Please say this, too, shall pass

July 13, 2020

There are certain trendy phrases that I can’t stand. “Throw shade.” “Spill the tea.” “Self-care.” “Real talk.” I don’t know whether I dislike these buzzwords more because they’re so overused, or because of the type of social media conversations where they tend to crop up. Lately, it’s “the new normal.” Which, absolutely, is irritating for its ubiquitousness. But also because there are so many things being normalized right now that shouldn’t be. And no, I don’t mean having to socially and physically distance from loved ones. I don’t ...

Movement in motion: Walk, listen, learn

June 29, 2020

Since this pandemic started, walks have been my salvation. Even during the past few weeks, as restaurants, shops and markets have reopened, I’ve opted to keep close to home. As we’re witnessing across the country — and in our state — the virus is far from gone, and I still believe it best to avoid public places as much as possible. Not only for my own safety, but for others’, as well. But the walls of my house, brightly painted though they may be, do tend to close in after awhile, and even a hermit like myself can feel a bit cramped. So I wander. I stroll through ...

Please stop with the excuses: Racism is real

June 14, 2020

White privilege is absurd. That the color of one’s skin should influence his or her advantage in life is ridiculous. That does not, however, mean white privilege isn’t real. It is. I know it, you know it, and your racist uncle knows it, whether he’s willing to admit it or not. Non-white people sure as hell have no doubt. What I don’t get is some white people’s desperation to deny it. As though to acknowledge it takes something away from them. As though to simply say, “Yes, you are right, I do not understand your struggle, because I have not walked even a ...

New coworkers make home office even stranger

April 12, 2020

Like many of you, I have been working from home for the past few weeks. And while the whole pajama-pants-as-uniform thing is nice, there are other aspects I enjoy much less. This tiny laptop screen is just one of them. (I really shouldn’t have procrastinated on that eye exam.) I also admit to appreciating the break from having to fix my bangs every morning, instead allowing my coif to do whatever the H it wants to every day. That part’s pretty good. The exponential increase in emails to answer, due to no more face-to-face contact: Not so good. But perhaps one of the ...

What is there to say in times like these, except ‘Stay home!

March 29, 2020

During the years I’ve been writing this column — far more than I care to count — I’ve covered a litany of topics. Shoes. Dressing room mirrors. Feeling fat. Motivational memes. Chocolate commercials. Movies and TV. Feeling fat. Break-ups. Breakdowns. Going out. Staying in. Feeling fat. Cocktail hour. The end to cocktail hour. Dogs. Feeling fat. I’ve shared stories from my social life and the demise of my social life. Advice offered by my therapist and gleaned from bathroom walls. Thoughts on trends, women’s rights, animal issues, awards shows, Facebook quizzes, ...

Hermit dog mom’s hobbies don’t match up

March 1, 2020

It has become increasingly obvious to me lately that my passions and my lifestyle do not exactly — how should I put it? —mesh. In fact, they seem to be diametrically opposed. On all sorts of mildly ridiculous levels. Take, as one of the more obvious examples, my obsession with rare, hard-to-find vintage stuff. My tastes on the decor end tend to lean toward an eclectic mid-century modern-meets-boho-meets maxilimalist aeshetic — which I promise looks better than it sounds. As a result, nearly every stick of furniture and every decoration in my home has been ...