A couple of days ago, I grabbed the short stack of envelopes from the mailbox–yes, the real mailbox, used by the U.S. Post Office–and brought it into the house. As I sifted through it, finding no bills (always a nice thing), I noticed an envelope with familiar handwriting on it. It was addressed to D (older son: remember?). I looked at the return address, and saw that it was from his middle school, more specifically, his 8th grade social studies teacher. The handwriting? Was D’s. And then it all came back to me. I remember, four years ago, an afternoon on which he came home and, as was our daily…
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I Take the “Super” Out of “Superhuman”.
Yesterday was one of the most productive days I’ve had in ages. I got up at 6:15 (slept in by 30 minutes, since the younger boy didn’t have school!), answered some emails, ate a good breakfast (spinach and egg scramble, with a teensy amount of feta), and got dressed for my Zumba class. I headed over to the dance studio, took my class, waved goodbye to my friends and went home. I watched a little “Top Gear” (the British version, not the American copycat) with the younger boy, showered, put a load of clothes in the washer, unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded the dishwasher, ate a nice mini-lunch (Triscuits with light…
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It’s Likely That The Only Bigger News Would Be That I’m Pregnant.
Bite your tongue. Oh wait, *I* said that. I’m not pregnant, but I am now expecting something this year: the publication of my second book! I know. I can’t believe it myself. I’ve worked on this labor of love since 2005 (with the bulk of it at the top of my priority list for the past two years), and the fact that it will be out there this year totally blows my mind. The last fourteen months have been an interesting (and frustrating) part of this journey. When I sent several proposals out to publishers in November 2009, I proclaimed to the universe how badly I wanted this to happen.…
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What Does Christmas Have To Do With a Tornado?
After getting a story starter from Kate McGroarty, the Museum of Science and Industry’s roommate for the month, I sniffed out the rest of the story of how one of the focal points of a current major exhibit came to be. I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with Kurt Haunfelner, the Museum’s Vice President of Exhibits and Collections. Here is the story, paraphrased, since I’m not that fast of a typist while listening to a really nice person who is telling a very interesting story. Besides the fact that I was thrilled as a fan of the Museum to get this backstory, it made me nostalgic for all of…
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The Balance Has Shifted
People are constantly asking me how things are going since the older boy left for college. I usually give a longer answer than is probably expected or necessary, but it’s been an interesting phenomenon. Though I really miss seeing my older son daily (yet, might I add, technology is fabulous, making it possible for us to reach him for a quick second or a long conversation whenever we want, using one of several methods), those of us left behind are doing well, in spite of the hole he left. What is fascinating to me (and what happened quite unexpectedly) has been the shift in the overall atmosphere in the house.…