julie and julia (and me)
Where to begin...
My writing chops feel a bit like our first glimpse of the Tin Man in Oz.
Last night, I finally got around to watching the wonderful film, Julie and Julia. When I'd first heard tell of the film, I couldn't envision what all the fuss was about: "Girl Cooks Her Way Through…
reading the runes
Recently, a friend of mine went through a difficult break-up. Coincidentally, everything else in his world turned upside-down at the same time. Classes got harder. Teachers became more unfair. He didn't get selected for an overseas trip he'd applied for. In talking with him, it seemed he was…
waking up
Toward the end of August, I became very tired.
As September tiptoed in, I began to say to friends, "I need a vacation. A good, solid week to unplug and refill."
Then, somewhere in the middle of speaking and all without warning, I fell asleep.
This was not the kind of sleep that spans hours, but…
something nice to say
From the time we were in Kindergarten, we've heard the old saying:
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
While I agree with this bit of advice on a certain level, it seems to focus on what not to say. That is, it is phrased in…
It's amazing what you can hear when you really listen.
As summer slowly surrenders to fall, I've noticed that the nocturnal hum of tree frogs, which emanated so raucously from the surrounding woods only a month ago, has grown fainter and fainter. I stop to take it…fallen
Saturday, I woke to find a message waiting on my cell. It had come in a couple of hours beforehand. It was my mother. She was on her way to the hospital, letting me know that my Nana had taken a fall. She didn't know anything more.
My heart was immediately in my throat, imagining the…
In [my recently released] book The Best Advice So Far, I talk about my first kiss. And while it was my first kiss in the sense of romance, it wasn't strictly my "first kiss."
In grade school, those of us waiting for…the lookout
In writing The Best Advice So Far (the forthcoming book and this blog), I can't tell you the number of times I am greeted with comments and questions like these:
How do you keep thinking of things to write about? I'd run out of things to say!
I've never met as many interesting people in my…