More Menopause Mania: The Musical and the Malady

[Note: Part 3 of a 3-part series. I hope this is the last of this subject!] I keep thinking about more things to comment on about Menopause the Musical and more things about the real menopause that bug me. For instance, in the musical, the Iowa housewife character states—much to the shock-n-awe of the other [...]

Part 2 – The Dog Days of Summer (the man’s-best-friend Lassie kind of dog)

“Folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” – Abraham Lincoln In other words, how you look at life is all about attitude—the half-full, half-empty kind of assessment. Therefore I suppose, contrary to yesterday’s blog, I could look at August with a half-full view. So in response to Part 1’s [...]

Happier Chickens in California

First there were the happy cows in California producing “better” cheese. Now there are happy chickens, and if not producing “better” or more eggs, who are at least getting a better night’s sleep. . Last week Gov. SchwarzenEGGer signed into law A.B. 1437—the landmark “egg bill”—that protects animal welfare and food safety. The law (effective [...]

To Erik’s Deli: How Hard Is It To Make a Salad?

Apparently, pretty hard. For many years I’ve been eating at Erik’s Delicafé, a chain in the Northern/Central California area. The quality is good, the prices not outrageous, and the service is generally fast, friendly, and efficient. Except in the Morgan Hill shop near where I work. Why, oh, why Erik’s can’t you make my salad [...]

Father’s Day Story about Mrs. Story

When I was a little kid  (P.P.D.—pre-parent’s divorce), our babysitter was Mrs. Story. My Mom required a regular babysitter almost every day so she could flitter around town or do whatever she did. Mrs. Story was like an older and not-nice/not-funny version of Nanny McPhee. Even without a snaggle tooth, she was scary. She wore [...]

The Education of Two Eddies (by Ayelet Waldman and Me)

Last month I received an email from the writer Ayelet Waldman (author of Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, a novel. (Not because we’re friends or acquaintances, but I signed up to be included on her email list, as maybe her [...]

No to Meg Whitman – Yes to Women Voting

Ninety-one years ago today in 1919, the 19th Amendment was passed. YIPPEE to all women who were finally given the right to vote. It was hard earned and a long time coming. How can women today NOT participate in this most important activity that affects them at every level of their lives? I’m talkin’ to [...]

What I Learned in Traffic School (Interesting Stuff that Can Save Your Life)

I dreaded wasting my Saturday—and a sunny-n-breezy day to boot—sitting in a classroom at Cabrillo College. I need my Saturdays for chores and errands—or if I blow those off, for catching up on reading or sleeping, or strolling along the beach, or hiking in the foothills, or doing anything but sitting on my rear in [...]

The Walt Disney Museum: A Stimulating Experience

One time in a writing class, a fledgling writer (like myself) asked our instructor, “How do you get inspiration to write?” The teacher responded that “getting inspired” was nothing more than expanding your mind— thinking about things differently than you normally do—or exposing your brain to something new. She recommended going to a museum. I [...]

Jane Fonda Stages National Day of Fitness at the Georgia Dome

Today is the inaugural World Fitness Day, Jane Fonda’s latest Cause Americana. As a workout guru back in the 70s, she helped launch the aerobics craze. I know she inspired me to hop around in leotards and leg warmers. (But I never wore the elastic sweat bands around my head. A little too over the [...]