I don’t mean to sound presidential, but I do want to be perfectly clear. I know for a fact that I could have happily lived out the rest of my days without ever having participated in Social Media. Social Media. I find the very name a paradox. Can you imagine anything more antisocial than a
When I started my website almost four years ago, I made a silent vow that there were three areas about which I would never write: family (husband being the exception), religion, and politics. And 86 essays later, I’ve managed to stay faithful to my promise. That is, until now. Unfortunately, there are some temptations that
For those of you who have imagined me lounging by the pool for the month of August, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, I’ve been lounging on my screen porch, which is nowhere near the pool, and doesn’t dictate that I wear a bathing suit. But I have not been idle. As
It’s not your imagination. There are more TV commercials intruding on your favorite programs than ever before. Or should I say, the actual programs appear to be filling in the time between clusters of annoying commercials. These days, even Charlie Rose can’t seem to get a word in edgewise. No wonder he has so many
It occurred to me the other day that I was invisible. Not just me, but my entire generation. It appears that we lack importance. I’m basing this rather sad conclusion on the fact that we have been entirely overlooked by the folks who bestow catchy cohort labels. Let’s get specific. At the risk of revealing
As an adult at the outermost limit of middle age, I admit to embracing two bits of pop psychology by which I try to live out my days: staying in touch with my inner child, and not sweating the small stuff. Generally, the two popular wisdoms co-exist side-by-side rather peaceably. In addition to being playful
As a “woman of a certain age” who attempts to chronicle life’s nonsense with wit and wisdom, it is completely understandable that one of my role models should be Nora Ephron. To me, she was the gold standard. When it came to humorous essays from a female perspective, no one did it better. After all,
There is nothing that says “old” more than conversing with someone several decades less ancient than you, and having absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. The grammar and syntax seem familiar, but the actual words may as well be Urdu. This could bring tears to the eyes even to those among us with Twitter
So the other day I was on the phone with my friend Doris (not her real name). She’s had a very rough winter. Some strange malady has been sapping all her energy. The slightest household chore sends her crawling to the sofa to lie down. Her doctors have assured her that it is nothing life
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing least likely to be overheard, and 10 representing most likely, how would you rate the following query: “Hello, Irving, this is Sidney. How would you like to meet for lunch and then go shopping?” Off the chart on the low end, I would suspect. But
