Beauty of body doubling
Sometimes all you need to get something done — especially something you’re dreading — is another warm body. If you arrange to do that boring, hard thing while another person is nearby working on their…
Nightmare fuel
Weird things land in my email inbox, and then I know things I never wanted to know. I see things I can’t forget. And because I can’t get it out of my head, I end…
Night chores
Evenings should be easy. Don’t we all want to coast to a gentle landing at the end of a busy day? But lately it’s taking longer to get ready for sleep. Even though the kids…
A wild Wednesday
Only three days after clocks sprang forward, I watched snow fall outside our living room window. It was March 15th. Four days before the official beginning of spring. The unexpected blast of winter surprised our…
Hazardous hospitality
There are chirping sounds outside my office window today, and I bet this visiting bird is doing a countdown to the first day of spring. Now and then, I go to the window to see…
Press 1 for simulation
Press zero. I still try it when I call a business and a recorded voice answers. It used to help me skip the recorded blah-blah and connect straight to a human operator. But not anymore.…
Beam me up? Please?
Have you ever watched someone watching TV? I used to do it when I was a kid because my dad was nearly as entertaining as whatever he was watching. As a devoted fan of science…
That one room…
About a week ago, I got a text from a close friend saying she was embarrassed that I saw her sunroom in its current state when I took care of her dogs while she was…
My first novel is here!
I made you something for Valentine’s Day. It took years, and I almost gave up. But I finally finished, wrapped it in a yellow cover, and put a big pink heart on it, just in…
Scenes from a snow day
Greetings from America’s Southern freezer. This is the first time I’ve written a column wearing gloves that cover everything but my fingertips, which must keep typing to stay warm. Stationed next to me is a…