Suprise Me

These teen-girl publications lacked content for nerdy girls like me, though. Read More

I grew up in a three-story apartment building in Palo Alto, California – a rectangular concrete building that still stands at the corner of Grant Avenue and Ash Street. Today, that part of town is crammed full of chic restaurants and expensive condos, but in the 1960s and 70s it was just a little neighborhood, tucked into a… Read More

Every time I have seen the phrase “teenager in love” – starting with the first time this prompt appeared in Retrospect two years ago – I have read it as teen-A-ger, with the accent on the second syllable, rather than TEEN-ager, the usual pronunciation, with the accent on the first syllable. In contrast, if the… Read More

Grandpa was taught "the 3 R's plus" ...the plus included Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and French. Read More

This may not exactly be a Super Bowl story as we’re a baseball family,  but it’s as close as I can get! A few years ago our friend Jon called on a  Saturday morning.  It just happened to be the third day of the World Series. ”We haven’t seen you guys in awhile,  how about… Read More

I know I will hear those bombs bursting in air every July. And while the fireworks displays are beautiful, these sounds do not feel celebratory. They remind me of guns and war, not patriotism. Read More

“Don’t cry,” she said to me days before she died, “I’ve had a full and very happy life.” Read More

The temptation that I didn't act on Read More

I recently witnessed a highly successful businessman query a 20-something about her background, her upbringing and her 5-year plan. I remember a mentor telling me to make a 5-year plan. I can assure you, things never worked out as I anticipated. I always loved the arts, my degree is in Theatre Arts and I have… Read More

It’s hard to know if I actually remember some of the stories my parents would tell about my naughty or my endearing childhood antics,   or if I’ve simply heard them so often I think I remember them.  But how I got my puppy is something  I remember as if it happened yesterday. When I… Read More