It takes seven artisans to make a glass of wine — from the grape grower to the vintner, to the cooper, etc. Or so the pitch goes at the small winery near Fairfield. And to draw a crowd, it brings in live music on weekend afternoons. Brent met a woman online and invited her to… Continue reading The Elusive Dot Dot Dot . . .
Category: California
Bad Things Come in Small Packages
They met online on Okay Cupid. The horizontal happened fast. Things were going well, so after six months, Barry gave up his ugly apartment and bought a condo. She moved in right away. Then he started to notice her temper: 1. If the house wasn’t perfectly clean at all times. 2. If his son’s dog… Continue reading Bad Things Come in Small Packages
Hold the Crunch
Jim’s job was to put the crunch in the new peanut butter, Jif. One machine chopped the peanuts into slivers, and another machine used pistons to plug the slivers into the creamy product. Jim also had to taste test peanut butter that had been sitting on a shelf for three months in 100 degree heat.… Continue reading Hold the Crunch
The Double Dump
They’d met on Match. His name was Ready for Adventure. Larry chose a classy woman several weeks older than he was. “How does it feel to be a cougar?” he teased her. Julie liked nice things. She liked to dress up. Larry thought of her as the love of his life. He talked more than… Continue reading The Double Dump
What are your Intentions?
David Rivers was a sophomore at Pinole High School when he invited his fellow classmate, Violet, to his school dance. She said yes, and he told her he’d pick her up at 7:00. When David got to Violet’s house, she wasn’t ready. Violet’s father led David to the question couch, where he grilled him for… Continue reading What are your Intentions?
The Daycare Quandary
When my kids were young, I had a hard time finding sitters for them in my affluent bedroom community near San Francisco. The local kids didn’t need the money, and my then-husband wouldn’t spring for a nanny. Not that I wanted one. I wanted to raise my own kids. Every now and then, it was… Continue reading The Daycare Quandary
Breaking Bad in Blackhawk
My right ear was plugged up, and I had a two hour rehearsal in front of me. I grabbed my chorus bag, my iced tea, some recycle bags and my jacket and headed out the door. I’ll stop at CVS on the way and pick up some Sudafed, so I can hear tonight. When I… Continue reading Breaking Bad in Blackhawk
Why Not to Discuss Politics and Religion
Steve was a grad student at UCLA while he worked for Chrysler. His roommates fixed him up on a date with a Persian beauty named Mahvash. It was love at first sight for Steve. Mahvash had long dark hair and wore a gorgeous gown that really turned him on. They went to dinner and afterward,… Continue reading Why Not to Discuss Politics and Religion
Designer Dogs, 200th Post
As I watch the end of the Oscars with a little dog cozied up in the chair with me and my sister asking when she can go to bed, I think back on the man I met the other night, the one who wants to get a Doodle Dane, a cross breed between a Great… Continue reading Designer Dogs, 200th Post
The Chicken Church and Other Tableside Travels
I used to travel, back in my twenties before marriage, before kids. Now I stay home with an older sister (who would otherwise be in a nursing home), one normal dog, and one little weirdo. But I still get to travel. My friends are in Austria, Indonesia, Hawaii, Tahoe, and Guatemala, as we speak. They… Continue reading The Chicken Church and Other Tableside Travels
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 