Category: relationships

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

Motion Sickness and Me

Posted in best, California, carpool, firsts, friends, girlfriends, humor, memoir, motion sickness, music, perfume, relationships, socializing, worstLeave a comment

I have a friend who likes to apply her make-up in my car after I’ve picked her up. That way she can save time while I drive. I get to drive in the HOV lane with a carpool. All was good until the day she sprayed perfume on herself with me a foot away from… Continue reading Motion Sickness and Me

The Day I Found my Voice

Posted in California, dog house, firsts, girlfriends, humor, independence, Iowa, jump off a cliff, junior high school, memoir, Midwestern, mom, popularity, relationships, retail, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) When you’re in the dog house, you are in trouble. You’ve done something bad. As a child, I was never in the dog house because we didn’t have one. We didn’t even have a dog. My mother had her own strain of weird expressions that she said to us kids on a regular basis,… Continue reading The Day I Found my Voice

Dance with Me, Young Jeremy

Posted in dancing, dating, humor, memoir, Nebraska, Omaha, relationships, restaurant, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Every dance bar in Omaha ended the night with its signature song. One bar closed with Last Dance by Donna Summer, another used Shout from the Blues Brothers movie (by the Isley Brothers) as its sign-off song. But my fave dance bar closed with the song New York, New York. It seemed an odd… Continue reading Dance with Me, Young Jeremy

Peace Corps Fail

Posted in dogs, memoir, Midwestern, Peace Corps, postal service, relationships, Spain, teaching, travel, VenezuelaLeave a comment

(re-run) It was in the spring of my first year of teaching when the call came. I was at Greenwood Elementary in Greenwood, Nebraska. I had applied to the Peace Corps the year before. They had just seen my application. They wanted to fly me to Chicago for an interview that weekend. They gave me… Continue reading Peace Corps Fail

Judging from the Trends

Posted in author, best, books, California, children, children's books, dinosaurs, humor, memoir, mom, relationships, trends, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) I was asked to judge a picture book contest. I’m a picture book author of 29 books and also a mom of past picture-book fans. Picture books are books with both words and art, usually 28 to 64 pages, and usually for young children. The gift book people have figured out how to put… Continue reading Judging from the Trends

Pushing Back

Posted in attitude, Beach Boys, best, California, dancing, entitled attitude, friends, humor, memoir, park, relationships, small town, worst1 Comment

(re-run) Another Friday night, another summer concert, this time a Beach Boys cover band close to home. I loaded up my little red wagon and drove to Livorna Park in Alamo. The band wouldn’t start until 6:30, but I left home at 5:00 so that I could park close by and get a spot in… Continue reading Pushing Back

Belly-up Beetle

Posted in dating, relationships, memoir, worsts, alcohol abuse, California, drugs, high school, cars, guardian angel, marijuana, drinking, Volkswagen, beetleLeave a comment

(re-run) Curtis drove the Volkswagen, 1969 vintage Beetle. Smoking George, his wing man, brought the weed. They’d met their dates at a party. Stacy and Camille went to San Leandro High. Curtis and George went to Castro Valley. Curtis liked Camille. George got Stacy. They all partied at a friend of a friend’s house in… Continue reading Belly-up Beetle

Grizzly Bear!

Posted in Alaska, Amazon, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worst1 Comment

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account as told to me at a holiday party by a friend’s daughter’s boyfriend’s father figure. His name is Bob. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!

Michael Jackson’s Impact

Posted in best, California, dancing, Foreverland, friends, house party, humor, Jackson Five, memoir, Michael Jackson, music, party, relationships, singing, socializing, U.S. Marine, wine1 Comment

(re-run) I was a teenager when Michael Jackson became a household name. He was a stand-out in his brothers’ band, the Jackson Five. He was ten years old when he sang ABC, simple as 1 – 2- 3, Girl, I love you!  I watched MJ grow up. I bought his first solo album, Off the… Continue reading Michael Jackson’s Impact