The last time OSer Ingrid Ricks posted something here, it was about Sharon Rosen, a woman going through a health struggle.  Ingrid herself is going through one: retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease she’s been battling for about a decade.  Last fall, she publ… Read full post »

The statue was magical.  Staring at it, I forgot how ancient it was – it transcended time, it was a spirit, an elf, a monster.  

This striking ancient sculpture was just about the only memorable thing in what was supposed to be one of the greatest museums in… Read full post »

For most of us, our domestic animal pals are among the living beings we interact with on a daily basis.  Maybe it's the fact that it's been a quiet afternoon, with unusually little traffic outside. Maybe it's the fact that nobody's here but me and Ali - the boyfriend went to… Read full post »

The internet started to be widely used when I was a teenager. I have fond memories of chat rooms and talking to friends on AOL instant messenger, and being so excited to find websites about things I was interested in just by typing something into the computer.  

One of… Read full post »

About a week ago, OSer and all-around-great-guy Cranky Cuss posted his answers to the New York Times Sunday Book Review’s By the Book author question-and-answer section.  I really enjoyed reading his views on reading and writing.   Two things in particular stood out for… Read full post »

I’ll admit it -- in addition to safe and wonderful travels, there was something else I was hoping for during my brother and his fiancée’s trip to Europe: that they’d fall in love with one of the cities we were visiting, and decide to stay.

One of the hardest… Read full post »

For the past three weeks, I’ve been traveling with my brother and his fiancée in Italy, Amsterdam, and Brussels.  Late last week, we returned to Paris, where we did local sightseeing and a lot of bonding.  They left yesterday, and it’s been so strange to not have them her… Read full post »

I’m not a basketball fan, and this post isn’t about basketball.  Instead, it’s about the strange connection I have with a particular term in the basketball world: March Madness.

A few years ago, I told my friend Caddie I was sorry I hadn’t been in touch much lately. &nbs… Read full post »

I saw a picture of a pomegranate in a book

and asked my mother

to bring one home.

She

sliced into that lovely skin the color of sunsets,

revealing not the soft flesh-like pulp I’d imagined,

but hard seeds

in liquid that… Read full post »

It took me a really long time to learn to walk.  That’s the way I’ve been about most big developments in life; I rarely just decide to do something on the spur of the moment. Instead, I hesitate, analyze, worry over what could go wrong.  Baby me probably didn’t want to… Read full post »

It seems like the last time I posted here was ages ago, but it was actually this past Wednesday.  I think it's more about being out of touch with the rest of you guys. I love coming here and reading your posts and commenting and exchanging PM's, and I haven't been… Read full post »

A lot of people say that February is a difficult month.  It's cold and dreary (at least if you're in the northern hemisphere), and there are no major holidays for a while.  Not to give short shrift to Groundhog Day, which I find delightful and which has provided me… Read full post »

Well, it's been a tough week and a half around here.  So tough that I've actually gotten kind of mean.  So tough, that I'm glad the boyfriend is off to a family reunion this weekend and I get some time to just curl up into myself and not have anyone to… Read full post »

I take a breath.  How am I going to write this email without seeming overly upset?

After a few minutes, I begin:

Hi guys, 

I just want to thank you all, on behalf of myself and my brother (and Hermes) for all your help in spreading the word… Read full post »

At times like this, she comes to me,

the woman I could have been.

Somehow I know her only big question

would be about loneliness. 

While I have so many,

like belongings in a cheap, messy bag

I know she wouldn’t have,

like longish hairs on… Read full post »

When my brother Jason* left for film school, the usual things stayed back home: knick-knacks, books, papers, and photos accumulated over eighteen years of life.  Action figures and the occasional stuffed animal sat staring out windows, watching the year change for the first time without m… Read full post »

“So, I guess you weren’t at the protest this weekend,” my mother says over the phone.  “I couldn’t believe it,” she goes on.  “One of the people I work with told me there was a big protest march against gay marriage in Paris, and I thought, P… Read full post »

It seems inevitable: Before any trip I take -- usually a few weeks or a few months before -– I have a moment where I suddenly get a panicked feeling.  “How am I going to do this?” I ask myself. 

How am I going to do this?, I thought when I… Read full post »

Six and a half years ago, after a horrendous break-up and several obligatory months back in the US (for unrelated reasons), I returned to Paris.  Although I’d had time to think, it wasn’t enough.  I kept wondering what had happened to cause the end of that passionate rela… Read full post »

I was going to do what I've been doing these recent turbulent weeks, and cross-post something here that I also published on Our Salon.  But I don't want to.

Something's really been bothering me lately. I've never been good at balancing things in my life. When one part takes my concentration,… Read full post »

For the first ten years of my childhood, a vast treasure was stored in two boxes in the unfinished part of our basement. 

Though they were only made of cardboard with pretty motifs in red and white, the boxes seemed immense and imposing.  Even when I was in third grade,… Read full post »

There are many differences between the furnished vacation rental we’re staying in while our home is being renovated, and our own apartment.  One of the most striking is that this rental place is on the top floor.

Most buildings in Paris have only six or seven floors at most, and many… Read full post »

Hello out there....

I don't know who will read this, but I know that there are some people still coming to OS, despite the boycott by a majority of its regular contributors and the general problems with accessing the site.  I, myself, have always intended to continue blogging here, but I've… Read full post »

La grande roue (image source) 

From our window in this new place, we can see the top half of the Grande Roue in the Jardin des Tuileries.  Far off, lit white every night, shining like an archway of diamonds or stars. 

I remember riding it with you, one night… Read full post »

I’m just going to put it out there: I hate Thanksgiving.

I don’t hate togetherness and giving thanks.  I just hate the food.

Unlike holidays like Halloween or Easter, where candy plays an important role, or Christmas, with its abundance of delicious meal possibilities, Thanksgiv… Read full post »