So I have a Cuban neurologist crashing at my house for a few nights. This morning, I decided I wanted to make cafecito (Cuban coffee) for him, so I got the espresso maker going. At 8:05, Graham decided he couldn't wait around any more, so he started out to the bus stop...only to find that the school bus was just leaving! Panic time! Suddenly I had ( Read more... )

I really like the idea of Facebook - not so much the new layout, but oh well. I keep finding old friends or, usually, they find me, and Facebook makes it possible to suggest friends for people so that we can all expand our networks (and feel more popular in the process, I suppose ( Read more... )

It's uncanny, really, how much my life recently has paralleled the changing of the seasons. Back in September, I was laid off from a job that I loved, and as the leaves fell and the wind turned chill, I gradually slowed down and hunkered down for a long winter ( Read more... )

At least for today, diesel wins. I paid less than $30 to fill my tank today, at a price of $2.17 per gallon. The price for regular unleaded? $2.19!

I love my car!

I was uninvited to a party the other day. This was a bit of a shock; you don't often encounter that kind of sheer naked rudeness - at least, I don't. But then again, I generally hang out with grownups who have learned not to treat each other that way ( Read more... )

Gus and I were tooling around the mall yesterday. We had other things to accomplish, but I steered us into Fireworks anyway. It's one of my very favorite stores; I always leave there feeling refreshed and inspired by all the artsy, funny, creative, and often sparkly things I find there ( Read more... )

Today I went to hear Gus's niece play the oboe. She was participating in a music festival that brought middle school and high school students from all over the region to perform and be judged. Soloists and ensembles, instrumentalists and singers - there were scores of them, dressed up, nervous, and very talented ( Read more... )

Just within the last couple of weeks, five or six of my friends have relayed the sad news that a parent has died ( Read more... )

Man, when it rains, it pours around here ( Read more... )

I just had a great conversation with my teenage daughter about a choice she made that her dad and I found hard to accept. Yes, there were some tears, but with patience and a willingness to really listen to her and apologize where necessary on my part, her feelings were resolved and the choice was rescinded with reasonableness all around. I am so ( Read more... )