This Week Alone

“At the beginning of the new year, I resolved to leave off writing ‘old grouch’ columns, columns that chronicle my inability to negotiate modern life.  But resolutions rarely stand in the face of provocation, and so here I go again.” – Stanley Fish, New York Times, 1/11/10 Oil continues to gush into the Gulf of…

What’s the Small Idea?

Years ago, a friend of mine was in a very tough job.  Underpaid and overburdened, she wasn’t sleeping enough.  She was losing weight.  Yet she continued to live and breathe work, pushing herself as if her internal resources were limitless. “I can’t do this anymore,” she told me finally.  “I’m gonna quit.” “Quit?”  I peered…

Wince-Worthy Wordage

Each year, 4.2 million people in this country are diagnosed with word allergies.  Or maybe it’s eight hundred people.  In either case, at an estimated annual cost of $1.6 billion in lost productivity, or maybe $67.50, this little-understood condition calls for increased awareness. Known as WA, word allergies mostly afflict writers and musical people.  But…

Be as Smart as a Dog

I need a magic carpet.  A small one, tasteful and well-made—maybe an authentic Tabriz from northwest Persia.  Something I can roll up and put under my arm like a yoga mat once I’ve arrived at my destination.  Better yet, it should disappear with a snap of my fingers, and reappear with another snap when I’m…

Some Thoughts on Mother’s Day

When I was young, I gravitated toward friends who had struggles with their mothers.  I felt overwhelmed by my difficulties with my mom, and needed orientation from others with similar experiences. Over the years, I’ve been startled to see many friends gradually resolving their conflicts and coming to appreciate their moms—most of whom turned out…

Must Love Springsteen

In memory of Florence Stern, 1916-2010 I’ve never been a dog person.  No soft spot for slobbery panting beasts over here.  No sense of humor about being barked at, sniffed at, or jumped by an animal nearly my size.  And as for those teeny tiny dogs—well, I guess I fail to grasp the appeal of…

Crimes Against Eyeballs

A recent article in the Piedmont Post sang the praises of TV.  You know, social change, cultural idiom, blah blah blah. Well, what that piece neglected to mention is how hard TV can be on the eyes.  And not in the way that reading without adequate light is hard on the eyes. Cosmetic Surgery. The…

Decades of Friendship

Last weekend, my cell rang.  It was my friend Michele, back here for a visit from the East Coast.  “I can’t talk long,” I explained.  “I’m over at Amy’s for dinner.” “Oh!  Say hi for me.” Standing in Amy’s kitchen in Berkeley, I realized this was a conversation Michele and I could have had more…

My Geographical Cluelessness

When we talk about “distortion” in relation to the world map, we generally mean the Mercator projection.  You know, that method of reconciling two-dimensional representation with three-dimensional reality by stretching things out more and more toward the north and south poles. But for me, map distortion is a more personal matter. Maybe I missed the…

People Don’t Cause Earthquakes

Recently, my 87-year-old mother became belligerent with one of her caregivers.  It seems the caregiver tried to talk Mom out of visiting her mother, who’s been dead since 1982. Swear words were hurled; medications administered. We’ve come a long way since the time two years ago when my mother literally tried to hit and bite…