Though I regularly speak with my family, there are certain subjects we avoid. My parents know about the ‘Niles’ situation and the stress it has caused in my marriage, and they’re aware of long-simmering tensions over Crankenstein’s stinginess with her free time and her general aversion to helping around the house. They know I’ve not

Now that the Firefighter monkey is off my back — I opted against having Crankenstein contribute doodles after learning she’s unfamiliar with The Facts of Life — maybe I’ll experience a new emotional freedom and strut down the street tomorrow a rejuvenated woman, like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. If you’re wondering why that

“You’re going to run out of paper,” my mom used to say as she watched me do homework. If I didn’t like how a letter looked, I’d start all over again. Sometimes it took a few pages to even make it past my name, which was the first thing written atop every assignment. She called

Otis Redding might hold the distinction of being the first person to break my heart, never mind that he’d already been dead for almost 40 years when it happened. I was 20 and watching John Sayles’s Lianna when “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” began to play. It was a movie I’d wanted to see

The waiting continues on one front — my overdue delivery remains lost — but it’s almost over on another: I worked on two reviews today that should be ready to post soon enough. A FedEx delay means there’s no photo to share of a hobby workstation, which is just as well because I’m still not

There are three days left in the month and I’m three reviews behind. Even I’m in suspense over whether it’ll get done or if I’ll have to tack the balance on to the four planned for April. I’d like to say I’ve been busy with the Miami Open but that hasn’t been the case. Nor

A demolition reveals hidden treasures; spotted while walking to lunch. This is very much in the spirit of the ghost town I want to build and is a scene I might try to recreate.