I love some manly traditions. Open doors for me? Yes. Sport a slightly scruffy, five o’clock shadow? Yes. Tell me to put my shovel away while you proudly muscle my car out of the snow?” Oh God yes. Tell me I need to stay at home, raise your kids, cook and clean? I’ll laugh and […]

I have a respect for the paranormal. The unexplainable fascinates me. My brain likes to figure things out, and when it can’t, I am left in frustrated awe. Like that time I was sitting at my desk on a dark and stormy day. I was trying to think of the best way to write something, […]

Working as a cashier in retail has allowed me to be privy to a lot of people’s financial problems. For example, if a person’s credit card got rejected, I’d sometimes get a message on my screen to call their credit card company immediately for a credit check…which often resulted in having to sheepishly pass the […]

Point of interest: I often quote from episodes of The Simpsons. They offer priceless, true-to-life lessons that, although bitter to learn, are wrapped in a deliciously funny coating – kind of like Milk Duds. One of Homer Simpson’s many, many odd jobs included playing the maracas in a mariachi band at a Mexican restaurant. Band […]

Polls always fascinate me. Not the political-type ones but the quirkier ones. You never know how weird you are or where you stand in this kooky world unless you know where other people are. Nothing is more comforting than being able to say “Well at least I’m not as much of a loser as that […]

I’m sorry. I love alliterations. The theory on the benefits of positive thinking has been labeled as “pop” psychology or new-age hokum. I would consider myself a cautious optimist; I’ll smile when I’m having a good day but wonder if I’m tempting fate (Fate: “Did you see her smile? That’s it. Make her break a […]

“It’s not funny! It was scary!” This was the admonishing remark from my mother after I giggled at the dream she had had the night before…something about my grandmother (who has passed on) choosing my mother’s basement as a final resting place. My mother – who spends most of her TV time watching disturbing crime […]

Symptoms: Paleness, rise in blood pressure, shaking, confusion, anxiety. Diagnosis: You’ve just received your credit card bill. Prognosis: Hopeful, but only with immediate intervention. Prescription: 50% dose of Discipline, 50% dose of Professional Help (e.g. financial adviser, therapist). To be taken in conjunction with surgical removal of credit card from your hand. Wallets become a […]

Spiritual teacher and guru Dr. Wayne Dyer eloquently summed up the dark contrast of hostility when he said “Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.” Some bouts of hostility are, for argument’s sake, understandable. Catching a cheating lover (twice), getting your buttons repeatedly pushed by an […]

It was theologian Reinhold Niebuhr who is quoted as saying “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” There is more to this plea than a desire for serenity when faced with tumultuous times. Niebuhr’s quote hints at […]

Whenever elections roll around, the idea of power, and it’s affect on people, always comes to mind. How can you possibly determine who will be able to use their power wisely and who will become a tyrant? You can’t deny the temptation it offers. Having the power to tell others what to do? To be […]