It’s the only book I missed two meals to finish. I staggered out of my bedroom late in the afternoon after turning the last page. I’d been lost for what seemed like days in the lives of Scarlett, Ashley, Melanie and Rhett. My parents must have given me a free pass for the day (it… Continue Reading
Packing Day Again
Wow, how did this happen? Another month gone already? But I’m not quite ready to move on. Still have to cover so many things: Mmmmmm… I missed a month of school in sixth grade. I don’t remember how I got pneumonia, but I do remember nearly coughing up a lung every morning until I was… Continue Reading
Mean Girls, Part 2: In Gratitude
While it may sound strange, I really want to thank that group of 8th grade girls who dropped me like a hot potato barely a month into the school year. Without the experience of getting to know them and being vilified by them in little over a month, I may not have had the opportunity… Continue Reading
Mugged
This happened one afternoon when I was in 7th grade. No names have been changed to protect the innocent. I never learned their names anyway. That afternoon, like most, I walked the last few blocks toward home by myself after parting ways with friends. My shoulder purse swung against my hip as I walked; my… Continue Reading
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Oh, that first boyfriend… He lived up the block from me. We sat near each other in most of our classes in junior high. My last name started with an E and his started with an F. The alphabet brought us together initially, but then we found ourselves under the influence of inner urges neither… Continue Reading
JFK: January 20, 1961
Fifty years ago yesterday.
BFFs and Mean Girls, Part 1
The symbol for enchantment and love at first sight! My best friend. Sort of. I was her wing man, her less-pulled together wisecracking sidekick. She had it all: good looks– like a young Cybill Shepherd –a doting mother, baton lessons, an array of new dresses for school every September, and oh yes, boys eating out… Continue Reading
Last Minute Packing
This is like the part where you just start throwing stuff into boxes marked “Miscellaneous” right before the movers show up. It’s the 14th of January, and by my own arbitrary rule, this is the day I move on to the next five year span. But I left a bunch of stuff out! I’m not… Continue Reading
Period Piece
No, this isn’t going to be about punctuation. Nor does it have anything to do with history. Yeah, right It’s about that other kind of period. The one that I was so excited about before it started. The one I couldn’t wait to get. I was practically hopping up and down, waiting for this undeniable… Continue Reading
First Date
His name was Chip, as in “off the old block.” Black hair, dark eyes, a real cutie.If he had a real name, I don’t remember it. But he was the rabbi’s son and he asked me to go to the movies with him. I asked my mom and she talked to his mom (what were… Continue Reading