worst – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Marathon Man

September 7, 2026September 6, 2026 Posted in California, dating, firsts, marathon, online dating, relationships, restaurant, runner, sports, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) She had tried them all — Match, eharmony, Our Time, Chemistry, Zoosk, OkCupid, and CoffeeMeetsBagel. She’d had her share of weirdos and had learned to use a fake name, fake town, and a fake place of work. She had been stalked in the past. Now she knew how to do it and be safe.… Continue reading Marathon Man

Joe Average

September 5, 2026September 4, 2026 Posted in dating, relationships, humor, restaurant, California, online dating, worst, divorce, dinnerLeave a comment

Emily met Joe on Match. They both liked the Giants. They both lived in Livermore, although he worked in Alameda and had to get up early at 4:00 a.m. for his job. Joe made an exception to stay up late one night so he could meet Emily for dinner. Emily had looked forward to meeting… Continue reading Joe Average

Sneaking into the Pool

September 4, 2026September 2, 2026 Posted in airport, Angel Falls, beach, Canaima, dysentery, hotel pool, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, microbes, relationships, teaching, travel, Venezuela, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) While student teaching in Venezuela, my roommate and partner in crime learned how to have fun with not much money. One of the American teachers had stolen a couple of striped beach towels from an upscale hotel, and she had been sneaking into the hotel pool for years. “Just carry the towel and act… Continue reading Sneaking into the Pool

The Third Date Rule?

September 4, 2026September 3, 2026 Posted in aging, California, clueless, dating, dinner, escape, firsts, hoarder, humor, last, online dating, relationships, restaurant, romance, waiter, worstLeave a comment

After Sue became a widow, her adult children were protective of her dating online. They had her send them a profile photo, an address, and phone number for each guy she dated. One of them was an anesthesiologist named Don. Sue’s son’s friend knew Don since he was in the medical field. Sue felt safe… Continue reading The Third Date Rule?

Don’t Date the Neighbor

August 29, 2026August 28, 2026 Posted in California, children, control freak, dating, divorce, dogs, firsts, humor, last, mom, moving, neighbors, relationships, restaurant, toys, worstLeave a comment

Julie got divorced and moved into her new townhouse with her six-year-old son. One day, when she was out walking her dog, a guy mowing his lawn turned off the mower and said hello. They chatted about her dog, and Julie mentioned that she had just moved in. Doug rode his bike a lot while… Continue reading Don’t Date the Neighbor

First Date with a Stoner

August 19, 2026August 18, 2026 Posted in bar, Beatles, best, boyfriend, California, dancing, dating, feet, football, friends, helpful strangers, humor, marijuana, memoir, music, relationships, socializing, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) You said yes to the guy who asked you out two years ago and you turned him down. Now he has shown up at a dancing venue in Concord on the same day you wondered whatever happened to him. You see, he lives in San Francisco and you live in Suburbia. Then you agree… Continue reading First Date with a Stoner

Keeping Up with the Culture

August 16, 2026August 14, 2026 Posted in best, culture, daughter, ethnicity, firsts, grad school, humor, last, memoir, Midwestern, Omaha, racist, Redbull, relationships, Roots, slavery, son, student, student teaching, Study abroad, teaching, TV, University of Nebraska at Omaha, water cooler, worstLeave a comment

Yesterday my son told me what click bait means. I am woefully out of the loop on many things computer. But I think I have a good handle on pop culture, for the most part. The first time I heard an eighth grade student say awesome, it sounded out of place. But that was 35… Continue reading Keeping Up with the Culture

Popsicles, Light Carpet, and Stitches

August 11, 2026August 10, 2026 Posted in babies, best, California, childhood, children, daughter, emergency room, feet, firsts, holidays, hospital, humor, Labor Day, memoir, mom, nine year old, pain, parents, relationships, summer, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) It was Labor Day weekend. We needed to get a handle on the mess in the garage. I asked my oldest to watch my youngest while we parents worked outside. She was nine, in 4th grade already for a week, and the baby was almost two and a half. Then a series of unfortunate… Continue reading Popsicles, Light Carpet, and Stitches

DUI Date

August 6, 2026August 5, 2026 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… Continue reading DUI Date

Beware of Craigslist?

August 2, 2026August 1, 2026 Posted in best, boat, California, Craigslist, dogs, fishing, humor, memoir, neighbors, parking lot, relationships, Santa, tea cups, texting, worstLeave a comment

I’d sold a thousand dollars’ worth of tea cups and dinner plates the year before. When Sis moved in with me, I had to let all that inventory go. It hadn’t been selling that well on Etsy anyway, and Etsy had just changed its policies and had kicked me off their site. Why? Because they… Continue reading Beware of Craigslist?