In my never-ending movement towards becoming a bigger and bigger geek (at 5 feet, two inches tall, I can only get bigger in this kind of way), I have completely become a National Public Radio listener. It's really my husband's fault: he bought me an iPod for...
Today on the far northside of Chicago, it was completely overcast and right around 60 degrees. At 6:30 pm, it's 57 degrees and cooling fast. Shall we slip into mini-dresses and sandals and go clubbing without sweaters? (Refers to my post criticizing the way Chicagoans...
During the fall and winter months, we expect Chicago to be cold. Our landlords and building managers (reluctantly) run the heat and we all bundle up and keep our scarves and gloves handy.But around this time of year, everyone begins to ignore the weather forecast, and...
Two weeks ago, in response to my January 19th post, one reader commented: Tell me more about ‘English Only bull#$%.’ What does that refer to? Does Mexico publish its voter materials in other languages for the benefit of non-Mexican-speakers? English Only is a movement...
Sometimes marriage is good. Sometimes marriage is bad. At least half of all American marriages end in divorce. Plenty of couples had no business getting together in the first place, especially to have children (poor children). I think many of us know how badly...
I was watching "The Polar Express" on Christmas Eve, which is the story of how a little boy goes from not believing in the existence of Santa, to believing. There are several movies and stories with the same plot line and I wonder why. Why is it important to make...
Hey, everybody, I just found out that today, December 5th is the anniversary of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors. Today is the...
I believe it's never too early to start preparing for holidays, even Halloween. So, as I get ready, I wonder: what scary movies would anyone recommend this Halloween season? I'm asking about genuinely frightening movies that make it hard for you to go to bed later,...
I attended a wedding last June and today I received word of the bride's pregnancy. I stared at a jpeg of the ultrasound in shock. I was surprised at how soon she got pregnant, but I also just felt baffled at the universal, almost without exception, desire of people to...
The other day at work, I was standing near the manager's office. She was on the phone, but turned to me, "Regina, do you speak Spanish?" As I always do at that question, I felt fearful, hesitated and tried to think of how to get out of another opportunity to show what...
A friend had a birthday party and on the invitation she put,No gifts, please. But if you don't feel right coming to a birthday party without a gift, contact So-and-So to contribute to a gift certificate to my FAVORITE spa (it's all I want for my birthday!). But really...
In response to the comments on my last post:There used to be a social expectation that gentlemen greet ladies, such as with a tip of the hat, without any encouragement from the ladies? Why? How does this show respect? Respected is the last thing I feel when a male...
It's 1:20 a.m. on a Friday night and I'm almost home from working the dinner shift. I'm getting off the train and as I head towards the stairs that lead down to the sidewalk I hear an unknown man's voice behind me saying, "I see you at the gym." What would you do?...
I'm wondering why Easter isn't as big an American holiday as Christmas. Here is my friend Robert's response:I think it boils down to this: Would you rather go to a friend's (or savior's) baby shower or execution? Christmas is easier to co-opt than Easter because it's...
It's admirable that people want to include the entire planet in their holiday greeting without leaving anyone out, but the phrase "Happy Holidays" is starting to sound euphemistic to me. It almost sounds to me like a fearful phrase, said to appease the anger of those...