The text from my friend Tracey asked simply: “Is Doug in Boston?” For the past two years, my husband has run the country’s oldest, greatest marathon – but not today. I texted back a simple ‘no’. When she responded, “Good year to miss”, I asked why and then quickly thought to check Google News. I heard from several family members and friends over the course of the next two hours, wondering if the husband was running. Again, he wasn’t. So when I subsequently contemplated how best to approach … [Read more...]
Friday fodder: Eeyore, Pollyanna, and a note from Miss T
I had little love for the “Mad Men” season opener; it was bound to happen. For years, I didn’t care much that these people were mostly dreadful – selfish, greedy, gluttonous. They embodied nearly all the seven deadly sins, but their approach was so stylish and compelling, the husband and I returned week after week to Don, Betty, Roger, Pete, Peggy, and Joan. Last Sunday, however, they lost me. In a series of vignettes not connected in any obvious way, the arcs of their characters appear to … [Read more...]
Monday motherhood: empathy and the GOP congressman who flipped on gun control
(The following is an interview with an imaginary Republican congressman, Rick Offenbach, from Wisconsin.) Daily Cup: After Newtown, after the murder of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary, the tide turned in favor of more gun control legislation. The thinking, from Democratic leaders and even some Republicans was, “Surely we can do something.” Now, almost four months after twenty 6- and 7-year-old children were gunned down in their classroom, new legislation to reduce gun violence is not only … [Read more...]
Monday motherhood: the Pope, the Big Gulp, and spring has sprung
Some thoughts on current events that have nothing to do with motherhood: The Pope: we’ll see. He’s a Jesuit, which, according to my late father who attended Fordham, is the only order of priests worth belonging to. Francis cares deeply about the poor and pays hotels bills on time and in person – great. But it’s safe to say he won’t inspire radical changes within the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the changes essential for continued survival if it’s to recover from scandal and then remain … [Read more...]
Teenagers having sex, or not – part two
(The opinions stated here are strictly my own – and they are opinions. Keep this in mind because I will refrain henceforth from using the phrase ‘in my opinion’.) Last week, I wrote about an article in a student newspaper that dealt with a girl’s first time having sex, written by the girl herself. It was posted on the website of a private all-girls school, grades seventh through twelfth, here in Los Angeles. The vast majority of comments I received – either on Facebook, via email, and in … [Read more...]
Monday motherhood: photo albums are a time-suck
(Just pretend it's Monday, okay?) We’re giving the girls’ playroom a makeover because it’s time. I’d become incapable of entering the room because I was afraid of what I’d find – mostly, kids lying horizontally on the trundle bed, eating crumbly food, watching inappropriate television, while dirty socks, moldy shoes, shin guards, and unidentified objects lurked beneath, and random art supplies stained the walls and carpet. In a word: disgusting, or two words: health department. I put on my … [Read more...]