The highway in Connecticut is miserable. There's a distinct lack of attractive scenery; actually, even ugly scenery would be better than the nothingness that glumly greets me this cloudy day after the day after Christmas. This nowhere, composed of suburban houses, dirty snow and weaving… Read full post »

Here in Rhode Island, the smallest and most Democratic state, where the current joke is that there’s no need to fret about the few McCain signs visible, since everyone else is voting for Obama, and where we don’t get a single visit from a candidate because we always go for the… Read full post »

Under the hot, hot lights of the serving line, flanked by mashed potatoes and Salisbury steak, my career was born.

I worked the dinner shift at a very expensive boarding school that happened to be in my hometown. A hopeful girl at age 16, I had no idea that this… Read full post »

Vacancy produces a haunting feeling. In historical context, we see this as beautiful: we flock to see evidence of deceased communities and civilizations. We imagine we can feel the vague presence of people who are no longer alive, in spaces that can no longer accommodate the activity of… Read full post »

On a recent Saturday afternoon, I was sitting in a coffee shop working on my laptop, talking to friends and slugging green tea. The place was full, so I barely noticed this bearded, red-haired guy in a hoodie eyeing me.  I gathered up my stuff to leave, walked out in my… Read full post »