It's difficult to explain the pull this place has on me. The easy thing to say (which I DO) is that I went to school here, thirty years ago. That's one tie: I lived here, however temporarily, and I hung out with Locals. That's why I can exclaim, when a tour guide begins to describe … Continue reading Hawai’i Day Two: Seeing Stars, & Staying Put
Tag: Love
Roommates in a Padded Cell
Pepper and I met (virtually) when we were both freelance-writing for the same client. Well, Steve wasn't actually the "end-user" client himself; he was more like a broker of freelance writing-jobs. His jobs paid a little less-per-word than the gigs I landed on my own (because he was taking a cut), but he was a … Continue reading Roommates in a Padded Cell
The Accidental Cat Lady
We didn't ever mean to have five cats. But how could that happen by ACCIDENT, you ask. Well, here's the thing. When we took this job managing an RV park, the job came with a house. We'd lived in an RV our entire marriage, so we moved into that house without a stick of furniture. … Continue reading The Accidental Cat Lady
Better Than a Fairy Godmother
What could possibly be better than having a Fairy Godmother? Having a REAL one, of course! When my dad was in grad school and my parents lived in Married Student Housing, they lived upstairs or downstairs (I forget who was where) from Klaus & Karen Sitte, and they became fast friends. The kind of prank-playing … Continue reading Better Than a Fairy Godmother
The User’s Manual: 13 Rules
Joshua Pantalleresco, who recently had me as a guest on his podcast, "Just Joshing," has ten Life Rules he tries to live by. I asked, after we went off the air, and he rattled them off for me. Number One is "Show up;" Number Ten is choose the option that's more fun (all other things … Continue reading The User’s Manual: 13 Rules
A Horror-Stricken Ostrich
Note: I hardly ever, ever go into politics here, for reasons that are about to become apparent. This post is an exception. I feel like I should give warning, in the same way that some shows warn when there will be flashing lights or adult language... Be warned. Political anxiety ahead. *** I don't do … Continue reading A Horror-Stricken Ostrich
Giving Thanks: The “October Curse” Stays Lifted
I couldn't tell you what it is about Octobers, but nearly every drama and trauma of my adult life has landed on me in an October. It makes for a month littered with traumatic anniversaries and destructive memories. October has been a haunted month for me, for reasons entirely unrelated to Halloween. Some of those … Continue reading Giving Thanks: The “October Curse” Stays Lifted






