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…
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When “Sorta” Means “Totally”…
Yesterday was my long day: I now work at the salon from 9:00 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Yesterday was also the younger boy’s last day of freedom before school started back up again*. Freedom is a great word for it, too: his brother went back to college on Monday, and Jim was back at work. This lucky teenager had the whole house to himself, ALL. DAY. LONG. Being my mother’s daughter, I decided it was only right that I leave him a list of chores to complete. You know, since he had an entire day’s worth of free time and all. I didn’t load him up too much, though:…
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12 Days of Productivity
I’ve been belly-aching–mostly to myself–about how unorganized our house has become over the past couple of years. A few years ago, I went through everything–EVERYTHING–and cleaned up, cleaned out, and generally streamlined wherever I could. I haven’t taken the time to do that since then, and I have slowly felt myself smothering under our clutter. It was for this reason that I decided to seize the opportunity I got this year, with an early occurrence of Hanukkah and now a couple of weeks during which, publicly, everything is quieter because most people are rushing around worrying about Christmas. I am starting my own home project, the 12 Days of Productivity.…
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You Know How, When You’re Pregnant, It Seems Like Everyone Is Pregnant?
If you’re a regular reader (thank you!), you know that my older son is going to college for the first time this fall. If you’re not a regular reader, check this out. Or this. Or this. (And then, if you like what you see, why not subscribe or follow using Google Connect, over there in my left margin? I’d love to see you again!) I’m trying to live in denial about it for a little longer, but it’s hard. The sale ads that trumpet back-to-school items and discounts have begun to arrive, and some kind of magical fairy has told Pottery Barn Teen, The Container Store, and Target that I…
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Perseverance
Definition courtesy of Dictionary.comI have, regarding approximately 98% of the elements in my life*, a super-human sense of stick-to-it-iveness. It’s a lethal combination of passion, attention to detail, pride, perfectionism, strong work ethic, and stubbornness. When I decide to do something, I put on my game face, focus on the goal, and get to work. I’m often the last one standing after others have long given up. Usually, I don’t allow setbacks to get me down. (That’s my sense of denial stepping in, I think!) On Monday afternoon, I had a little bump in the road with a current project, and although I did my best to play it off…
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Face It, This Isn’t Your Best Face.
We had our fall event at the salon today, and a woman came in to approach my boss about doing some eyebrow threading and other services that we don’t currently offer. She picked the wrong day and time to come in (and yes, she came in knowing that we were having an event). My boss spoke with her for a few minutes and then finally dragged herself away, at which time the woman gave her some business cards. I checked them out, and nearly exploded. I know that people make mistakes (and yes, I do, too!), but someone trying to represent themselves on marketing materials in the hopes of getting…