I wrote this the day after the IDF (read: Israeli army) demolished a building in Gaza that housed several news agencies, including the Associated Press. It's currently running in our local alternative paper, the Shepherd Express, but I'm posting it here, too. Click here if you want to read the magazine version. It came about … Continue reading ‘What would you tell a friend?’ Bare facts on Israel/Palestine
Category: writing
This is what I tweeted the Friday before Thanksgiving. Had I known then that the back of my head was going to make national news, I would have packed a hairbrush along with my coffee and knitting to take to the Wisconsin Center. Two days prior, the Trump Campaign had wired $3 million to recount the vote … Continue reading Confessions of an Election Worker: ‘I spent it on sock yarn’ Part 2
That's Bubby grinning in front with Aunt Ann next to her and in back, (l-r), Aunt Adele, Mom (aka "Aunt Irlene"), Aunt Bessie & Aunt Freda. My family was comprised of women who were not warm and fuzzy. They were efficient. Mom, in particular, was not all shy about noting the shortcomings of her offspring. … Continue reading If you loved it, you fed it: a Mother’s Day Post, recipe included
There’s a lot of noise out here right now, as everyone screams silently from wherever they’re holed up. Sweetheart and I are holed up at home and beyond grateful. Our jobs haven’t been dramatically affected. Having previously weathered extended periods of under- and unemployment, we fully understand and appreciate how lucky we are. The last … Continue reading Pandemic musings from a virtual reference librarian
The night our father went missing, my sister hung out in her bedroom, reading “The Boys of Summer” by Roger Kahn. Dad had given her the book, and she figured reading it might help bring him home. That was 46 years ago (or will be, this coming Saturday). This morning, in an email, she told … Continue reading Long-dead hypochondriac & sports fan’s life lessons on managing COVID-19
Wednesday, while listening to Gordon Sondland’s testimony in the Impeachment Inquiry as I drove to a doctor’s appointment for which I turned out to be five minutes and 24 hours late, I called my sister. She picked up, 100 percent “That Annoyed Person Interrupted by an Unwanted Phone Call.” “I’m trying to watch the Impeachment … Continue reading Keep your eyes on the road & know your limits: An Impeachment Inquiry Vignette
On Halloween, Sweetheart and I saw “Hamilton,” which is finally touring. It would probably be more accurate to say that I finally saw “Hamilton” and Sweetheart came along for the ride. He knows I wouldn’t have spent gobs of money and dragged him out on a work night if I hadn’t been pretty certain he’d … Continue reading ‘Hamilton’ lyrics hit home for me & my sister: who tells our cousin’s story?
Two days ago, in Rome, I had five different flavors of gelato. Three before pizza (in a dish) and two after (in a cone). Then, we walked to the Trevi Fountain. If anyone is wondering about flavors, the cup was stracciatella (chocolate chip)/a vanilla with pistachio nuts, chocolate ribbons, and cappuccino. The cone was pecorino & … Continue reading Gelato, Gravlax & other Foodgasms: eating in the Euro Zone
by Debby Waldman For my sister’s 60th birthday this year, my husband and I invited her to join us on a two week trip to Italy and France. In turn, Amy offered to treat me to an early birthday gift, a cooking class in Sardinia. She organized the class through a travel blogger, Claudia Tavani, who … Continue reading Guest post: The Cooking Class, With Attempts at Salesmanship and Decluttering Thrown In
The good news: I'm eating bread without getting sick. I don't have a bread picture. This sea bream was my first entree in Sardinia, presented by Julio, who has worked in Australia & Ireland and would like to come and work in the US. The bad news: My alpaca shawl* and ipod* got lost in … Continue reading Great bread, Phoenician ruins and lost stuff: the first few days of my European adventure
the sentence factory 