My Marbles

Most people who lose their marbles don’t expect to. Most people who lose their marbles would, if asked, assure you that they would be the last people to lose their marbles. Many people who lose their marbles used to be fiercely smart. This is why I became so terrified when, the other day, I lost…

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Spectral

I would want to see a ghost. I think. It would depend on the mood – not of me, of the ghost. If this were a wistful spirit, even one with something left unfinished this side of the veil, that would be fine. If this were a spirit bent on vengeance, out to punish and…

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An Anthropologist at Trader Joe’s

I am a recluse, so I don’t go many places. When I do go places, because I have to cook for a sizeable number of people, those places often involve groceries. When I want ordinary groceries, like milk, I go to the ordinary grocery store, Stop and Shop. When I want to feel wealthy, I…

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True Tales of a Writing Gadget Slut

Why am I such a slut for gadgets? I don’t know why, but I am. Why am I such a slut for gadgets? I don’t know why, but I am. I never met a Kitchen Aid or a Ginza I didn’t like and crave. And when it comes to the tools of my trade (that…

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Killer Chic

When I was young (and I’ll grant you, this was a long time ago) people sometimes wore real fur coats, including leopard skin – although even then, many viewed this profligacy with horror. A lot more people carried bags made to look like faux leopard and tiger skin, but this was just seen as desperately…

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Two Hawks

Sometimes I sit out in my yard just to watch them, high above me, on a mission only they understand. To my delight, there are two Red-tailed Hawks that seem to consider the area right around my house their personal hunting ground. I don’t know if they are a “pair,” that is, mates. I can’t…

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Work Out, Make Up, Work Out, Make Up

If I exercised more, or enough, or (sometimes) at all, I would not need so much cosmetic help to look presentable. I would be flushed with health. The cheekbones I painstakingly highlight with a tan-colored stick would be naturally prominent.  I like makeup much more than I like exercise, however. Makeup doesn’t hurt my knees,…

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Jealousy

My best friend and I talk about this all the time. How is it possible to be truly and purely happy for someone else’s good fortune?  It’s entirely possible for me to feel nothing but pure happiness at someone else’s good fortune, unless that someone else does the same thing I do – with better…

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Hot Reading Tip: ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld

You’ve got to love Curtis Sittenfeld. I do. The author who became famous as a result of her breakout novel, PREP, a skewering of all the legends of the ultra-exclusive girls school, is back with ROMANTIC COMEDY, which was that rare book I thought about whenever I wasn’t reading it and couldn’t wait to get…

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Everybody Loves a Lover. Sort Of.

I joyously celebrate all holidays, except one. I don’t even mind the enforced bacchanal of St. Patrick’s Day (and, yes, I live near Boston). Valentine’s Day, however, seems to put an undue strain both on one’s emotional and economic resources.  When I was young – )and often, not in love or in the kind of…

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