As many of us continue to shelter in place or work from home, mental health professionals recommend keeping a schedule to lend a sense of normalcy and constancy. Here’s how I’ve painstakingly laid out my days during this extended time at home. 6am: Rise early to write The New Project. 6:05am: Decide that … Continue reading
A couple of years ago, I was in a doctor’s office waiting room doing what I usually do: reading the true crime section of People, perusing Us Weekly to see if stars really are just like me, and considering what height I should claim to be. I was taking a reading pit-stop, thumbing through a … Continue reading
Whose birthday is it today? It’s no mystery–today, we’re celebrating the birthday of our fab fellow Chick, Kathleen Valenti! We’re sending you love, cyber-hugs, and wishes of a terrific day, Kathy–and hopefully some chocolate cake, as well! Continue reading
My sister-in-law just delivered a beautiful baby boy, which brought back memories of one of my own pregnancies, also known as Kathy’s Era of Perpetual Annoyance. Maybe it was the hormones. Maybe it was the nine-plus pounds of baby squashing my internal organs. Most likely it was the incessant attention dedicated to my midsection, which … Continue reading
I’m not a very sentimental person. I’ve shoved heirlooms into closets, squirreled away family photos and pitched old love letters in the recycling bin, all in the name of chaos control. Of course, afterwards I’m usually filled with two-slices-of-cake-and-three-glasses-of-champagne level regret. But that doesn’t curtail my enthusiasm for tyrannical tidying. The exception: Christmas decorations. Some … Continue reading
For most people, the holidays call to mind shining lights, steaming mugs of cocoa, gingerbread humanoids, and feasts that call for elastic waistbands. For me, they conjure up the memory of my friend sailing out of our second-story window. Let me explain. A few days after Thanksgiving, my mom left 12-ish-year-old me and my best … Continue reading
Kathleen (a.k.a. Kathy) here with a little real-life mystery. A few years ago, I went to the mailbox and pulled out the usual jumble of 80% post-consumer-content papers. Bills. Statements. An assortment of catalogs. One #10 envelope caught my eye: a letter from the Multnomah County Circuit Court. I tore it open in the driveway … Continue reading
