My 92-year-old stepfather Ralph entered hospice care this past Thursday. For the last six months, as his body was deteriorating, he’s been saying that he’s ready to go. He’s lived an incredibly full life, with his health only beginning to fail once he hit the age of 90 (he didn’t even retire until he [...]
I’m reading Daniel Pink’s new book, DRIVE: The surprising truth about what motivates us, in which he explains how we’re driven less by extrinsic motivators (money, goals, rewards) and more by intrinsic ones (the joy of creating or solving). I get that. Boy do I get it.
Here are the various creative endeavors I have going [...]
you have a prescription that needs to be taken every 12 hours on an empty stomach, either 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals, and you can’t seem to work it into your day. For every 12-hour cycle I’ve attempted, at one of the scheduled times I am either eating or have just eaten. [...]
The other day in the Pittsburgh airport long-term parking lot, I walked by a parked sedan with the driver’s side door standing wide open. At first I assumed someone was in the car, gathering their items before exiting. But no, the car was empty and no one was around. Rushing to make a flight, someone [...]
I haven’t posted lately because I’ve been busy polishing my novel Maharishiville (download the first 50 pages here) in preparation for attending the Pennwriters conference, which starts today. And when I haven’t been writing, I’ve been reading Jodi Picoult’s latest, Handle With Care (which I finished last night at midnight and want to talk about [...]
For the last five days, Spring has sprung in full force here in Pittsburgh, coaxed by unseasonably warm days in the high 80s. The rolling-hill view out my office window has popped with purple, white and red set against nearly neon-green grass, blue skies and sunshine. I feel like I’m living on the set of [...]
My mother started a new medication to stave off Alzheimer’s disease, but she can’t remember to take it twice a day. We both found this funny.
Yesterday, I once again found myself at the grocery checkout while my reusable bags were in the car.
Somehow, not so funny.
Ocean color: turquoise or lapis?
Cocktail: Margarita or Corona?
Post massage: whirlpool or steam room?
Spa beverage: lime-mint refresher or carrot-apple rebalancer? (I actually change my mind twice on this before going with the carrot-apple. It did not disappoint. I think I am much more balanced for it.)
Since I’m trying to eat more locally grown and raised food these days, I got excited about an offer to buy local grass-fed beef. Specifically, an eighth of a cow. Forty pounds of ground beef, steaks and a variety of roasts, which thankfully fit in my freezer.
Now you might think that a girl who hails [...]
It’s Monday morning and for the first time since December 21st I am alone in a quiet house. My family has flown back to California. Brian headed in to the office. The Christmas holiday is officially over. It went out with a big hurrah: Turkey dinner with all the trimmings for 17 people.
And now… Now [...]