You Gonna Eat That? A 2018 Retrospective.

I’ve taken this last week off to read, sleep in and get caught up with my thinking. My work weeks are really busy now as I’ve taken a new position in the disabilities field that allows me precious time away from my phone (I’ve been on call for the past decade). It’s been great for […]

Holiday Follow Up. No One Died.

Welp. all praises to tiny baby Jesus that Christmas is over. Next year will be different. I can’t change that my autistic daughter loves the holiday, and associates it with travel and visiting people…and seriously I should be thrilled that she has any happy memories considering all I can remember from her childhood are the […]

Holidays Can Suck it.

The holidays are a time for family which is absolutely horrific on the face of it, it’s just a little worse if you have a family member with behavioral issues. Here’s the truth: No one is excited about seeing my adult autistic daughter this Christmas. I’m about to drive over 1,100 miles round trip with […]

Here’s to the Parents who Lunch!

In 2010 I received a weird phone call from my autistic daughter’s aide at the public high school she was attending. I was at work and unable to pick up the phone but the message mentioned something about “cursing and shoving…” but the message was unclear. I wanted an answer to what was happening but […]

“Always a John and Never a Hooker…”

A few people are really pissed off by the recent appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. I guess I am, too. But what else could we expect? How much introspection can we honestly expect from a white dude really? The bar couldn’t be much lower for these nitwits and so it doesn’t […]

Excavating your kid’s life

24 years ago I became the mother of twins. They were gorgeous, full term bright-eyed girls who looked nothing alike. One had piercing, dark blue almond eyes and a very serious expression, the other had big, round grey blue eyes and was always looking beyond you. The round-eyed baby was etherial and her eyes would […]

Your Game, Your Rules.

I just came home from a steamy and damp writing workshop in the woods. It was intense for many reasons not the least of which is that it really was intense. The workshop was facilitated by the amazing life guru Lynda Barry and the more low key yet still as amazing writer Dan Chaon. We […]

Die Trying: Personal Training at 50.

There is an old acting class exercise where a student is waiting for the bus and is supposed to take on attributes of various people “you’re 15 and you just got your first real kiss, you’re an old lady on the way to chemotherapy, you’re a kid who has to pee…” and at some point […]

Oh, Tony! We Hardley Knew Ye.

Anthony Bourdain hung himself; unbelievably believable. I did not know the man, only watched his shows and bought his books (and never read them). He was enchanting if for nothing than his refreshing honesty. Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I’m a crank. But the word “royals” just …will never go down easy. Only person I […]

Lowered Expectations

I don’t know who Paul Thompson is but he has written what sounds like an awesome book, Aim Low: A Story About Lowered Expectations. I may read it, or listen to it or whatever I have to do to consume this material. I’m still slogging through the end of Vulgar Favors—the rest of the book […]