Weekend Assignment #289: Sooner or later, we all quit something that was once important to us: a job, school, a club, an addiction, a relationship, and probably other things I haven’t thought of. Tell us about something you quit, and why you did so. Extra Credit: Did you ever regret your decision? Don’t call me a quitter; I don’t call myself one. Having said that, I’ve done my share of quitting at one thing or […]
Tag: mostly true stories
OK, I’m making this up…
I used to find them rather amusing. No matter how casually they were dressed – even in running shorts and T-shirts – every day these Southern ladies greeted the world with fully made-up faces and perfectly styled hair. The Memphis humidity made this an even more impressive achievement. Aside from the fact I wasn’t a native Memphian, I wasn’t one of those women, and didn’t think it likely that I would become one. There were […]
In Memoriam: On an anniversary, remembering a birthday
In connection with the American Cancer Society’s recently-launched “Campaign for More Birthdays,” members of the Silicon Valley Moms Group of regional blogs participated in a “Birthday” Topic Day on August 31. Birthdays are a big deal to me, and I decided to write about one that was particularly significant (although cancer isn’t part of the story). My mother died of complications related to early-onset Alzheimer’s ten years ago today. I’ve written about that before, and […]
Moving right along…where to? (Weekend Assignment #287)
Helping a friend move inspired Karen‘s writing-topic assignment this week: Weekend Assignment #287: Do you tend to settle in one place and stay there, or do circumstances or inclination dictate that you move fairly often across the street or across the country? Do you feel you’ve found your “forever” locale, if not your “forever” home? Extra Credit: To the best of your recollection, how many times in your life have you moved? EC first, because […]
Lost and (reluctantly) Found (Weekend Assignment #285)
Karen‘s Weekend Assignment this week is a timely one for me, since I’m actually trying to lose something I hadn’t wanted to find again after losing it once before: Weekend Assignment #285: Tell us about something important that you lost. Extra Credit: Tell us about something you found. I lost weight. It stayed lost for a while, but I can no longer ignore the fact that I’ve found it again. Just about six years ago, […]
There’s a first time for everything (a belated Weekend Assignment)
The title of this post may be misleading – I don’t think this actually is my first belated Weekend Assignment. But since Book Blogger Appreciation Week took over the blog last week, I asked Karen for an extension on this one: Weekend Assignment: #284: Tell us about your first day of…well, anything, really. It could be your first day in school, your first day as a legal adult, your first day in a new town […]
Powerless: A mostly-true story
I really didn’t question it too much when the resident gate didn’t open, even after I pressed the remote three or four times. (Yes, we live in a gated townhome community, and for the record, I’m still ambivalent about that.) The gates seem to malfunction at least one day a week. Besides, the center gate, which is supposed to be used by visitors, appeared to be wide open and stuck that way, so I backed […]
BlogHer’09: I think this about wraps it up…
(I’m sure y’all HOPE so, anyway! Next week should be a return to as close to “normal” as it ever gets around here. Thanks for putting up with my public processing of the BlogHer experience!) BlogHer’s organizers have asked for feedback on the conference. Rather than subject you to the ridiculously long comment I left there, I’ll just give you the link, and you can read the whole discussion over there if you like (it’s […]
My BlogHer’09: Yes, it actually WAS a conference!
I went off to Chicago for BlogHer’09 knowing I was not going to be a party animal. While there’s certainly no shortage of parties surrounding the conference, a conference is what it is. Some attendees have noted that it’s changing; as it’s grown bigger and bigger, there seems to be more emphasis on various forms of marketing than on blog-building and writing, but since this was my first time, I can’t say much about that. […]
The post where I talk about going to BlogHer’09
I’ll be glad to make room and share the corner, though. It is a truth universally acknowledged that anyone with a blog and plans to attend a conference must write a post prior to said conference discussing her hopes, plans, and fears surrounding her attendance at the event. This is mine. Too early on Thursday morning, I’m boarding a plane at LAX headed for Chicago, a city I’ve never visited before and probably won’t get […]
Trial by Jury, part two: The letter of the law
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the class of the charges in this trial was “criminal misdemeanor.” The substance of the charges was domestic dispute; a husband was defending himself against one count of spousal battery for physical restraint of his wife, and two counts of child abuse. The child abuse specified was not physical in nature, but considered “child endangerment” and “mental suffering” arising from the trauma of breaking up a physical altercation between […]
Trial by Jury, part one: My day(s) in court
They are two words that send shudders down the spine: JURY DUTY. Many are called, but when it comes down to it, few are chosen. I’ve been getting summoned every year for the last three or four years, but this was the first time in several years that I was called to a panel, and my very first time serving on a jury. If they call you, you must come. The first time I was […]
