Because in Euphoria the men are taking their turn — I’m watching Euphoria right now. People warned me against it because I have a seventeen-year-old daughter. I’ve heard people say that it glorifies drug use and casual sex. …

The evolution of memory — This past week I went to Chicago to spend time with my mother and stepfather. My mother is 80 and my stepfather is 93. About fifteen years ago they moved to a 100-unit apartment a block from the house where I grew up. …

Contemplating the middle ground — For the last year, I have been working as a contact tracer. This is not my life’s passion, it was just a stop-gap job to transition from selling my business. I wanted a job and the pandemic was on in full force so it worked out. About ten months into…

The seemingly thankless act of parenting isn’t what it seems — Yesterday I was on a webinar for new parents at the university my daughter is preparing to go to in a few short months. I took pages of notes about what needs to happen, when, and how. “It’s going to suck telling her all this stuff,” I thought to myself…

The brutal transition to an empty nest — I’m in the process of losing a job I’ve held for the last eighteen years. I’ve been loyally committed for close to two decades. I’ve never been late or missed a day of work. I’ve given it my all every single day and I’ve done it without salary or benefits…

A look at aging from a gender perspective — Last week I was at dinner with my partner and two friends, all women in our 50s.The service at the restaurant was glacially slow. We’d been seated at high-top which was uncomfortable for a few of us and we couldn’t help but notice that there was a low-top that could…

Don’t throw those away! — Last year, when the CDC told us that cloth masks no longer work, I gathered all the masks from around my house and put them into an old tote bag which I then chucked into my garage. All the masks meant something to me. At the start of the pandemic…

Or thrifty old woman? — A few months ago, while shopping at the Goodwill Bins, I found a pair of diamond-studded boots. If you’ve never shopped at the Goodwill Bins, let me explain why this is significant. At the Goodwill Bins, everything is $1.59/lb. Clothes, shoes, toys, tools, linens, art supplies, and housewares and all…

An explanation for friendship fissures — In the last three years, I have experienced multiple friendship shifts and ruptures. I experienced one significant friendship loss and I’ve witnessed several close friends have similar experiences of fractured or dissolved friendships. …