(re-run) Roberto put on the white mask and black cape and headed to WPLJ’s in Walnut Creek for his singles’ club annual Halloween party. Available middle-aged women milled around the bar in their skimpy alter-ego outfits. There were: Slutty witches Slutty fairy tale characters Slutty mermaids Slutty nurses and slutty vampires. Oh, which one to… Continue reading Phantom of the Halloween Party
Month: October 2025
Turning the Other Cheek
(re-run) This isn’t a Bible story. This is me telling you that seventeen years ago, I agreed to take a large antique dresser as a consignment piece from a Girl Scout leader friend. I sent my helper dude to her house to have him load it up and deliver it to my store. I paid… Continue reading Turning the Other Cheek
Wake-up Call
(written five years ago) The 30th anniversary of the big quake (and my first quake) is today. It was 6.9 on the Richter Scale, the Loma Prieta earthquake, centered near Santa Cruz. The floor started rolling, and there was noise and lights swinging. It lasted for 15 long seconds. By the time I grabbed the… Continue reading Wake-up Call
Since You Asked, Latino or Hispanic?
(re-run) Have you ever noticed when filling out a form for any government thing, like a driver’s license or a passport, that the form will ask you to check a box regarding your race? If you haven’t read all the choices, please do so next time. There is a box for Hispanic and another box… Continue reading Since You Asked, Latino or Hispanic?
Spinning a Spider Story
(re-run) My strength and toning instructor loves to tell us trivia while we work out. Last week she said spiders are the most active between 6 and 8 p.m. and that the female spiders go out looking for food at that time. The males follow. Isn’t that just like a male anyway, to wait until… Continue reading Spinning a Spider Story
The Sweet Spot
(re-run from 2018) It’s that time of year. The nights are cooling down, the sun is setting earlier, everything is either starting back up or ending. The outside music venues are closing up, and the Halloween costumes are showing up in the thrift stores. The kids have been back at school for almost a month. … Continue reading The Sweet Spot
Big Jack, Little Jack
Teaching high school didn’t open up many dating possibilities at work, unless you count the weird science teacher with the orange stick-up hair and the pocket protector, or the short English teacher who did impersonations as well as anyone on Saturday Night Live. One night, as I was complaining that I couldn’t find any good… Continue reading Big Jack, Little Jack
Mountain Lion
(re-run) It has happened again, this time in El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills. Two brothers went hunting for antler shed, and instead they tussled with a mountain lion (mama?). The younger brother (18) has traumatic facial cuts and the older brother died (21). It’s so sad for that family. Didn’t they know it’s… Continue reading Mountain Lion
The Frazzled, Harried Shopping Day with No Money
(re-run) Yesterday I was busy, squared. I planned my whole day around running down to Dublin before 4:30 to get some free samples from my sister’s doctor. Sis is in the doughnut hole for meds with Medicare, which means they are expensive. On the way down to Pleasanton, I got a call from one of… Continue reading The Frazzled, Harried Shopping Day with No Money
A Scary Five Seconds
(re=run) I had followed the same routine dozens of times. Arriving in my beach town, the dogs got excited and wanted out of the car. There’d been an accident in San Jose, so we were running a half hour behind. Daisy (Jack Russell) started barking and pulling on her tether as soon as we got… Continue reading A Scary Five Seconds
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 