Category Archives: current events/themes

Year of the Dog

Posted on February 11, 2018 by

This is our year, my husband’s and mine.  It’s the Year of the Dog and we were both born in a canine year. I’ve been writing about these Chinese zodiac creatures for years, but only yesterday did I  understand the … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, festivals | Leave a comment

Chair fitness: a cure for stress

Posted on February 2, 2018 by

This week, I quit going to a counselor to talk about the anxiety I experience every time I read or hear the name of our President in the media or in conversation with friends. Talking to her was calming and … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, exercise, health | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Winter solstice and dreams of summer

Posted on December 21, 2017 by

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, health, seasons | 3 Comments

“NaNoWriMo” is over and so is any hope for discipline

Posted on December 3, 2017 by

November was National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo and mispronounced by friends as something like “Nah, No Rhinos.” My first foray into NaNoWriMo took place in November 2011. That year I participated fully, which means I started a … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, humor, personal reflections, writing | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

My sexual harassment story

Posted on November 21, 2017 by

Although I’ve felt too busy this month to blog, the daily onslaught of accusations of sexual harassment around the world has inspired me to take a break from adding seven hundred words a day to my current novel and share my … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, grief and loss, personal reflections | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

What is that smell?

Posted on November 5, 2017 by

Ever have a room in your house you didn’t know what to do with? I did. But recently, I decided to fix up that room, which is known as a “bonus room,” even though having it did not feel like … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, humor | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Labor saving devices?

Posted on September 5, 2017 by

“Alexa, feed my cat.  Alexa, write my term paper and then scrub the kitchen floor.” According to a recent New York Times article, people are falling in love with digital assistant Alexa, Amazon’s voice service found in several of its … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, health, technology | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

My first eclipse

Posted on August 17, 2017 by

During next week’s solar eclipse (92% of totality occurring where I live) I managed, inadvertently, to schedule a doctor’s appointment. Still, I am thankful I have my memories of July 11, 1991.  That’s when my husband and I witnessed a total … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Escaping brand names while you travel

Posted on July 1, 2017 by

With a global economy and a growing number of people from developed countries traveling to other countries, sometimes the modern world looks the same no matter where you are. With widespread immigration, residents of many European countries and the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, personal reflections, travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Tourists, tourists, tourists, when will they stop coming?

Posted on June 24, 2017 by

This past month is the longest I’ve gone in 10 years without producing a blog.  I have a good excuse for June, namely, that my husband and I took a three-week trip and returned tired and jet-lagged, sneezing and coughing. … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, travel | 8 Comments