(re-run) My cars sit out every summer since 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… Continue reading Letting Go
Category: California
Parking Lot Pick-up
(re-run) Edith and Laura were bored. It was Saturday night, and they’d been at their all-girls’ school, Holy Names, for a whole week. It was time to find some guys, to find a party. They pulled into Berkeley and headed for Fraternity Row. Laura spotted someone she had dated before and rolled down the window.… Continue reading Parking Lot Pick-up
Hold the Crunch
(re-run) Jim’s job was to put the crunch in Jif, the new peanut butter to rival Skippy. 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… Continue reading Hold the Crunch
Butt Dials and Other My-Bads
(re-run) I had lunch with my son yesterday. We tried to figure out why I’d used up all my storage on my cell phone. He took a look, handed back my phone, and watched me put it in my pocket. “You need to hit the button on the side and turn off your screen,” he… Continue reading Butt Dials and Other My-Bads
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Match Date
(re-run) Ingrid had been on an online-dating website for a little over a month. She had tried meeting a few guys but only if they were willing to email back and forth and actually pick up a phone and call. Fred had flirted and called, and now it was time for them to meet. He… Continue reading He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Match Date
Hat Trick
(re-run) I have too many hats. Most of them were store inventory since I had a brick and mortar costume business for kids – for field trips, book reports, etc. I sold on Etsy for five years until they became a corporate company with plans to streamline the buyer’s experience. Just click a button and… Continue reading Hat Trick
The Dog That Everyone Wanted
In honor of 4/20, a day late (re-run) Scott heard from his college buddy, Joe, that someone was giving away a four-month-old puppy that had cost them $300, a mix of Jack Russell terrier and something bigger. The family felt bad that they were gone all day, and the puppy was crated every day for… Continue reading The Dog That Everyone Wanted
She Flashed Him — He Asked Her Out
(re-run) Troy had the best job for meeting women. He was a parks worker for the city of Clayton, which contracted with the county for a workforce from the Work Alternative Program. In other words, drunk drivers and those with misdemeanors could work off their time instead of paying fines. He was the supervisor. Katie,… Continue reading She Flashed Him — He Asked Her Out
Chemistry is Everything
(re-run) Sharon was a Sigma Kappa at U of 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,… Continue reading Chemistry is Everything
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 