I mostly remember taking my fountain pen and writing tiny, neat lines to cram the most onto the aerogram sheet.
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I mostly remember taking my fountain pen and writing tiny, neat lines to cram the most onto the aerogram sheet.
Read More
The floor under my feet seemed to drop away, and a roaring began in my head. I must have replayed the message 10 times. Was someone playing a cruel joke?
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Could the one Rolling Stones concert I attended have done that much damage?
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We were aware that it was bound to happen someday, but it sneaked up on us unexpectedly.
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At first I did worry about what to wear (torn, skinny jeans look great on a 30-year-old but on me, not so much), and whether I knew enough about my smart phone.
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Think of what we all could accomplish if all parties stopped eye rolling ... and lecturing ... and started working together.
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I don't remember much from that week, except for Tony ... Every time his eyes connected with mine, my heart gave a squeeze and then a leap.
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I gasped when I realized that I was the perfect target for a workplace bully--a textbook case.
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In an instant, there was a rumble and a slight jerk, and then a slow roll, as I watched the stacks of books opposite me rise about a foot and a half, and gently fall, as if carried by ocean waves.
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"She called my cell phone and thought I'd gone to Canada and ended up in jail."
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The cops stared, open-mouthed, at three 40-something bearded men and the motley trio of cars.
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When I came to the door, often the kids would greet me with "We don't want you, we want Karen!"
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The engineers ultimately understood that the game kept Joe going, giving him energy and focus.
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Route 101 looked like something out of a Mad Max movie ...
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Roussel was tall, elegant, very perceptive and demanding, but always kind and encouraging.
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We didn't have to sleep, but had to lie quietly for a time, which seemed like forever but couldn't have been more than 15 or 20 minutes.
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When I looked out the front door, I saw a hip-deep lake where my yard had been ...
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"We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon."
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Turns out I was "only" 94% eastern European Jewish ...
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Outside my bay window I can see a parade of saris, hijabs, turbans, baseball caps, blue jeans, you name it.
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This story is something of a confession: I have had memorable episodes of boredom when I've been around other people ...
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She kept saying in her combination of Yiddish and English, "I can't believe they are walking on the moon."
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I'll never forget the syllabus for that summer Russian literature class, which included War and Peace, Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, plus some stories by Pushkin, Gogol, and Chekov.
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Every 4th of July I spent in New Jersey I became exceptionally popular. This one time a year, everyone wanted me to be part of their group ...
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What's scary is how computer algorithms, AI, and all our technology can take data that is perfectly true and turn it into "facts" that are frighteningly false.
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If I still was feverish, I couldn't tell once we went outside in the steamy Caribbean.
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He said, "I look like Omar Sharif." I thought, "...yeah, and I look like Michelle Pfeiffer."
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United Cigar, run by the Cohen family, was packed with cigars and cigarettes, all types of magazine, and oh, the candy!
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The best college for you is the one that wants you to be there. ... choose the "wrong" major if it resonates with you.
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The bottom of the gym suit consisted of … bloomers. Yes, ballooning from the waist and ending in tight elastic at the widest part of the thigh.
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As exam week progressed, we could hear clack, clackety-clack, ding!!, clack, clack, from the living area and dorm rooms in the entire wing, along with the crinkle of bags of potato chips and Cheetos.
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I knew I really wasn't supposed to take the car to the beach, but the temptation was too much.
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The moaning whine infiltrated my nightmares for years. It became a reminder of a situation we could not ignore.
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We poets are at all levels, from awesomely accomplished to beginner. I am somewhere in the middle.
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Add a land line phone and a black-and-white TV with a coat hanger for an antenna, and my décor was almost complete.
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It seemed like so much fun to me. The real story was much more sobering but also inspiring ...
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I kept listening for the tick of the biological clock, but it never ticked.
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I am nostalgic for many things but not all. Here is a quick take on some of the items from the 50s and 60s I don’t miss. Women’s clothing: Panty girdles, with their tourniquet-like grip on my thighs. I’ll spare folks the details of feminine hygiene products and accessories of the 60s, but suffice it…
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The diner's booths were large enough to swallow a child as small as I was.
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For the first and only time, I saw humans flying, literally levitating around the room, so graceful that their bare feet never made a sound when they landed.
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At first 1979 would not seem to be a year of love and laughter, with its gas lines, stagflation, and odd fashions. But in a subliminal moment, a butterfly might alight, even on dried grass or trash, and its perfect wings might wink at you for an instant before it vanishes. That’s how I feel…
Read More
Reluctantly I did a second career report, but my heart wasn't in it ... I began to wish to be a writer.
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This was my first big revelation--not only had I thought I was different, I really was different. Not only was I in a different physical package from the rest of the group, I had a unique personality profile.
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[he] said that it took a special person to handle this job. The last woman left to become a nun. What an outrageous and fun way to start an interview!
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Any woman reading this will identify the "yeah, sure lady" response to our describing a problem with our cars. The same can apply to our bodies.
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One of our family favorites was the goofy spy spoof "Get Smart." Don Adams had a never-ending variety of clumsy antics as a Control agent fighting Chaos (and losing).
Read More
The characters I played were the ugly, the sad, the silly, the mad, the funny, the old, and the dead. Any role that was quirky attracted me.
Read More
Who knew that wind chimes, sunlight through stained glass, and sandalwood could open up another world, one of peace and love?
Read More
Few boys, dreadful food, and gleepy green scum at the bottom of the lake--but the swimming, waterskiing, and guitar playing more than made up for it.
Read More
How they made their way in this strange place to find my great grandfather, with no money and speaking no English, I have no idea.
Read More
In the 1950s and 1960s, there was no television reception on Long Beach Island. Instead, we went out after dinner for lemon ice (made with real lemons and cane sugar), and played a round of miniature golf.
Read More
Jeff lived next door to my close friend Sherry, so I hung out at her house, trying to make myself visible without being too pushy. That’s what girls did in 1970. Boys did the asking to the prom.
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She passed for 16 so she could work in a garment factory. She never saw the inside of a school room but had wanted to be a doctor. ... She was a woman grounded in tradition who never stopped looking to the future.
Read More
... numbers corresponding to the days of the year were written on slips of paper and placed in plastic capsules, which were put into a deep glass jar (at the time I’d imagined a bingo cage).
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Her mouth rounded as she faced us and said, "This is Oh--Oh--repeat after me:
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Aerograms, a Pen Pal, and a War
Prompted By Snail Mail
/ Stories
I mostly remember taking my fountain pen and writing tiny, neat lines to cram the most onto the aerogram sheet.
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Rumors of his death …
Prompted By Tracking People Down
/ Stories
The floor under my feet seemed to drop away, and a roaring began in my head. I must have replayed the message 10 times. Was someone playing a cruel joke?
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Tweet Tweet, Beep Beep
Prompted By Surprise!
/ Stories
Could the one Rolling Stones concert I attended have done that much damage?
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In Praise of Invisible and Brave Women
Prompted By Ageism
/ Stories
We were aware that it was bound to happen someday, but it sneaked up on us unexpectedly.
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Becoming a Modern Elder
Prompted By Ageism
/ Stories
At first I did worry about what to wear (torn, skinny jeans look great on a 30-year-old but on me, not so much), and whether I knew enough about my smart phone.
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OK, Younger Generations
Prompted By Ageism
/ Stories
Think of what we all could accomplish if all parties stopped eye rolling ... and lecturing ... and started working together.
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A Sweet Kennebunkport Crush
Prompted By The Crush
/ Stories
I don't remember much from that week, except for Tony ... Every time his eyes connected with mine, my heart gave a squeeze and then a leap.
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Surviving a Workplace Bully
Prompted By Bullying
/ Stories
I gasped when I realized that I was the perfect target for a workplace bully--a textbook case.
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Shakin’ in the Stacks
Prompted By Libraries
/ Stories
In an instant, there was a rumble and a slight jerk, and then a slow roll, as I watched the stacks of books opposite me rise about a foot and a half, and gently fall, as if carried by ocean waves.
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Grandma Gets Lucky
Prompted By Hacks and Scams
/ Stories
"She called my cell phone and thought I'd gone to Canada and ended up in jail."
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Redd’s Sledd and the Imp Do Donuts
Prompted By Potpourri (Writer's Choice)
/ Stories
The cops stared, open-mouthed, at three 40-something bearded men and the motley trio of cars.
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Sitter of Last Resort
Prompted By Nannies and Babysitters
/ Stories
When I came to the door, often the kids would greet me with "We don't want you, we want Karen!"
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Joe Defeats Google, Both Win
Prompted By Games People Play
/ Stories
The engineers ultimately understood that the game kept Joe going, giving him energy and focus.
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Ten Miles in Ninety Minutes
Prompted By Road Rage
/ Stories
Route 101 looked like something out of a Mad Max movie ...
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Loved the material, loved the students
Prompted By An Unforgettable Person
/ Stories
Roussel was tall, elegant, very perceptive and demanding, but always kind and encouraging.
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Snacks and Naps
Prompted By Kindergarten
/ Stories
We didn't have to sleep, but had to lie quietly for a time, which seemed like forever but couldn't have been more than 15 or 20 minutes.
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Fish in the Street, Snakes Under Glass
Prompted By Weather
/ Stories
When I looked out the front door, I saw a hip-deep lake where my yard had been ...
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Back to the Garden
Prompted By Woodstock
/ Stories
"We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon."
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The Great British Heritage Mystery
Prompted By Genealogy
/ Stories
Turns out I was "only" 94% eastern European Jewish ...
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A New Normal Neighborhood
Prompted By Neighbors
/ Stories
Outside my bay window I can see a parade of saris, hijabs, turbans, baseball caps, blue jeans, you name it.
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Bored Among the Crowds
Prompted By Boredom
/ Stories
This story is something of a confession: I have had memorable episodes of boredom when I've been around other people ...
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From Earth Dust to Moon Dust
Prompted By Moon Landing
/ Stories
She kept saying in her combination of Yiddish and English, "I can't believe they are walking on the moon."
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Tomes Against the Tides
Prompted By Beach Reads
/ Stories
I'll never forget the syllabus for that summer Russian literature class, which included War and Peace, Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, plus some stories by Pushkin, Gogol, and Chekov.
Read More
Mosquito Magnet
Prompted By Fireworks
/ Stories
Every 4th of July I spent in New Jersey I became exceptionally popular. This one time a year, everyone wanted me to be part of their group ...
Read More
Algorithms Never Lie
Prompted By Honesty
/ Stories
What's scary is how computer algorithms, AI, and all our technology can take data that is perfectly true and turn it into "facts" that are frighteningly false.
Read More
Cruising with the Flu (Hot, Hot, Hot)
Prompted By Honeymoon
/ Stories
If I still was feverish, I couldn't tell once we went outside in the steamy Caribbean.
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My lunch with Omar Sharif
Prompted By First Dates
/ Stories
He said, "I look like Omar Sharif." I thought, "...yeah, and I look like Michelle Pfeiffer."
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A Stroll Down Bloomfield Avenue
Prompted By Shopping Local
/ Stories
United Cigar, run by the Cohen family, was packed with cigars and cigarettes, all types of magazine, and oh, the candy!
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Why Virginia Woolf Landed Me a Client
Prompted By College Majors as Career Gaugers
/ Stories
The best college for you is the one that wants you to be there. ... choose the "wrong" major if it resonates with you.
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PE ABCs: Agony from Bombardment to C Stunts
Prompted By PE Pleasures and Perils
/ Stories
The bottom of the gym suit consisted of … bloomers. Yes, ballooning from the waist and ending in tight elastic at the widest part of the thigh.
Read More
Exam Week and Daiquiri Parties
Prompted By Exams
/ Stories
As exam week progressed, we could hear clack, clackety-clack, ding!!, clack, clack, from the living area and dorm rooms in the entire wing, along with the crinkle of bags of potato chips and Cheetos.
Read More
Driving Down the Shore
Prompted By Learning to Drive
/ Stories
I knew I really wasn't supposed to take the car to the beach, but the temptation was too much.
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Shelters, Signs, and Sirens
Prompted By Cold War Coping
/ Stories
The moaning whine infiltrated my nightmares for years. It became a reminder of a situation we could not ignore.
Read More
Poetic Solace in Turbulent Times
Prompted By Poetry
/ Stories
We poets are at all levels, from awesomely accomplished to beginner. I am somewhere in the middle.
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Quirky Neighbors in a Modest Place
Prompted By My First Apartment
/ Stories
Add a land line phone and a black-and-white TV with a coat hanger for an antenna, and my décor was almost complete.
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Ta-ra-ra-boom-dee-ay
Prompted By The Draft & Vietnam
/ Stories
It seemed like so much fun to me. The real story was much more sobering but also inspiring ...
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Childless with no regrets
Prompted By Parenthood
/ Stories
I kept listening for the tick of the biological clock, but it never ticked.
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Some “thens” I don’t miss
Prompted By That Was Then, This Is Now
/ Stories
I am nostalgic for many things but not all. Here is a quick take on some of the items from the 50s and 60s I don’t miss. Women’s clothing: Panty girdles, with their tourniquet-like grip on my thighs. I’ll spare folks the details of feminine hygiene products and accessories of the 60s, but suffice it…
Read More
Hot turkey sandwiches at the Claremont Diner
Prompted By Restaurants
/ Stories
The diner's booths were large enough to swallow a child as small as I was.
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The Kendo Mindset: Art Imitates Sports
Prompted By Sports
/ Stories
For the first and only time, I saw humans flying, literally levitating around the room, so graceful that their bare feet never made a sound when they landed.
Read More
The Year of Learning, Laughter, and Love
Prompted By A Year in the Life
/ Stories
At first 1979 would not seem to be a year of love and laughter, with its gas lines, stagflation, and odd fashions. But in a subliminal moment, a butterfly might alight, even on dried grass or trash, and its perfect wings might wink at you for an instant before it vanishes. That’s how I feel…
Read More
A wish that went full circle
Prompted By Be Careful What You Wish For
/ Stories
Reluctantly I did a second career report, but my heart wasn't in it ... I began to wish to be a writer.
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Different in many ways
Prompted By Being Different
/ Stories
This was my first big revelation--not only had I thought I was different, I really was different. Not only was I in a different physical package from the rest of the group, I had a unique personality profile.
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Do what you love, even if the money doesn’t follow
Prompted By The Road Not Taken
/ Stories
[he] said that it took a special person to handle this job. The last woman left to become a nun. What an outrageous and fun way to start an interview!
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The Kvetching Diseases
Prompted By Illness
/ Stories
Any woman reading this will identify the "yeah, sure lady" response to our describing a problem with our cars. The same can apply to our bodies.
Read More
Smart Spies
Prompted By What We Watched
/ Stories
One of our family favorites was the goofy spy spoof "Get Smart." Don Adams had a never-ending variety of clumsy antics as a Control agent fighting Chaos (and losing).
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Belonging
Prompted By Let's Put On a Show
/ Stories
The characters I played were the ugly, the sad, the silly, the mad, the funny, the old, and the dead. Any role that was quirky attracted me.
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Day tripping to the Cape
Prompted By Summer of Love
/ Stories
Who knew that wind chimes, sunlight through stained glass, and sandalwood could open up another world, one of peace and love?
Read More
A summer “a la francaise”
Prompted By Camp
/ Stories
Few boys, dreadful food, and gleepy green scum at the bottom of the lake--but the swimming, waterskiing, and guitar playing more than made up for it.
Read More
Bypassing Ellis Island
Prompted By Immigrants
/ Stories
How they made their way in this strange place to find my great grandfather, with no money and speaking no English, I have no idea.
Read More
Salt Water, Lemon Ice, and No TV
Prompted By The Beach
/ Stories
In the 1950s and 1960s, there was no television reception on Long Beach Island. Instead, we went out after dinner for lemon ice (made with real lemons and cane sugar), and played a round of miniature golf.
Read More
How I almost went to the prom but got even instead
Prompted By Prom
/ Stories
Jeff lived next door to my close friend Sherry, so I hung out at her house, trying to make myself visible without being too pushy. That’s what girls did in 1970. Boys did the asking to the prom.
Read More
Grandma Rose
Prompted By Grandparents & Grandchildren
/ Stories
She passed for 16 so she could work in a garment factory. She never saw the inside of a school room but had wanted to be a doctor. ... She was a woman grounded in tradition who never stopped looking to the future.
Read More
Betting on the end
Prompted By The Draft & Vietnam
/ Stories
... numbers corresponding to the days of the year were written on slips of paper and placed in plastic capsules, which were put into a deep glass jar (at the time I’d imagined a bingo cage).
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Oh!
Prompted By First Day of School
/ Stories
Her mouth rounded as she faced us and said, "This is Oh--Oh--repeat after me:
Read More