When Jessica is with her father

At the coffee shop, two young women who’ve recently completed their freshman year of college are comparing notes and talking about what they’ll be doing in the fall. Then they move on to a discussion about applying for study abroad programs that will take place in their junior year, and one of them says, “It’s…

So bee-you-tee-ful! You can look at more like it on Jessica’s website, where she also tells stories about me.  

A blogger I follow — Laura Young at No Safe Distance — recently posted on the importance of carefully choosing role models. This got me to thinking about all of the teachers I’ve had over the years who’ve helped me to understand how to accomplish various goals. They’ve also helped me see the reality of…

I am at the coffee shop and I am thinking, which means—today, anyway—that I am staring out the window and wondering whose life I would rather have. Most of the time my observation is none of you people have the slightest idea what the fuck you’re doing, do you? and so my answer is, conveniently,…

 The most important story you’ll ever tell isn’t the one you commit to a page. It’s the one you tell yourself about your life. The other day, I was listening to a colleague tell me about the lack of support she was getting from her family as she pursued a freelance career. This is a…

Me: “So there’s a guy with a baler on the shoulder of the road—” Big City Friend: “A what?” Me: “A baler, like a Haybuster. You know.” BCF: “A what?” Me: “A baler, a Haybuster baler!” BCF: “Are you even speaking English?” Me: “I’m describing a vehicle on the shoulder of a county road in…