Writing the good read
I’ve been thinking a lot about writing lately. I do it for a living — or should I say “living”, but more on that later — so it shouldn’t come as a shock. But it’s the eve of the Third annual Wordcount Blogathon which will require me to write every single day. Here’s where the…
Here is a list of all the things I do that make me mean: 1. I don’t buy white bread and if a sandwich is purchased in my presence, it’s gonna be on something whole grain. 2. We only have dessert once a week, on Friday nights. Birthdays, holidays, and times when there are guests…
Mia, dearest, I never want you to call me again, ask what to make for a dinner party, and then inform me afterward that you just ordered a pizza instead. So here is a lovely dish that takes just a few ingredients that you should have in your pantry anyway (go look at the first…
There are days when a bowl of chili or a steaming plate of spaghetti sounds nice, but the chopping involved doesn’t. Here’s a secret: the start of both a nice red sauce and a good bowl of chili are remarkably similar. You can do a whole bunch of chopping on a single day and cook…
I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis seven years ago. Since then, I’ve been on a string of medications to bring it under control, each one newer and more expensive than the last, each with its own list of scary potential side effects. We joke about it at home: “Honey, can you get me my…
I know that baseball is over for the year (*sob*). Until the winter manager meetings, I won’t even bother to read the sports section. For now, my baseball reading will be limited to perusing my cousin Jay’s postings at Futility Infielder and his work at the Baseball Prospectus (note of warning: he’s a Dodgers fan;…
While here in Seattle we are always willing to go out on the deck and grill regardless of the weather, I know for many of you, the grill is something that comes out of the garage in the summer and goes back in at the first rain. You wimps. The grill is good for steaks…
I turned 45 on Friday. Here are some of the things that have happened on June 12: Anne Frank was born, as was George HW Bush. On the day of my birth, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. In 1986, PW Botha declared a state of emergency in South Africa that led to…
A couple summers ago, Mia came for dinner. It was hot, and I had no desire to cook. And yes, it does get hot in Seattle. Anyway, I made this salad, and Mia has long wanted the recipe. The problem is, it doesn’t really have the recipe. But in honor of temps expected to be…
I have a niece who is as much of a reader as I am. She’s 12 and can’t get enough of books. I hope as I write this she’s taken my suggestion to heart and started in on Jane Austen — she reads at the high school level already. We were talking last week on…