Prologue: As of this writing, 2.65 million people worldwide have died of Covid-19. Deaths in the United States number more than half a million. There are millions more who survived the virus. And millions more who have lost everything, but their life, to the shutdown. If you’re fortunate enough to be reading this, as I’m …
Game-changers
Stasis vs. Social Distancing
Sta·sis /ˈstāsis/ Noun: A period or state of inactivity or equilibrium. Prologue: I started thinking about the concept of stasis as long ago as last fall when I jotted it into my journal, pondered through winter, and finally began writing in the first days of March. It was a good time to write about stasis …
You Got the Music in You
The husband and I own a lot of music. Our combined CD collection exceeds 400 albums, and about 15 years ago he acquired an obscene amount of ‘shared’ music from a C-shift lab computer at work. Our digital catalog now numbers around 5,000 songs; two MP3 players are dedicated mixes for both the 1980s and …
Elsa, A Cat.
As a writer and a storyteller, it’s hard to admit that I don’t know how to begin. Something is missing. Not something practical like a pencil or keyboard. Not something existential like creativity. This isn’t writer’s block. The something missing is more like having moved to a new house that is almost exactly like your …
Summer Soul
Six months past the Polar Vortex and a winter season spent, literally, under a blanket, I have a new found love for summer. The balmy breezes coming through the window screen, heavy with the fragrance of everything alive: sweet grass and milkweed blossoms, pungent boxwood, locust trees in bloom. With a little humidity making that …
Now for something completely different
On New Year’s Eve almost six weeks ago, The Husband and I drank a bottle of champagne while raising toast after toast to both the prior and coming year. In our typical ‘we-are-our-own-party’ fashion, we played loud music, laughed, and counted our many blessings. My freelance writing was hitting a stride, doubling 2013 over 2012, …
Identity
We are brand-loyal in our household. With each item, it isn’t so much about the label itself. It’s about the experience. All the marketing in the world won’t compel me to buy again if the first experience sucked. For example: Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. Honestly, I can’t speak about this one personally, except to note the extreme …
Interesting People: Ron Zorn
A series where I revisit the fascinating stories of interesting people I’ve had the opportunity to meet while writing for a living. Have you met a Renaissance Man? Also known as someone whose skills and interests lie in a number of subject areas? I have. I met Ron Zorn back in June while writing about …