August 2019 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

First Date with a Stoner

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019 Posted in bar, Beatles, best, boyfriend, California, dancing, dating, feet, football, friends, helpful strangers, humor, marijuana, memoir, music, relationships, socializing, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) You said yes to the guy who asked you out two years ago and you turned him down. Now he has shown up at a dancing venue in Concord on the same day you wondered whatever happened to him. You see, he lives in San Francisco and you live in Suburbia. Then you agree… Continue reading First Date with a Stoner

Behind Closed Doors

August 18, 2019August 17, 2019 Posted in abuse, attitude, basement, brother, Catholic, childhood, Facebook, gender roles, high school, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, physical abuse, relationships, worstLeave a comment

I read a great memoir about a girl’s tough childhood, with violence, danger, and an abusive older brother. I recommended it to Facebook friends online. A friend said she didn’t like it because she didn’t think the book rang true. “The Mormon part or the survivalist part?” I asked her. “Neither.” She didn’t think anyone… Continue reading Behind Closed Doors

Checking Out the Guy Checking You Out

August 17, 2019August 16, 2019 Posted in BART, baseball, California, chemistry, dating, Facebook, firsts, girlfriends, Hamilton, humor, Intelius, internet, LinkedIn, relationships, San Francisco9 Comments

First of all, let’s just get this out in the open. It is weird to be a woman of a certain age and to be hit on while waiting for a BART train. As in Bay Area Rapid Transit. He was sitting down when I came up to the platform. I sat down next to… Continue reading Checking Out the Guy Checking You Out

Car Shows, Men, and Elvis

August 16, 2019August 16, 2019 Posted in beer, Carmel, cars, dogs, Elvis, exercise, humor, memoir, Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach, relationships, Spain, Study abroad, wineLeave a comment

It’s funny how memories of one thing lead to memories of other things happening in the same time period. Like the Twin Towers falling, or JFK getting assassinated. Or Elvis dying. Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Forty-two years ago, I was stepping off an airplane from Spain (by way of Morocco). I… Continue reading Car Shows, Men, and Elvis

Loneliest Study Abroad Ever

August 15, 2019 Posted in church, college, friends, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, relationships, restaurant, Spain, travel, vacation1 Comment

After three months in South America and six weeks of student teaching Catholic high school girls, I headed to Burgos, Spain, with 30 students and a handful of professors from Iowa State and the University of Iowa. It would be my way of earning the final credits of my dual degree. Linda, a high school… Continue reading Loneliest Study Abroad Ever

Letting Go

August 14, 2019 Posted in best, California, cleaning, Craigslist, humor, memoir, online sales, relationshipsLeave a comment

My cars sit out in the summer. There’s no way they can go into the garage. Fires are burning north of here and have been for weeks. The Bay Area air is smoky. I look at the blue plastic tubs of flammable clothing and think, “It would take days for all of this to burn.”… Continue reading Letting Go

Say What in Santa Cruz

August 12, 2019 Posted in California, college, dating, friends, helpful strangers, high school, marriage proposal, relationships, Santa Cruz, siblings, vacationLeave a comment

Jennifer met Brad at San Leandro High school. She wasn’t allowed to date, but she was allowed to go to junior prom. The next year Brad asked Jennifer to Senior Ball. It was in San Francisco, and afterward, they went to Pier 39 with everyone else in their limo. Brad had gotten blue contacts for… Continue reading Say What in Santa Cruz

FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Susan Elya

Month: August 2019