A cure for the common attention span.

Making Nice With My Inner Critic
I have an inner critic. Her name is Mildred. Mean Mildred. Meddling Mildred. She likes to tell me things that make me feel bad. She points out that I look old or that I’m not the weight I want to … Continue reading →

On Facials
Whenever I talk to a cosmetologist about getting a facial I can’t help but feel duped. Yesterday I spoke to a woman about the services offered at the salon where my boys were getting haircuts (yes, I take my … Continue reading →

Relax. Nothing is under control.
The AC man came and for a total of $85 he tuned up our perfectly good unit. Patrick can rest easy now. I knew all along that things were fine but Patrick needed to process this in his own way. … Continue reading →

Our AC is leaking and we’re all gonna DIE!
Our AC is on the fritz again. I’m sure some hose is clogged because it’s bubbling and gurgling and spewing water all over the garage. The dry wall is no longer dry. It’s pasty. Pastywall. Patrick mumbled to me the … Continue reading →

Everything looks the same
I got the news yesterday that I have to have surgery again for my endometriosis. This is my 8th surgery for this insidious disease. Eighth. The ever-present pain and nausea are robbing me of good days, so I don’t really … Continue reading →

Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird – a summary
I had the pleasure of presenting an in-class overview of Ann Lamott’s book Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life. Her book is filled with so many nuggets of writing wisdom that I created this infographic to hang on … Continue reading →

On loving and loathing
Weekly prompt: Write a character sketch of a person you have known well but have very mixed feelings about. You like them and you loathe them. You are attracted to them, but they annoy you. You keep hanging out … Continue reading →

The Collector
Weekly writing prompt: From www.voiceheartvision.com: Building on your own experience as a collector, or your observations of a collector in your world, write about a situation (fictional or non) in which a collector goes out on a limb, putting himself—or his … Continue reading →

The Watch
Weekly prompt: Write a flash piece about an encounter with a stranger. I like to defy conventional stereotypes. Or, at least I try to. The “dumb blonde” stereotype has haunted me my entire life. Mostly I am able to turn … Continue reading →

An Open Letter to My Home Owner’s Association
Welcome my hilarious guest blogger, Patrick from CleverHumans.com! RE: My Lawn Dear Homeowner’s Association, I am writing in regard to the letter I received yesterday about how despicable my house’s appearance is. I moved into this house a short three months … Continue reading →