From the monthly archives:

June 2009

Sex and the singular woman — three

June 30, 2009

Liz told us how she was attracted to Danny DeVito, which made us all laugh. And then we settled on Jeremy Irons for his intensity and that fact that, as Fay put it, he looks like he’s been there and done everything.
“But how do you think you would feel 15 years down the line if [...]

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Sex and the singular woman — two

June 29, 2009

“Do you think it’s possible to retain the spark in a marriage? To keep liking each other long-term?” I asked, curious to know how others did it. You know, you start out with the fires lit. The challenge comes in stoking the embers.
“Yes. If you marry your best friend, have a full life of your [...]

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Sex and the singular woman — one

June 28, 2009

There were 10 of us. All women, together for the evening for no special reason other than to exchange ideas on the sorts of things that women seem to talk about when they get together. The meaning of existence, the state of the world, our sex lives and so forth. I don’t recall what led [...]

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Eyeball eggs and moldy legs — three

June 27, 2009

We all have our individual food stories. They can involve time and place — and sometimes people we love. My father. He was uncompromising and remote. And I believe I have him to thank for what — for many years — was my love-hate relationship with food.
Food was his passion. His hobby. His obsession. His [...]

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Eyeball eggs and moldy legs — two

June 26, 2009

My father knew how to suck eggs. Raw ones, through toothpick-sized holes he would pierce on the pointy sides in the shell. This sucking feat reliably made both my mother and me gag. Fortunately, when he was doing breakfast, he gave me my eggs cooked.
Only this particular day, I didn’t feel even slightly fortunate. He [...]

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Eyeball eggs and moldy legs — one

June 25, 2009

PICTURE the scene. My first vivid food memory. A string-bean kid about five years old, fair hair braided into two long plaits, alone in the dining room and seated at a large, oval, wood table. The shiny sort you can’t put your coffee mug on because it marks.
If someone were to draw the scene for [...]

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Six blatantly b**S*** fallacies

June 24, 2009

. . . boomers take as facts of life

1) The best is yet to come.
And pigs can fly. Come on! We’ve been there, done a bunch of things and should know better. So lets start by cutting the crap on some of the myths. Who says the best is yet to come? [...]

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You’re fired! — and the grapes of wrath

June 22, 2009

Five layoffs, firings, retrenchments, getting the boot or whatever.
Hold a gun to my head and I’ll dredge up a few other dubious distinctions. But for now, I will fess up to the fact that I was the only first year student to flunk English Literature in Year One of my Bachelor of Arts degree at [...]

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You’re Fired! Strike Three, Strike Four + Strike Five

June 21, 2009

What is the gift in this?
The new publisher calls you in. Different publisher. You’ve been the editor in chief for a year. Different magazine. You know he’s not going to discuss your raise because you just got one.
In fact, it’s to let you know that he’s hired a new editor to replace you. It’s [...]

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You’re fired! Strike One + Strike Two

June 20, 2009

What is the gift in this?
Just three months ago, the South African nonprofit director twisted your arm so hard, it nearly fell off. He wanted you to be his director of communications. After two hours of persuasion, you felt you’d be insane not to take the job.
Now, he calls you and all your staff into [...]

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