Rocket Kid was in a musical earlier this week as part of an extra-curricular semester-long theatre class he took through Childsplay. The performance included his class as well as all of the others in their “conservatory,” a total of seven performances. One of the things I love about Childsplay is that the students and teachers … Read more
I was reminded of an anecdote from college. I was walking across campus late one afternoon, getting dark, and it was snowing. Snow was sticking but hadn’t accumulated much yet, maybe half an inch, if that. My walk to the music building took me past a very small parking lot where there was a woman … Read more
Last weekend, Climbing Daddy and I went for a run in the neighborhood. No Rocket Kid plus nicer late-fall weather meant it was almost 9:00 by the time we got out the door. Our planned route was blocked off by police tape and cars, and we could see a car had crashed into something where … Read more
I recently read a short piece about moving through life and healing, changing, growing as you go, and just because you’ve changed doesn’t mean others owe it to you to be part of your life again. This stirred up a variety of thoughts and emotions, primarily: I’m deeply sad about this from one perspective and … Read more
My conversation with Debra on Ordinary Chaos, included some talk about child sex trafficking or the sex slave trade. Between that and some statistics she gave on domestic violence, I felt it appropriate to put a warning at the beginning of the episode and also to mark it explicit in my podcast hosting service. Many … Read more
Rocket Kid made a discovery. If he takes the stability ball (which we had out for him to sit and bounce on during school online)… …and puts it on the trampoline (which is in the corner of the living room—highly recommend for all high-energy children)… …he can lean over the ball backwards and roll towards … Read more
In yesterday’s episode of Ordinary Chaos, Chris talked about wanting his writing to make a difference to people, whether he made money on it or not. He’s not alone in this wish. I took the mic for a moment to tell listeners—and now I’m telling you, readers—if you are consuming content made by someone else … Read more
I saw a post on social media where the writer and those commenting were eye-rolling at a kit for videoing yourself. I concede that “Like Me Vlogging Kit” is cringeworthy, but a light, a mic, a phone holder, and a tripod were included in the kit, which would be handy for a lot of types … Read more
What follows is an edited-down version of something I wrote in 2014, the last time I was in a deep depression. (Hey! It’s been seven years! That’s a big win!) It’s been sitting here in my drafts folder for years with a note to either edit or delete. Unsure as to whether I should share. … Read more
I’ve always liked to read, even in periods of life when I’ve not carved out much time to do it. I’ve never been a social reader and didn’t like talking about books in school. So joining a book club was never on my to-do list. I don’t remember the first time I heard of book … Read more