It’s the end of the month. I need to pay the bills. But not right now. I am sitting at the kitchen table with my cup of tea and two dogs under my feet. The house is quiet. Only the sound of the refrigerator is in my ear. Since it’s the weekend, the freeway noise… Continue reading Mornings Are Best
Category: friends
Grizzly Bear!
In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teenaged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s the third week of July, so it doesn’t get completely dark until around midnight. After dinner you suggest a hike in the woods along the Kenai River… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!
Romance Coast to Coast
Nicky went back to Connecticut to see his mother. “You’ve got to meet this cute Italian girl working in my office,” a friend said. “I’m only here for a week,” Nicky said. “My wife is in night class with a cute Italian girl,” another friend said. “You two should meet.” “I’m only here for a… Continue reading Romance Coast to Coast
So This is Retirement?
I took social security early last year. Don’t buy into the hype that it’s better to wait. I won’t start losing money on my decision until I turn eighty. By then I’ll have Medicare and won’t be paying $15,000 a year for health insurance. “How’s retirement?” you ask. I am busier now than ever before.… Continue reading So This is Retirement?
Almost Toast
Marlene and her friend Beth came out to California from New Hampshire after college to work for Bank of America. They each made a new friend, and each new friend brought another friend to the party (plus one more) until they were a group of seven recent college graduates, living in the city of San… Continue reading Almost Toast
To Smoke or Not to Smoke
My friend Kelly hasn’t smoked a cigarette for 75 days. After thirty-seven years of the puffing habit, she is proud of herself. Chantix helped. Wanting to quit helped more. Wanting better health and to be a good role model for her kids helped the most. Kelly craves a cigarette after finishing a meal. It’s a… Continue reading To Smoke or Not to Smoke
Grabby Guy’s Goodness
Brenda was a grad student at Tufts in Boston. She was tired of dating and was thinking of getting her doctorate in nutrition after she got her Master’s degree. Brenda’s two roommates, who were also a couple, told Brenda she needed a night out to go dancing. Brenda got ready and then waited for them… Continue reading Grabby Guy’s Goodness
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
Moochy McMoocherson
It was the early 2000’s. Lynn met a cute, age appropriate guy in the wine country, Yountville, while dancing at a bar with her friends. Eric said he was also from the Bay Area, and he asked her out. She said yes. Lynn had told the neighbors about her new guy, so they were in… Continue reading Moochy McMoocherson
Parking Lot Pick-up
Edith and her friend, 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… Continue reading Parking Lot Pick-up
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 