Holding on by a string

I've tried to stay upbeat about this pandemic. As I've written previously, there are silver linings to be found in it. And I think most people are finding it to be a much needed forced time to reassess their goals and lives. But I've been rapidly approaching a breaking point in the last couple days. …

Don’t tell me food doesn’t love me

Every birthday I reach a point where I think "I'm old. I need to just accept that I'm old and can't lose weight." And then Jennifer Lopez at 51 rocks a stripper pole at the Super Bowl in a bedazzled G-string and I think maybe I'm underachieving a bit. Not that I'm going to put …

Fear is a four-letter word

What am I afraid of? If you asked me that question a year ago I would have recited a litany of things. Snakes. Drowning. Vampires. Public speaking. Dying alone. Menopause. Finding a dead mouse in my take-out. Ruth Bader Ginsburg dying. Chelsea being relegated. My mother sneaking veal into her meatballs. Saints Matthew, Matthias, Bartholemew, …

Shiny objects in the darkness

I tend to be more New Agey when faced with natural disasters or personal struggles. I'm one who always looks for a life lesson from challenges beyond my control. It's not that I'm a cheerful optimist. I need to solve the problem, even if the only explanation I can construct is something intangible. The COVID-19 …

You say quarantine like it’s a bad thing…

I was born for this Coronavirus crisis. My office is in full-blown panic mode. You can't walk five feet without seeing a bottle of hand sanitizer and a sign warning you not to shake hands, or wash your hands for 20 seconds, cover your mouth when you sneeze, eat your broccoli but don't eat the …

Skin-ny dipping

"Have you ever dated a nudist?" Of all the weird opening messages I've received on a dating site, this wins, hands (or other naked body parts) down. "Sven" was a very attractive Nordic looking paramedic from Long Island. A short 75 minute ferry ride plus 20 minute drive away. That's a bit of a haul …