When I was a kid, I collected rocks. Just plain old rocks. I used to delight in the acquisition of a rock that was slightly sparkly, or a small stone that had a smooth side or an interesting shape. Heart-shaped rocks and stones were my favorites, as were “worry stones”, of which I owned several. (They were plentiful when I was a kid in the 70s!) When I grew up, I started collecting two things: menorahs and cobalt blue glass pieces. Menorahs these days are so much more than just the traditional “U” shape: they are available in all shapes, sizes, and themes. I have a New York City skyline…
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At Least I Didn’t Make Him Lick The Bowl.
Tonight I made my sixteen-year-old son J finish some chips and dip. He said he was finished, but I begged to differ. Normally I don’t police his meals, really. One of the benefits of having teenaged boys in the house is that they don’t need to be coerced to eat. I would even venture to say that the lack of need for Jim and me to be directly involved with making sure they eat their vegetables (they do) or try new things (they do) almost makes up for the fact that they eat us out of house and home, as the saying goes. Almost. The reason I stepped in to…
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In An Empire State of Mind
What I remember: ~Watching “The Today Show” and sharing Matt Lauer and Katie Couric’s horror as the second plane hit the towers, confirming that the first plane’s impact was no accident. Learning about the third plane crashing into the Pentagon and the fourth, United Flight 93, crashing into the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania was almost unbearable. ~Getting a frantic phone call from Jim and together debating whether we should pull our kids, then nine and six, from school (we didn’t). ~Staring at the news coverage for hours at a time as they played the video clips over and over again. ~Watching my sister (who had moved back to this area…
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I Should Really Learn To Keep My Mouth Shut.
Over the last couple of months, we have been having problems with our DVR, which is fairly new after getting our old one replaced due to similar problems. Our satellite provider has been less than helpful for the most part because each time I call, I am on the phone for twenty to thirty minutes, only to be walked through tech support steps that are clearly band-aids rather than a complete fix to the problem. The perkiness of each person I have spoken with is overdone, I imagine for the purpose of balancing out the irritation of the customers on the other end of the line. I have worked in…
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Here’s A Story About The Year I Gave Up The Wrong Thing For Lent
Being a person of the Jewish faith, I’m not someone who normally worries about what to give up for Lent. (Obviously.) One year, though, I did. A huge chunk of my life ago–perhaps ten years back?–I was having a discussion with my closest friend at the time about what she would sacrifice for the season of Lent. She agonized over her decision (I think that’s part of the ritual, no?) and finally decided to forgo sweets for the duration. I, being a good friend, decided to give up something, too. (Not “for Lent”, mind you, because sacrificing for Jesus is not something we Jews do, you know?) I decided to…