chronic pain/fibromyalgia · clothing · news

G-d Bless the Caregiver

In the NY Times article, When Families Take Care of Their Own, Jane E. Brody takes a look at a segment of the population that has been overlooked when health care is being discussed. “Relatively little official attention has been paid to those who provide the overwhelming bulk of services for people, both young and… Continue reading G-d Bless the Caregiver

clothing · culture/multiculturalism · hair · Hispanics/Latinos

Hispanic Heritage Month Post #1: Latino Music Plug

My husband is trying to educate me in the ways of American pop culture before the 1970s, which is when my parents arrived in the United States. I confess that I didn’t know who the Beatles were until I was a teenager. I’d never heard Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin. And folk music by pop… Continue reading Hispanic Heritage Month Post #1: Latino Music Plug

birthday · chronic pain/fibromyalgia · clothing · education · hair · marriage · prayer

The Most Important Day of My Life Final Draft

This is the final draft of an essay I wrote for a contest that asked “What is the Most Important Day of Your Life?” I previously posted the first draft on the blog. Come Back For Us She stood in the doorframe in a faded nightgown though it was mid-afternoon. Her thin penciled-in eyebrows became… Continue reading The Most Important Day of My Life Final Draft

clothing · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · Los Angeles · New York · news · writing

Registering a 5.4 in Magnitude

The bed started shaking while I was lying leisurely in bed reading yet another book on writing. My first thought was to wonder what the hell those people downstairs were doing that could make my bed shake. Then I realized there were no people downstairs. There was no “downstairs,” I was on a first floor!… Continue reading Registering a 5.4 in Magnitude

babies and pregnancy · birthday · chronic pain/fibromyalgia · clothing · hair · prayer · writing

The Most Important Day of My Life

Here is an early draft of an essay I’m working on: It is the ten-year anniversary of that day. The day my life ended. The day my life began. Strewn about my dark, mahogany daybed like a broken doll, I lay writhing from the pain. My blackened, dirty feet poked out of my jeans and… Continue reading The Most Important Day of My Life

art · clothing

Purple Pastel People Eater

Here’s my piece from the third week of my art class. I skipped week three which apparently involved paint. Ew, paint. I’m a control freak so I prefer pencils, conte and sometimes, charchoal. I’m not a big fan of this particular piece. It’s my first venture into pastels. They are incredibly messy and unwieldy. Plus… Continue reading Purple Pastel People Eater

art · clothing · culture/multiculturalism · education · food · hair · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · New York · plantains · race/racism

Going ghetto (getting violent and inappropriate) on revisions

There is a point where you’ve probably revised too much and might be killing the writing in a piece, lucky for you, I haven’t gotten there yet with “The Girl in the Wetsuit” story. The story focuses on how I spend my spare time explaining cultural nuances, both Jewish and not, to the masses. It’s… Continue reading Going ghetto (getting violent and inappropriate) on revisions

babies and pregnancy · chronic pain/fibromyalgia · clothing · depression · gilmore girls · gym · teaching · writing

A Good Old Fashioned Monster Story

I’ve been convalescing on the couch with a heavy dose of Gilmore Girls reruns. The rainy weather has got me down. Or maybe it’s all the running around like a Kentucky Fried chicken with its head cut off. It’s probably the latter. Yesterday was a very long day. I logged in my exercise hours (which… Continue reading A Good Old Fashioned Monster Story

art · babies and pregnancy · clothing · New York · writing

Mothers/Submission for "Personal Essay Clinic: Writing about About Family" Class

Everyone I know is pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Well, everyone except me. The other day I felt like a hostage as I sat around with moms discussing daycare options over lunch. During my regular Target shopping spree, I became harried going through racks of baby clothes as I searched for a gift for… Continue reading Mothers/Submission for "Personal Essay Clinic: Writing about About Family" Class

Christmas · chronic pain/fibromyalgia · clothing · friends · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · teaching

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

I was raised by wolves. This makes things like human manners and decorum a very foreign concept. My mother on manners: Don’t talk (lest you embarrass me and I have to kill you)!Talk (lest you embarrass me with your shyness and I have to kill you)!Don’t embarrass me (you get the picture?)!Don’t leave guests unattended… Continue reading A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing