(chapter one of the never ending saga may be read here.)  

2.  The Camps (or where we stayed & why & how)

The bridges of Cincinnati behind us, we pressed on down the length of the country.  The wonderboy proved to be a/… Read full post »

part one of however long it may take:   

If you want to read the backstory (eg, me endlessly whinging about being laid off) click here.

Foreword:

It all started when we got an apartment that should have been impossible to get in my hometown… Read full post »

originally posted december 2008.  reposted 11 August 2009 in response to Gwen's request and because i finally caught the documentary this weekend on HBO on demand - and found  (much to my chagrin) that i'm still angry with him - and his choices.

I’m a li… Read full post »

Yesterday wasn't the four year old wonderboy's best day.  He was teary as I buckled him in the car, knowing he was in for another visit to the doctor.

I need to hear some Leonard Cohen, please. he told me, I want to hear something sad. 

I flip thr… Read full post »

Back when I was gainfully employed, I gave a fair number of speeches – especially this past year.  I spoke quietly to the eight members of the United Methodists Women’s Club as we sat together on beige metal  folding chairs pulled in a circle.   I spoke to over/… Read full post »

I moved to Michigan in early 2002, shortly after Washington went boom and my then husband’s clients went bust.  There’s a tangle of reasons for the move to Ann Arbor, most of them seeming logical at the time.  Since I had always worked in DC or overseas as an adult,… Read full post »

(or:  How to Lose Readers on OS and Gain Some Mental Space)

Let me save you privacy lovers some time:  the easiest way to purposefully lose OS readers?  Post poetry – serious ass, technique-heavy, hugely structured sonnet series with oblique titles will do the trick/… Read full post »

The four year old wonder boy has been a little petulant lately.  Maybe it’s growing pains or a typical almost kindergartner’s raging need for independence.  There are a lot of explicit statements being made around here about what he is or is not going to do – and pa/… Read full post »

There are only three rules for my four children: always tell the truth; think about others; and, be brave.  Over the years I’ve found these three rules will cover just about anything that comes up. 

I’m pretty sure I’m about to throw the first one out the window.&n… Read full post »

I’m afraid I’m becoming (in the dark corners of my soul) the thin lipped woman that peers disapprovingly through the window.

 But first, a little background.  In keeping with the spirit of the Michigan uber-recession and children leaving the nest I recently/… Read full post »