I liken it to what […]

Read more "The Worst Part"

Today I was thinking about my recent post with the crude language. I was wondering if I had offended anyone — turned anyone off by my liberal use of vulgarity. In considering whether to offer up an apology, I began to think about the act of apologizing. Generally, I see apologies as necessary when I […]

Read more "Toothed Apologies"

I was reading to Rob this afternoon: not this blog, not the comments on Facebook, not the weird text from a former client, and not the ingredients in the ramen noodle spice pack I found in the back of a drawer. I was reading what I wrote today in my story — still titled Accidental Gravitas […]

Read more "Bandaging the Story"

My last blog post broke the record for “number of views” and “number of visitors” in a twenty-four hour period. In addition to the raw numbers reflected on the “stats” page, two people said, “I’m enjoying your blog.” These comments were made in person: #1 at my yoga studio and #2 at the grocer. (This […]

Read more "Proceed with Caution, There’s a bit of Vulgarity . . ."