My aunt died. My great aunt. She was 97-years-old, suffering from Alzheimer's, and I hadn't seen her in four years. And yet, I'm crying my eyes out. I don't understand myself sometimes. It's like I'm a giant lake, held in by a structurally questionable dam that breaks at the exact times when the engineers predicted [...]
If I walked into a meeting and said I needed to blast Metallica for three minutes before we got started in order to better mentally prepare myself, people would probably think I was a bit "off." They'd probably feel the same way if I requested some time to do yoga and then told everyone they [...]
I've been "working" for the better part of an hour with nothing to show for it, and it suddenly dawned on me that every one of my mornings looks almost exactly like this. I sit down at the computer, determined to be productive, and the following chain of events occurs: Open email. Delete Gap ads. [...]
I'm coming to the realization that one of the worst feelings in the world is powerlessness. I felt it when we were coming back from Mexico and the mean TSA agent took my kid's water bottle for no good reason. And the other day, I felt it at the park. Elfie (9), Newt (almost 11), [...]
I woke up to a Facebook message from my friend saying there was a shooting at Sparks Middle School and her husband was fine (incidentally, Sparks is right next to Reno, where I live). She wrote this in all caps at least four times and with about five exclamation points behind each "fine." I see [...]
This is a topic that may -- just simply by hearing about it in October -- cause some of you immeasurable pain. But I'm going to bring it up anyway (I know, nice, right?). Holiday cards. Yes, I know it's early. At least it seems early. Of course it also seems early to buy snow [...]
While it's true I often wallow in a pit of despair rivaled only by that underground torture chamber occupied by the consumptive albino in The Princess Bride, I think it's possible that this week, I may have outdone myself. I actually depressed the dog. Jasper is perhaps the happiest being on earth. We joke that [...]
Last Halloween, the kids were sort of obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. Not Harry Potter obsessed like they were over the last six months, but still pretty coo coo. Anyway, it wasn't a huge surprise when Newt said he wanted to go as Frodo. But I have to say I was really psyched [...]
Friday Fiction is back! Start the whole book here. Or go back to the last chapter here. Or get a rundown of everything here. Just so many choices... ******** "Jen, I really don't have much time." Peter Wong stood in the doorway of their bedroom, watching his wife adjust pillows and pull back the comforter. [...]
One thing I love about my readers is that a lot of you are just like me: sort of out-of-it. And I say that with oodles of love in my heart because, like I said, I'm truly one of you. I mean, by the time I got wind of the whole honey badger deal, there were already people [...]
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