Dear Santa, For four decades I’ve been submitting an annual catalog of book-titles for your consideration. (And okay—some other, less-noble-sounding stuff as well. Thank you, by the way, for that Pink & Pretty Barbie in 1981: a fantastic exhibition on your part of compassionate acquiescence in the face of a petitioner’s truly horrendous personal taste.) …
Hey, take your mind out of the gutter! BOOK covers. I’m between the BOOK-covers of one of the hilarious social commentaries novels penned by Charles Dickens—and this particular copy of this particular book has me thinking… I really do love the heft and the presence of a real paper book. BUT. Because I don’t have …
If you have ever joked that you’re “in danger of becoming a Cat Lady,” well… I’m sorry—you probably already ARE one! But in case you’re still uncertain, I’m happy to offer this handy scoring system: #1: PHOTOS. You might be a Cat Lady if… …you’re thinking of writing a “cat lady” post and go looking …
In the years since Jon married me, I’ve lost count of the number of people who have apologized for swearing around me. Ironic, really, because in the years before marrying Jon I had a serious, Pirate-Sized Potty Mouth. (He never chided me for my language—but my F-bombs suddenly felt disrespectful around someone whose outcries in …
How’s THAT for a strong finish? Thus ended my first book. Back when “book” meant folded sheets of gradeschool writing paper (blue dotted lines to guide the letter-heights) stapled within a construction-paper cover, illustrated ala Crayola. Come to think of it, “Annie Ant” also became my first published work—-a result of living in a town …
Junior High Journalism class first impressed the term “White Space” on my mind. In the context of a yearbook page, it’s just what it sounds like: the portions of page with nothing printed. But White Space took on a life of its own as we created layouts arranged around the White Space Statutes as stated …
This morning a customer didn’t bother to tell me his name, just went straight to spelling it. Yeah, it was one of THOSE names. Not as confounding as some, but definitely not one I would have gotten right without having him spell it out. “My sister and I grew up with a maiden name we …
