Giving Thanks We're Not the Duggars
The sound was deafening in the Happy Joe's party room. Twelve children ranging in age from just over one to a college freshman were taking turns sitting on a game-ticket-purchased whoopee cushion and howling with laughter. We'd just come off an hour of bumper bowling, and the kids could barely contain themselves after being stuffed for two days straight with myriad cookies and other sweets while taking over a three-bedroom condo also occupied by 14 adults. As I passed my one of my seven brothers-in-law to refill my large soda, he gestured to the kids chanting each other's names as they passed the whoopee cushion. "Just think, Rita," he said, laughin

Sometimes I Can't Stop the Judgey
Last night I got all wound over Lynn Harris' article on Salon, which I'm covering on BlogHer on Monday. I started the post fifteen different ways, and no matter how I proceeded, I found myself on my high horse and riding. Standing on my soapbox and preaching, like the homeless guy who spouted whoremongers and hellfire on the Pentacrest at the University of Iowa in the mid-nineties.It's something I sometimes do. I preach. I can't stand to see people tr

Always Read the Label
This morning I grabbed a new bottle of saline solution and popped a disposable contact into my eye.Immediately, THE BURNING! THE PAIN! I'M BLIND!    (I just finished reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.)Howling, I immediately began rinsing my eyeball with water, trying to float my contact out of my face, while Beloved, confused, grabbed the bottle. "This isn't saline solution," he said. "This is

Novel-in-Progress: Rough Draft Complete
The other day when I was driving home, I saw the end scene of my novel. Today, I sat down and wrote the last 40 pages. Many, many Fridays.There are still a few scenes that I really want to include for which I haven't found a place yet. And the sentences -- oy, they're not good yet. And also? I think a bunch of the details don't yet agree. I haven't read the first few chapters in months. I can't remember some of the middle. So I'm no

Never, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever Give Up
I remember last August reading Erin Kotecki Vest's post about her new job at BlogHer and being so jealous, even though I know Erin and I know how hard she worked to position herself for that job.I've struggled as a working parent. I hate the commute. I hated having the little angel be