Christmas in Not-Mexico-But-Not-Really-the-US-Either
I just learned that the fence that separates Mexico from the U.S. doesn't actually run along the Mexico-U.S. border. According to a post on The Lookout, a news blog, the Rio Grande forms the natural boundary between the two countries, but because of a treaty with...
My Perfect Christmas
Okay, it's not my perfect Christmas, since I won't spend it with my husband, but it's the next best thing.Bob's working Christmas Day because his restaurant is open every day of the year. I spent Easter and Thanksgiving volunteering with Little Brothers Friends of the...
Things I’ve Learned about Dogs Recently
1. During my battle with bronchitis in the weeks after Thanksgiving, I discovered that our pitbull mix, Ozzie, will stay next to me no matter how much I cough, hack and sweat on him. He's my first dog ever and this is his third month with us. I'm amazed by how this...
“Isn’t There Anyone Who Knows What Christmas Is All About?”
[I originally posted this on January 5, 2006. I'm running it again, with slight editing. The title refers to Charlie Brown's plaintive cry as he tries to reconcile his "commercial dog" with the party atmosphere of his play rehearsals and the original nativity story.]...
Target Clinic Misdiagnosed Me
I started feeling achy on the day before Thanksgiving. I felt so crappy (achiness, fever, headache, chest congestion, horrible cough, alternate chills and sweats), that I went to a Target store health clinic on Sunday where a nurse practitioner told me it was the flu...
Why I’m Enjoying My Nasty Flu
1. I keep alternating between chills and sweats, so things stay interesting.2. I'm cheaply getting through a week without needing any real groceries (just juice and symptom relievers).3. Caught up on all my TiVo'd programs by the third day of the illness.4. I'm doing...
Singlehood and Marriage Are Getting Better for Women and Worse
It's the article that everyone has blogged about and discussed, and I know I'm about two months late, but I still want to make some notes. If you want a nuanced reading of Kate Bolick's All the Single Ladies, which came out in the November 2011 Atlantic, please go...
Protester Quote Is More Relevant to Some than Others
My dad visited the Occupy protesters in Oakland, California on Sunday, before they cleared out. This was my favorite part of his report: I did pick up one poetic gem yesterday. A large oak tree on the side of the encampment was roped off, with a nice sign that said to...
A Single Woman’s Thanksgiving
As a woman who didn't marry until 41 and who doesn't live in a state that contains anyone I'm related to, I have experience spending holidays alone. Sometimes I minded, sometimes I didn't. I became very self-reliant and learned to find things to do whether it was...
Who Still Trusts in God?
In a Los Angeles Times op-ed, What's God Got to Do with It? Michael Shermer reports that last week the House of Representatives voted to keep "In God We Trust" as the national motto. He writes that Congress originally adopted the phrase in 1956 when many Americans...
Stigma Against Black Dogs – Who Knew?
I just read this article online: Black Dogs Face a Hard Choice at Shelter. It discusses how shelter dogs that happen to be black (at least in the U.S.) have a really hard time getting adopted because so many people don't want a "BBD" or big black dog. Guesses for this...
Hamsters vs. Dogs
Bob stood in the kitchen, getting a drink of water. Ozzie stood in the kitchen, staring at him. Me: So you don't mind him staring at you right now? Bob: Nope. You know why? Me: Why? Bob: Because he's a dog and that's what dogs do. Me: You know what doesn't stare at...