Come on, Menopause! Part Two
Last week I got all excited because my period was late and I fantasized that I'd entered menopause and was never going to menstruate again. Anyone who thinks menopause is very uncomfortable and I'm crazy to want it, here are two points: 1. Menstruation with fibroids...
Cuss Words and White Male Privilege
Some call it cussing. Some call it swearing. Some call it using bad words. It's the use of "four-letter words" and it's very controversial. I understand that such words aren't appropriate most of the time, but I'm puzzled by people who think such words are...
Cosmetics for Women of Color. Yes? No?
NPR recently ran a story that started like this, "Women of color have long been ignored by major cosmetics firms, which meant there wasn't a whole lot of choice if you weren't white." I consider myself lucky to have begun my lipstick-wearing days at the end of the...
Come on, Menopause!
My 28-day cycle ended earlier this week. Wednesday should have been day one of my period, but it didn't happen. It still hasn't happened. It's so wonderful to not get my period! Is it possible that I've finally reached menopause? Oh, I hope so. I would love it if I...
How to Squint without Scaring People
Most of my life I went around feeling afraid of many things: friendship, male attention, physical pain, family members, children, people being nice to me, etc. It made sense for me to try to look intimidating and stand-offish, so people would leave me alone. I kept a...
Holidays without Parenting
We Americans grow up with kid-focused holidays such as Halloween and Christmas where everything is for kids: candy, decorations, special clothes, parties and games. Christmas traditions in the U.S. were originally established primarily to celebrate childhood (and make...
Jesus, Cubs Fans…
On Wednesday night, as the Chicago Cubs baseball team struggled with a score of 6-0 with the New York Mets in the lead, I tuned into WGN radio. Matt Bubala was on the microphone at 8:15p, sitting in for the usual host of The Download, and he was halfheartedly covering...
Watching the Cubs game, or not
I'm impressed by people who will be able to watch tonight's Cubs game. I can't do it; the Cubs are just too much an emotional drain for me. Back in the 1980s I witnessed my then-boyfriend reacting to a Cubs' loss from his campus in Michigan: he said he had a sick...
Happy National Boss’s Day
For those of us who have never managed others, Boss's Day feels like an unnecessary holiday because don't those people have the advantage every day? They're already the boss of us, what other perks do they need? I realize this is unsympathetic because from talking to...
Cubs in the World Series 2015?
To get into the spirit with the rest of the Chicago northside, and because I don't drink alcohol, I'm making this big statement. I hope I'm not setting myself up for a hangover...
Cue Miracle Music: Menstrual Pain Has Decreased
I'm amazed to blog this, but after a year of struggling with horrific cramping, today is day two of my period and I'm not in agony! Four ibuprofen every 3-4 hours has kept me comfortable, as in PAIN-FREE. Oh, my god. I'm so, so grateful. I can hardly believe it. I'd...
Defense Against Multiple Assailants
Most sexual assault (93%) is committed by a single criminal, but in case you want to be ready for multiple attackers, here's the self defense course for you. IMPACT Defense Against Multiple Assailants October 17 & 18 (Sat/Sun 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Knapp Center...