Previous post on weight & health: Doctor's response to my weight gain On Friday morning a co-worker asked when I was due. Even with my prosopagnosia and a staff of over 500, I felt sure the two of us had never properly met because I pretty much have every...
Search Results
Silver Linings Playbook: Can’t Wait to See It Again
In a talk he gave at Cornell University in 1993, Chicano actor Edward James Olmos said that seeing movie while it's in the theater is like casting a vote. Ever since, I've tried to get myself to the theater when I feel a movie is very important, in spite of the motion...
“Smile!”
You know when you're walking along, minding your own business and some guy you've never seen before tells you to smile? Right out of the blue, this stranger looks at you and says something like, "Smile! It's not so bad." You know that? If you're a man, your answer is...
Fat Tuesday 2013
Happy Fat Tuesday! I made cupcakes for work. How about you? Let us all have a day of indulgence and then lounge around like my dog. Here he is doing some dog yoga: Enjoy the day! Worry tomorrow.
Merry Christmas 2012!
Mexicans make tamales at Christmas.
“Isn’t There Anyone Who Knows What Christmas Is All About?”
[I originally posted this on January 5, 2006 and it's my tradition to re-post it every December.] Here’s my summary of the History Channel's Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas which I find extremely relevant to the annual discussion of the true meaning of...
Atheist in Support of Christmas
ArkansasMatters.com ran this article on November 19th: "Charlie Brown Christmas Show Causes Church and State Controversy." It reports that a Little Rock church was performing matinees of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for local schools. The schools sent permission slips...
How Much to Tip? TWENTY Percent
Many people build their careers in the restaurant industry and they're in it for life. They pay their medical bills, rent, mortgage, children's college, etc. with the money they make from bussing tables, serving tables, tending bar, etc. The majority of their income...
American Horror Story: Asylum
I shouldn't like FX's second season of American Horror Story. I'm sensitive to negative portrayals of people with mental illness and can't stand when emotional and personality disorders are associated with violence and horror. But this is a hard show for me to...
Shopping ON a major holiday?
Dear Americans, Please don’t shop on Thanksgiving Day. It only encourages big corporations to make their employees miserable on the one day every American should be able to relax. There's a nasty trend of stores beginning their Black Friday sales on the evening...
Not Afraid to Give My Age
My 46th birthday was in July, but I'm feeling like it's time to start calling myself 47. Why not? It's only nine months away. In the meantime: my Christmas application tells me there are 76 days until Christmas! October through December is my favorite time of the year.
The Word “Lady,” Part One
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the Midwest who uses the words "woman" and "women" instead of "lady" and "ladies." Am I the only one who learned during the 1980s that "lady" is euphemistic and sexist? Historically, the terms "lady" and "gentleman"...
My Native Language Is Still English
I envy non-Latino-looking Americans who learn Spanish and receive congratulations for it.
Birthday Gifts
On July 24th I’ll be 46 years old. I’m excited about it because I still see my birthday similarly to how a small child sees her birthday: another year older and closer to being a grown up and people taking me seriously and stuff. I can’t wait til my 50th birthday when...
I Don’t Want to Wear a Bra Anymore
I've just about had it with wearing a bra. Years ago I posted that I was going to stop wearing them, but that only lasted a few months (back then my restaurant uniform included a full apron that allowed me to go bra-less without anyone noticing at all). In the past...






