I don’t know what I’m doing. That is not a statement to inspire confidence, I know. What I mean is I’ve completed my first book editing gig, and while I’m waiting for my check to arrive in the mail, I’m wondering what to do next. It’s a little disconcerting. I …
The sun is shining, the dogs are sleeping, and I am sniffling. The cold germs I’d managed to keep at bay for the past two weeks have finally whacked me in the knees, and I refuse to get off the sofa. The dogs have been walked and pooped, so they’re …
A dog is snoring on the floor in the next room. The washing machine is churning away in another. I’m sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop and an empty cup of tea. Last night a young friend came by and tried on every kimono I had left in …
I’m an idealist, not much of a social realist. Maybe that’s why I went into studying anthropology with so much zeal. I want to know what’s out there and why it exists, how it persists, and what we can do about it to broaden understanding between people. That wasn’t intentionally …
California is primarily a drought state. At least it has been as long as I can remember, and some years have been worse than others. We typically go for months at a time with no precipitation (unless you count fog), years without snow, and our relative humidity is usually quite …
strug·gle/ˈstrəgəl/ Verb: Make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction. Noun: A forceful or violent effort to get free of restraint or resist attack. Synonyms: verb. fight – wrestle – strive – combat – contend – battle noun. fight – battle – combat – conflict – contest – …
Time to fess up. A few things have come to my attention recently: 1) I’ve been a real mess the past few months. Years. Always. I live by the skin of my teeth, just getting by on the bare minimum. There’s a challenge to it, this sort of financial survival, …
Sometimes I wonder what purpose there is to what I do. I mean, writing doesn’t exactly keep me fit, put food on the table at a reasonable hour, keep the house tidy, walk the dogs, or do much of anything else obviously useful. Sometimes my writing even alienates people. If …
Last night I sat with my laptop between a nearly naked Christmas tree and a boyfriend on his laptop and pinging iPhone. The dogs were sharing the sofa with me, but kept their distance. Normally they would have snuggled up next to me to keep warm, but I think they’re …
I’ve often wondered what happens in households other than my own. As a kid, I figured my family was pretty normal, but what did “normal” really mean? How could I define it, when I had no other benchmarks to measure it against? Once, when my sister and I were pretty …