Middle-Age Starts Around 36
At the age of 44, I know I am middle-aged. I don't have a problem with this. It's only logical: middle-aged means you're roughly halfway through your life. In fact the next time someone tries to argue that being in our 40s -- or even late 30s -- is not middle-aged, I...
Was I Bilingual Even Before I Was Bilingual?
Bilingual brain
Dog-Lover/Dog-Tolerant
Last week Bob did some dog-sitting. He loves dogs. I don't love them, but I'm dog-tolerant and knew this would make Bob happy. Coco wasn't very interested in yoga, especially cat pose. She just liked sitting on my mat. Sadly, Coco has gone home now.
Third Anniversary
On March 25, 2011 Bob and I celebrated two years of wedded bliss and one year of crap. 2010 was awful, mainly because my depression really kind of sank our household for a while, but also because of Bob's surgery, my challenging first trip out of the U.S. and other...
I Don’t Want Children
It occurs to me that anyone who has just started reading my blog might wonder why I have chosen to stay child-free. The reasons appear in a post I wrote over five years ago, at the age of 39. Take a look. This post also contains the phrase "at the...
Heart Attack Grill: “Taste Worth Dying For!”
Have you heard of Heart Attack Grill in Arizona? The founder and owner, Jon Basso, used to work for Jenny Craig, encouraging people to eat well and slim down. According to the interview he did with Nightline a couple of weeks ago (you can watch it here), he is...
Child-Free by Choice
I've noticed a change in how people respond to my statement, "I don't have kids." When I was in my 20's and 30's, people took this comment in stride, maybe because I seemed young enough to still have children or maybe because they knew I wasn't married, so it seemed...
When I Clean the Toilet
When I clean the toilet, I close my eyes. I go into a deep state of denial about what I'm doing and imagine that I'm scrubbing an already sparkling clean toilet. I work hard on every inch to guarantee that when I do open my eyes, all I'll see is a gleaming surface.I...
Lifting Depression
Here is how I'm different: I'm smiling more, laughing more and talking more. I sleep well and my daytime energy is great. I worry less, even while my personal life has recently increased in stress. At times this new peace has been unsettling because I'm not used to...
Great, They Plowed Our Street. Now We Can Get Our Car Out!
Snowmageddon!
It was still coming down at 1 p.m.Yes, that's our car I'm standing next to.
White Like Heaven
BLIZZARD! This is why I moved to the Midwest in 1993. Oh, yeah. I experienced my first blizzard in Ithaca, New York in 1993. It was great. My second was here in Chicago in 1999, but by coincidence I was very ill and spent the whole time in bed. This is my first...