In 1989, I kicked off the freelance writing career that ended up tanking my marriage and catapulting me out of the middle class. (Or, to put it another way, I traded in one set of problems for another set that I liked better.) My book group. One of many joyful by-products of that trade-in. In … Continue reading Advance Reader’s Copies spark joy for local book group: A shoutout to William Morrow, Jennifer Chiaverini &, most of all, Mildred Fish Harnack
Category: lifestyle
It’s been one of those weeks where there’s much to write about that it’s hard to know where to start. Sometimes when it's all too much, you want to curl up and take a nice nap. Michael Cohen paid a visit to Congress and refused to promise not to profit from a book or movie … Continue reading If Willy Wonka’s factory churned out Mind Candy: a Dispatch from the Department of Healing Truths
“It looks like it’s evaporating.” Sweetheart was talking about the bourbon. I’d been dusting the mantelpiece, which has become a sort of shrine to our combined ancestry. There’s Aunt Betty’s Aztec calendar and the silver bowl my then 80-something grandmother received to commemorate 2,500 hours of volunteer service at the nursing home in Tucson where … Continue reading Watered down before I was born: A boozy family tale starring my cousin Chuck and Guy Rehorst
Dear Rep. Omar: I’ve been writing you a letter in my head since the second round of “She’s a raging anti-Semite!” hysteria, but this is the first moment I’ve had time to actually begin setting anything down on virtual paper. Apologies in advance for the interruptions – our 11 am tickets to “Disney on Ice” … Continue reading Random Jewish American seeks Pen Pal: An open letter to Rep. Ilhan Omar
#RacistinRecovery 2018 is almost in the rear-view mirror. On that front, at least, I think I made some progress. Professionally, I attended a pre-conference workshop on dismantling institutional racism in libraries, and was able to do that beautiful fusion of personal and professional when I took a six-week class called “Unlearning Racism” at our local … Continue reading #RIR2018 exits stage left, chocolate cupcake flowers wave in the wind as #WJDisaggregation2019 makes its entrance
In the first part of this post, Debby went to Italy in 2012 and bought a pair of shoes she'd been coveting forever. They turned out to be slightly too small and, because she'd worn them outside, not returnable. She posted a small rant, accompanied by a photo from her hotel room in Rome. "Slightly … Continue reading A Cinderella story starring my sister, the Fairy Godmother of Shoes – Part Two
There is no such thing as cheap shoes in my universe. Which is what happens when a man with 9C feet makes babies with a woman who wears a7½ AAAA shoe. My sister somehow managed to dodge the narrow-footed bullet. She wears a nice, common size in a nice, common width. She also has amazing taste … Continue reading A two-part Cinderella story starring my sister, the Fairy Godmother of Shoes
Dear Trevor Noah: I hope you are taking good care of yourself and feeling better. But I feel moved to inform you that rescheduling your November 9th Milwaukee show threw me into full-on “First-World White Lady Existential Crisis” mode Bruised vocal cords are no joke. So I’m glad you stayed home and took care of yourself. … Continue reading First World White Lady Problems: An Open Letter to Trevor Noah (with photos)
Five years ago, my pal Molly and her husband Richard flew in from New York to visit her parents, "Mel" (z"l) and "Sally." It was their first visit after M&S moved into "Old People Harvard," the independent and assisted-living community where Mom had been living for two years. It was a great gift to Mom … Continue reading Accidental landlording & purposeful librarianship: a dispatch from the busy zone with a reminder to VOTE TUESDAY!
Dear Dr. Ford: I watched some of your testimony last week and want you to know that I thought you were amazing. You made sense out of something that was hard to make sense of, and you did it with elegance and good humor and decency. It was easy to imagine you as … Continue reading Thank you from the bottom of my heart: an open letter to Dr. Susan Blasey Ford
the sentence factory 