Author: Susan

I do this blog for PG audiences and another one for R audiences with Bae Bliss.

Chemistry is Everything

Posted in Berkeley, best, California, college, dating, firsts, fraternity, getting pinned, marriage proposal, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) Sharon was a Sigma Kappa at Cal Berkeley, in her junior year. As she stood outside her sorority house, chatting with the house mom, a guy that she knew from Kappa Sigma crossed the street. “Hey Sharon, do you want to go to a pinning party with me tonight?” “Okay,” Sharon said, even though… Continue reading Chemistry is Everything

The White Savior as Unintentional Racism

Posted in anti-racist, food insecurity, girl friends, Ibram X. Kendi, memoir, micro-agressions, Netflix, novel, racism, racist, Sherryl Woods, Sweet Magnolias, The Blind Side, The New Jim Crow, unintentional racism, White Fragility, white savior complex, You PeopleLeave a comment

In a matter of two weeks, I’ve seen characters in two novels have white women rescue children of color from food insecurity. One of them is Dana Sue on the lovely Netflix series called Sweet Magnolias, based on the books of the same name by Sherryl Woods, a white woman. The show was recommended for… Continue reading The White Savior as Unintentional Racism

The Dancing Tribe

Posted in Beatles, California, community, dancing, hiking, live music, memoir, outdoors, pandemic, party, rock and roll, swing dancing, tribeLeave a comment

(re-run from October 2021)) Different town. Different band. Same faces. We are the tribe of dancers, mostly in our fifties, sixties, and seventies, following rock and roll music wherever it goes.  We might not know each other’s names, but we smile and wave. It’s been two years since some of us have seen each other.… Continue reading The Dancing Tribe

My Fake-Coffee Half Hour

Posted in blog, blog posts, coffee, Diet Coke, Facebook, GERD, humor, memoir, names, relationships, Spanish, Spanish class, stomach, stomach issues, wine1 Comment

(re-run) It’s funny how a person’s perception of what is good changes with the circumstances. I used to look forward to my can of Diet Coke every day until I reached my mid-forties. Then the stuff became too hard on my stomach, and I gave it up. I used to look forward to my cup… Continue reading My Fake-Coffee Half Hour

Musical Cleaning Day (waiting for plumber)

Posted in Bill Withers, CD player, children, cleaning, dogs, Isley Brothers, memoir, music, musicians, pandemic, plumber, poem, purge, reflux disease1 Comment

(re-run) The plumber said he’d be here by mid-morning, but it wasn’t looking good.  I worked on a review for a new children’s book coming out next month. I watched some Dry Bar Comedy while I digested my breakfast.  That is no longer a multi-tasking feature of my aging body. Reflux. It’s best to let… Continue reading Musical Cleaning Day (waiting for plumber)

To Dye or Not to Dye

Posted in aging, blondes, California, dancing, divorce, memoir, menopause, relationships, romanceLeave a comment

(re-run) Driving to Monterey today, looking at the velvety green hills and the occasional sprinkles of white on the tallest ones, my mind started composing this blog post. I thought about how everyone in California dyes their hair – menopausal women (no surprise there), old guys, young women, teen-aged boys. Everyone, at least it seems… Continue reading To Dye or Not to Dye

A Funeral, an Appendix, and a Dead Concert

Posted in Boston, brother, Catholic, children, daughter, deceased, family, friends, funeral, girlfriends, Grateful Dead, humor, pain, relationships, siblings, surgery, surprise, waiting room, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) PK lived in Jersey when her childhood friend’s mum was terminally ill in Boston.  Her friend called to say her mother had died, and PK woke up, wanting to go to the funeral and surprise her friend.  She felt bad but thought it was the heat.  She loaded up her three-year-old daughter and took… Continue reading A Funeral, an Appendix, and a Dead Concert

At Face Value

Posted in bartender, best, California, confidence, dating, firsts, humor, online dating, relationships, religion, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Mark was a good-looking bartender, full of confidence, at an upscale restaurant. He’d say his face was his moneymaker and that you need to use what your mama gave you. Mark went onto Bumble to find a date. He waited until a woman messaged him (that’s how Bumble works). Her photo showed a good-looking… Continue reading At Face Value

DUI Date

Posted in California, cars, dating, drinking, firsts, friends, guardian angel, humor, nature, relationships, roommate, Stockton, tennis, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Lesley was a college freshman at UOP in Stockton when a big football-player-type guy asked her on a date. Lesley had already met his roommate, so she thought she was safe with Chad and said yes. Chad took Lesley to a party, but when his roommate came up to say hi to Lesley, Chad… Continue reading DUI Date