(photo credit) This weekend, as we do around this time every year, my family and I walked for the Alzheimer’s Association in our local Memory Walk. I’ve shared my mom’s Alzheimer’s story and the reasons why I do this, and I want to thank everyone who donated in support of our team’s fundraising efforts. But there’s so much more to be done to fight this disease. Last week, I was invited to participate in a […]
Watching the recent rescue of the Chilean miners on TV prompted The Stiletto Mom to reflect on where she’d been during other history-making events. She got me thinking, too. I’ve taken the lead from some of the events she mentioned (which are marked with a *), but added in a couple of my own. March 1981: President Reagan was shot in the lung by John Hinckley, Jr.*: That was my junior year of high school, and I think […]
When I meet people elsewhere, I usually tell them I’m from Los Angeles or “the LA area,” because it’s easier to place it. However, I actually live northwest of the city, between LA and Santa Barbara. Like many who live there, I make a daily commute to and from LA proper for work. Along with not having kids in the city schools (I have stepkids, and they are in school, just not in my town. […]
The Dewey Donation System is back online and kicking off its 2010 Book Donation Drive! Have you met Dewey? Born in 2006, he’s the offspring of author/roller-derby queen Pamela Ribon‘s efforts to help struggling public libraries through her website pamie.com and “Tubey’s Kids,” the charity initiative started by Television Without Pity (TWoP) and its co-founder David “Glark” Cole. Dewey previously helped bring in books and raise funds for libraries in Harrison County, Mississippi, Negril, Jamaica, […]
Do you read book reviews in mainstream media – newspapers and magazines, and/or their websites – any more? There actually are some of them still around, despite the rapid disappearance of dedicated book-review sections in newspapers during the last few years. And while many of us seem to be getting book information and recommendations from book blogs and other new sources, traditional review outlets like The New York Times still carry influence and weight – […]
I’ve been mulling about this one for at least a week, and after the two days of discussing Laura Munson’s separation memoir, this seemed like as good a time as any to bring it up. Two years ago, there was a lot of talk in California about “protecting marriage” as Proposition 8 came up on the ballot. The constitutional amendment that defines marriage as strictly between one man and one woman passed, controversially, calling into […]
When I talk about the various places I’m from, the place I tend to talk about the least is St. Petersburg, Florida – but if we’re friends on Facebook, it’s documented there. I graduated from St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg Junior College, and the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus; one reason I chose to major in accounting was because I could get all the classes I needed without ever having to […]
I was listening to a story on NPR the other day about managing President Obama’s “brand,” and the whole concept annoyed me. Granted, as a blogger, I’m a bit overexposed to “brand” talk anyway – brand/blogger relationships, product-driven content, FTC disclosures, and so on – but I think it was the context that got under my skin. Does everything come down to marketing these days? Does everything we do have to be calculated for image […]
We received our 2010 Census Form last week, but need to make a few minutes to fill it out. Have you gotten yours yet? PSAs for the Census tell us to send the form back right away. However, the form itself states that Census Day is officially April 1, 2010, so you should respond by counting the people in your home as of that date. It’s not clear to me whether this is actually a […]
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 […]
I probably should call it the “parent alarm,” since I know plenty of dads who have it too (I’ve been married to two of them). It comes as a free gift with the arrival of your first child, it’s always turned on and it works at any distance, and you don’t even realize it’s been installed until the first time it goes off. After nearly 25 years, mine is still functioning quite well. I spent […]
Karen has issued a challenge this week, rather than given a mere assignment – predict the future! Weekend Assignment #263 : Predict one, two or three things you expect to happen (or so you claim!) before 2009 is over. It can be a logical extrapolation from current conditions, wish fulfillment, an attempt to show off your psychic ability, if any, or random silliness, or some combination thereof. Extra Credit: Have you ever predicted something unlikely, […]
