I'm not very romantic. A lot of the gooey sentiments expressed around Valentine's Day send me into fits of critical thinking. I'm kind of like this. But I am in love with Daniel, and have been for almost 20 years, and sometimes get kind of sentimental about it. In particular, I can get all choked … Continue reading My Favorite Love Song
Society
A Positive Experience at the Post Office
The United States Postal Service has had a rough time in recent years. "Snail mail" just seems so slow, now that we can do a lot of things online. FedEx and UPS have made their services more convenient to use, so a lot of people no longer choose the post office as their method of … Continue reading A Positive Experience at the Post Office
Gradually Expanding Range for a Child Walking Alone
Welcome to the September 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Staying Safe This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared stories and tips about protecting our families. Please read to the end to find a list of … Continue reading Gradually Expanding Range for a Child Walking Alone
But why should your tax status be based on your sex life?
Last week, the United States Supreme Court decided that federal laws that apply to married people apply to same-sex couples who are married in a state where same-sex marriage is legal. As a liberal person who supports equal rights, I'm supposed to rejoice in this great victory for equality and diversity. In a way, I … Continue reading But why should your tax status be based on your sex life?
6 Unnecessary Types of Cell Phone Call
Three years after I explained how I survive everyday life without a cell phone, I'm still doing fine without one. I recently took a three-day vacation by myself, and as I often do when traveling alone, I borrowed my partner Daniel's cell phone for the trip. However, I found that none of the times I … Continue reading 6 Unnecessary Types of Cell Phone Call
Could you feed your family on a food-stamp budget?
In her Ash Wednesday sermon, my pastor mentioned someone's suggestion to fast for Lent by eating only what you can purchase with the amount of money allocated by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("food stamps") to needy families--approximately $4 per person per day. The suggestion had been to do this for just one week, not … Continue reading Could you feed your family on a food-stamp budget?
3 Good Books on Civil Rights
I happen to have read three books that deal with the rights of African-Americans just before Black History Month. Two of them are bestsellers I hadn't read before, but the one I'll mention first is a less-well-known book I've read a couple of times before and suddenly felt inspired to reread. The Dismissal of Miss … Continue reading 3 Good Books on Civil Rights
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” Review
I was an avid viewer of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" when I was a little girl, and I renewed my appreciation of the show in my late twenties when I read that Mister Rogers was about to retire and programmed my VCR to record his final three episodes. I enjoyed them several times before my son … Continue reading “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” Review
Living on the Flip Side
The sky is so blue today. The sun is so bright, the leaves are still green, and the birds are singing. It's a beautiful day, just like the eleventh of this month eleven years ago. I remember walking home after my office closed early on September 11, 2001, thinking how impossibly wrong it felt that … Continue reading Living on the Flip Side
I don’t wear makeup.
I used to wear makeup. From age 12 to 16, I added more types of makeup to my daily routine each year, and I went through that daily routine even if I wasn't planning to leave the house. I continued for a while into college before I realized that the insanely stressful life I was … Continue reading I don’t wear makeup.
Things Not To Do: Temporary Shoplifting Edition
By "temporary shoplifting" I mean "walking out of a store with merchandise you have not paid for, then realizing and voluntarily returning to the store to pay for it." Everyone makes mistakes, of course, but here are some Things Not To Do if you want to avoid the risk that this almost-crime will get the … Continue reading Things Not To Do: Temporary Shoplifting Edition
How a silly Website brought me a great book
I have been a fan of passiveaggressivenotes.com for some time now. It's one of those sites that perfectly utilizes the Internet's awesome power to collect silly things seen around the world. It almost always can make me laugh in that wonderfully sudden way that really dispels stress. Last summer, I saw a note posted there … Continue reading How a silly Website brought me a great book
Stewardship Talk
My church has a tradition of Stewardship Talks in the autumn, for a few weeks before parishioners turn in our pledges for next year, in which a different person each week attempts to inspire everyone to improve our contributions to the church. I did mine this past Sunday. A lot of people told me how … Continue reading Stewardship Talk
My grandmother got a few things done.
My paternal grandmother would be 100 years old today, if she were still alive. She died in July 1991, when I was 18. Her name was Janette, so we grandchildren called her Janmother. Janmother was an outstanding high school student but never went to college. She married just after turning 20, and at times she … Continue reading My grandmother got a few things done.
Why my child is not allowed to watch Teletubbies
Attention, readers: The tone of this article is exaggerated for humor value. Although it does describe a potentially serious side-effect of watching a program that I personally find unbearably irritating, not every detail is intended literally. If you feel angry after reading it, please take a deep breath and step away from the screen. Comments … Continue reading Why my child is not allowed to watch Teletubbies
You think YOUR job sucks?!
Hey, I'm not about to claim my job is worse than yours. That correction fluid misadventure was about as bad as it gets. I really like my job, actually, and often notice how lucky I am to be able to use the restroom, drink coffee, get online, or receive a personal phone call anytime. Lots … Continue reading You think YOUR job sucks?!
All-Ages Game Night: A great community event!
I ran an All-Ages Game Night at my church last month as both a social event for our members and a way to connect with our community (and maybe attract some new members). It was easy to do, extremely inexpensive, and lots of fun! My family loves games and owns enough to fill a large … Continue reading All-Ages Game Night: A great community event!
A Family Vacation by Public Transit
We took our six-year-old son to visit New York City; Montclair, New Jersey; and Philadelphia, leaving our car at home in Pittsburgh and traveling by train or bus the whole way. It was great! We felt it was more relaxing than driving, more pleasant than going by airplane, and generally pretty easy to do. I'm … Continue reading A Family Vacation by Public Transit
7 Quick Takes on visiting New York City again after 21 years
I grew up in Oklahoma, visiting my grandparents in New York City every summer from age 6 to 14. Then my grandma died, and my grandpa began spending most of his time in Arizona. I had two more brief visits in New York before he sold the house when I was 17. I had thought … Continue reading 7 Quick Takes on visiting New York City again after 21 years
Our Neighborhood Public School Works for Us!
Today is my son's last day of kindergarten! This has been his first year in public school, and we are very pleased with our neighborhood public school, Pittsburgh Colfax. It's a great example of how an urban school can thrive when faculty encourage parent involvement. On "Take Your Special Person to School Day" last month, … Continue reading Our Neighborhood Public School Works for Us!
The Earthling's Handbook 