Sex. It's fun, isn't it? There's lots I could write about it. In a book, incognito!!! But this was just bait, to see how many would click. You're here! You clicked! So, Just For Fun. Stay. Irregardless of how you feel about this right now. (Oh how I love that "word"!) This post won't be completely irregardless of sex. I promise. I posted something on Instagram this morning, and it's interesting there cause you can tag things and then people you don't know from wherever in the world might see them and like them. This girl today from Germany liked a post I'd done, about mis-matched socks. I clicked on her profile to check out what she's about: "______. 25 y.o. Just For Fun!" And what followed were Tons Of Selfies. Just For Fun. #nomakeup #wokeupthisway #freckles #onfleek Just For Fun. Oh my gosh I was howling. Sorry, _____. I showed Simon. Oh my gosh he was howling. Sorry, _____. She's in Germany, so then...

This isn't really an eye-emotion-catching topic, I know that. But, maybe we all had some kind of habit or craft we cultivated growing up. Soccer, softball, gymnastics, playing the flute, martial arts, swimming, whatever......ballet. Maybe we don't use it directly anymore these days, but it's in there! (How many times have people complimented me on my posture?! And I usually feel like I need to improve it!!) I think of ballet nearly every day. Mostly because I have a beautiful photo of my ballet class from high school hanging in my bedroom. I hadn't hung that up for most of my adult life, until I moved into this apartment on my own with the kids. I remember pretty clearly the day the guy came and took the photo, and the other photos with it. He was a friend of one of the dancers, in a photography class or something, getting practice and doing us all a favour! (Or, maybe he was just creepy and I didn't realize it?!) We weren't a fancy school. Modest, low key, l...

I'm reading some David Sedaris right now; again. I love it. Back in the day I used to listen to him on public radio. Probably on episodes of "This American Life", and other platforms. His writing cracks me up! His deadpan delivery. His raw details sometimes beautiful, or brutal, or both at once. How he can make the most mundane seem interesting! The most painful, hilarious! This particular book of his, "Theft By Finding", I haven't read before. It's a compilation of his diaries from 1977-2002, slightly edited for the purposes of publishing, of course. What keeps striking me as I read it is, Wow there are a lot of crazies out there! Wow, there are a lot of bigoted, ignorant, mis-informed/un-informed, HATEFUL people! And, Wow, I have no idea what it's like, really, to be a minority. He is gay and Jewish, so he's experienced more than his fair share of hate. His stories include a lot of others--not HATERS--but others on the fringes. Often the vi...

It involves a lot of laundry. Meal prep, sweeping. Staring at the cupboards thinking, "What now?" Staring into the fridge thinking, "What now?" Staring into the sink thinking, "What now?" Standing in the kitchen. My early retirement involves a lot of assessing. This room needs this, this room needs that, this thing needs washed, this thing needs repaired. And then, just choosing a couple. I don't want to overdo it. I mean, I'm in early retirement. It involves a lot of self discipline. Who knew? No alarm to wake me, just my inner voice screaming, "Better get up!" The free expanse of the late night hours closed to me still. What good happens at that time anyway? Even in early retirement? Better go to bed. Remember, the morning. (But 1am is fun too.) A bit of not doing the things I thought I'd want to do, that's part, too. That sewing project I'd been putting off? For retirement? Ugh, who cares! I c...

I think we can connect this topic to COVID too. But I'll leave it at that. So,  in recent news...yet again...another shocker. Only, none of us are really that shocked. Is it THAT important to stand your ground? Save face? Show who's "boss"? How many times in history has a person's hunger for power and control--motivated by fear and insecurity--led to the types of horror we were reminded of the other day? **This thing from the other day(s!!!) is undeniably a race problem. This thing from the other day(s!!!) is undeniably an American problem.  When is the country going to WAKE UP TO ITS PROBLEMS AND ACTUALLY DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOMETHING RADICAL AND HELPFUL AND DEEP ABOUT THEM?** But also, this, what I'm writing about--Saving Face-- this isn't only a race problem, this isn't only an American problem. If you are a parent I'm sure you've gotten caught in the trap of power. Grasping for it as it sneakily snuck out of...

I was going to have this post be all about jobs. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew what I'm really thinking about is: Identity. And Identity is much more than the job you do. Working as a college instructor I used to teach this Communications class. The textbook we used has a whole chapter on how the way we communicate effects our identity and how the way we communicate is affected by our identity. There's a little exercise in there where you're to think about yourself, your identity, your self concept--whatever. And write down the roles you play or the words that come to mind when you're describing yourself. Words like: father, son, teacher, wife, stay-at-home parent, real estate agent, singer, funny, smart, good looking, healthy...you get the idea? Write down maybe 10 things. Then, rank those things. Which ones are most important to you? If you had to rank them, how would the order go? Then. Then take away one of them. Take away that top one; im...

I have a family blog, where I keep more of those memories. This is the birth story I wrote for on there, about Therese's birth 9 years ago today! I've edited it a bit for here. This story came to my mind recently because her birthday was coming up, of course. But also in light of my own thoughts about death, with this current world crisis happening.  I know I'm not high risk, but...I also know that you never know. During Therese's birth I felt the closest to death I've ever been! I don't know if it was REAL but the thoughts and feelings sure were REAL. So, for those of you who love a birth story (like I do!), here you go: Therese Marie's Birth Story As I seem to recall, Matthew told Greta's birth story on our family blog. This postpartum period I have more of my wits about me and would love to tell the story of Therese's birth myself. It all started last Saturday with a fitful sleep that woke me with contractions at about 5:20 am. I ...