When I think about the way I met them, I realize their characters should have been clear to me long ago.

Eggplant came into my life the way it probably does for most Italian-American kids.  One day, maybe at a big dinner with extended family, a relative sets a plate… Read full post »

The Poe Toaster, photograph from Life Magazine, 1990.

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A wild-haired, pale man stumbles and falls in the chaotic streets of Baltimore.  More than a hundred and fifty years later, on his birthday, a small crowd gathers in the darkness near his burial site at Westminst/… Read full post »

As I type this, the boyfriend is on the other side of the couch, headphones in his ears, watching an episode of The Walking Dead.

It’s not that we’re in a fight (though watching a buzzed-about TV show without me would normally be an effective act of revenge); I just… Read full post »

When we got her note, it all seemed clear. 

Lacey is my twin, but not my mirror image.  Where my hair and eyes are dark, hers are light.  Even her bones seem different, hollow like a bird’s.  When we were younger, she’d run through the corn fields out back, so… Read full post »

Cinephiles are rarely disappointed by Paris. But fans of Martin Scorsese’s Golden Globe-nominated Hugo would doubtlessly be let down by the appearance of the real Gare Montparnasse, the train station where a major part of the film’s action takes place.

Though in the 1930’s it proba… Read full post »

I grew up in a family of teachers.  But though a number of my aunts, uncles, and cousins are in education, it wasn't like that was what we talked about when we were gathered together at the dinner table (no, our topics of choice were and are funny family stories and,… Read full post »

Over the past week, at least three people have wished me, not only a Happy New Year, but a baby in 2012.  While I understand that they mean this in the best possible way, it’s not always easy to appreciate that wish.

I’d like to have children. I think my… Read full post »

On December 22, the day before we had to head to my in-laws’ in the countryside, I woke up with a gasp.  “There’s something wrong with Ali!” 

At first, my boyfriend thought I was exaggerating.  But having grown up with a vet tech mom and a bevy of cats,… Read full post »

As the new year approached, my father-in-law got more and more brooding, gazing into his glass of Perrier as if it were a crystal ball, and saying in a low voice, “I’m afraid of 2012.  There is a big change coming, I can feel it.”  

My father-in-law resides in… Read full post »

Illuminated decorations outside a McDonald's by the Voltaire Métro station. 

As its famous nickname suggests, Paris is known for its lights.  On a typical nocturnal ramble, you’ll find beautifully illuminated monuments.  When the sun goes down,… Read full post »

Then why not come by and check out the latest issue of Beguile?

Issue 5 features an excerpt from an already beloved book here at OS, a funny one-act play, a selection from another OSer's autobiographical novel, two poems, and three photographs from a very unique perspective!… Read full post »

                                                      &n… Read full post »

Back around Thanksgiving, OSer Beth Mann wrote a post called "7 Things I'm Surprised I Like". I thought it was a really cool idea, and contacted her to see if we could turn it into an OC.  She agreed, and many an intriguing post was the result.

I also asked Beth if we could… Read full post »

This year’s unusually warm autumn made us think we’d escaped the October wind.

There are different kinds of wind – wind that soothes you, wind that buffets you, wind that embarrassingly lifts up your skirt or blows your hat off your head and then across a parking lot.  But the… Read full post »

A few days ago, my friend Christine sent me an email with a link to a CNN.com article on Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, a new book by American blogger Jennifer Scott.  She wanted to know what I thought about it.

I have… Read full post »

The more time I spend in France, the more I have to admit I don’t really like most French movies.

Don't get me wrong -  the French have some amazing films in their repertoire.  The silent films of Georges Méliès (who’s a character in Martin Scorsese’s… Read full post »

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In the movie Jaws, bad news is heralded by that famous music:  Dun…nuh…Dun…nuh…Dun-nuh-Dun-nuh-Dun-nuh (at least for the audience).  Of course, in real life, there isn’t always a warning sign when something is going to go wrong/… Read full post »

Sometimes Claire looked at Carlos and wondered how they’d managed to find each other.  If he hadn’t happened to become her temporary neighbor by apartment-sitting for the Dupont's, they probably would have never met. And now, a few months later, Carlos had finished his graduat… Read full post »

Though hard economic times have led to lots of restaurant, café, and clothing store closures, it's rare that a Parisian bookstore fails.  On the other hand, I’ve read with sadness and horror about the closings of many US bookshops – be they chain stores like Borders, or smalle… Read full post »

There are some diseases that never completely disappear, but only lie dormant. Although a portion of people suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) seem to come to a point where they find a cure – be it through diet, lifestyle, or other methods, many others will never completely sh… Read full post »

A few days ago, Beth Mann wrote a list of seven things she's surprised she likes.   Not only did I think Beth’s list was a good one, I also thought her idea would make for a really cool open call – especially on Thanksgiving weekend (for those who celebrate).

I w… Read full post »

Ten years ago, I was a prolific novelist. 

Not a published novelist, or even necessarily a good one – though the few people who read what I’d written did have nice things to say.  Then again, they were my best friends. 

I tried to pen a novel almost… Read full post »

When I was in fourth and fifth grade, you could say I was many things -- including the dumbest kid in the Talented and Gifted Students program.  

Despite my horrific performances in just about anything involving math, every Tuesday I’d go with the other kids in the program out… Read full post »

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Ever since she joined OS back in February, Ingrid Ricks has been sharing elements of an extraordinary life story – her own.

Born to a devout Mormon mother and a father who can’t resist the call of the ope… Read full post »

Gabriel Brousse (back row, second from right) in Greece with his comrades in arms, 7 March 1916. 

Most native French families have at least one ancestor who fought in World War I.  Often these men didn’t come back from the front.  

Though photographs and othe… Read full post »