Pushing on a Rope
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What is it about the market that brings out the worst in people?!
Every day there are at least a half-dozen headlines or events that make me shake my head in disbelief. You, too, I’m sure. What are people thinking? Do they think at all? This morning, I had a first-hand view of the ugliness and stupidity some people embody. I was in the supermarket — where, it … Continue reading
Don’t give me any lip
Things have not measurably improved since Monday’s shoe incident, I’m sorry to report. (Read about that here.) On Tuesday, I could not get my mic to work while teaching my Jazzercise class. Fiddled with the volume, tried a couple changes of battery (no easy task while dancing and queuing the routines), then finally gave up … Continue reading
That was some, er, feet
There’s an old saw that says you should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, but you couldn’t have gotten very far in mine today. I took a quick break in the middle of the day to swing by the high school and drop off Catherine’s Epi-Pen and inhaler. She tagged along, eager to peek … Continue reading
Sweet rewards when I least expected them
Parents have moments and MOMENTS. Some send us running for cover, others keep us grinning for hours. God knows we’ve had our MOMENTS with Catherine — the supermarket tantrum over a hot-pink rubber ball I wouldn’t buy, the testing of illicit words, the time she waited until my back was turned and then hit me … Continue reading
Ties that bind — at home, online … even at the service station
Most days, technology is supposed to connect us, but it really keeps us isolated, enjoying a faux sense of camaraderie fueled by too much information. Today, technology really connected me, though. Here’s how: Early this morning, my Facebook feed included a status update from Nancy, a neighbor I’ve known for 14 years. Like me, … Continue reading
A lesson for teacher, thanks to Quality Control
Three days post-vacation and it’s like I never took a break. Actually it was like that right from Monday morning. I guess that’s true for most everyone, especially these days when work and play are endlessly intertwined. Any muscles I started to relax are back to their bunched, clenched norm, and my jaw is again … Continue reading
Taking it wheel slow
It was impossible to stay away — you knew I couldn’t! Last night after dinner, after I’d loaded the dishwasher, packaged the leftovers, scrubbed the sink, and wiped down the counter tops and my new stove top, I laced up my sneakers and headed a half-mile south to the elementary school where driving lesson No. … Continue reading
Messages straight from the heart
Love is in the air here at the Vaneches. The past two days have brought two unexpected emotion-packed declarations. The first noteworthy moment happened Thursday and involved Catherine — not in the way you might think. She’d returned to ESF Camp for the end-of-summer Family Fling, two weeks after her counselor in training program ended, … Continue reading
Seeking refuge in castles made of sand
Determined to hang on to every second of our final few days of freedom, Basil and I high-tailed it to Tod’s Point today, trying to outrun the predicted afternoon storms that so far haven’t come. It’s no Jersey Shore, but the sun, sand and Long Island Sound still soothe and delight. Being a weekday, the … Continue reading
Give me a brake — Chapter 1 of Catherine’s adventures in driving
It was a big day for the Vaneches. Catherine got her learner’s permit. She balked at spending time each day studying the DMV manual, even when we were in Seaside, NJ, earlier this week, but it paid off: It’s official. Four months after turning 16, she can learn how to drive. This is how she … Continue reading
Pushing on a Rope 