I know a lot of people refuse to admit their age, which has always struck me as a little silly since surviving another year is a good thing. Of course, the fact that Grandma is 105 and still sharp does tend to skew my perception of what “old” means. You know, I’m still a decade […]
This is my 41st birthday Read More »
I had a completely stress-free travel day and arrived in Chattanooga this afternoon. Mom is in really good shape and it is quite clear that the hard part of her healing process will be convincing her that it is okay to sit down and relax.
Grandma turned 105 today and I’ll actually be in Chattanooga in time for her birthday party on Sunday. She is a remarkable woman and the inspiration for my novelette First Flight. I had been on a panel about research we were talking about the importance of primary sources. One of the panelists said, “Of course,
Happy 105th Birthday, Grandma! Read More »
Last Friday, my mom took a tumble down the stairs. I’d mentioned this in a couple of private forums, but with Mom’s okay am actually blogging about it. She’s going to be fine and it’s not the sort of fall that require surgery, but she’s got a cast on that’s keeping her pretty immobile. I’m
Change of travel plans Read More »
I just got home from a nice night out with T– and her family. She was my best friend from the time I was 5 until we went away to college. We kept in touch after that, but this is the first time I’ve seen her in a decade. Much like the visit to Raleigh,
I’m in Raleigh, N.C. I came down on Wednesday for my niece’s graduation. 12th in her class. Usually I have free time when I visit family, even around an event, and that has not been the case on this trip. It’s been fun. In a constant, total immersion sort of way.
09:39 Heading out the door to Raleigh, N.C. for my niece’s graduation party. # 10:21 Picked up 12 bagels for the family. There are only bagel-shaped bread products in Raleigh. # 10:34 The bus driver just stopped and got out to grab coffee and a pastry. He left the bus running. # 12:23 Ran into
My new AMC column is up and this week we look at teens in Fantasy. I’ve been thinking a lot about the growing process lately, as we’re getting ready for my fifteen-year old nephew to come visit. The task of finding things that will be fun for him to do in New York is an
AMC – For Teens in Fantasy, It’s Not Easy Being Big Read More »
Well, my guests have all gone to bed and I’m mostly packed. I decided to catch an early flight back to New York because there are some things going on with the show that need attention and it’ll be less stressful to just fly back and deal with it myself. I have to tell you
Last day of the writing birthday retreat Read More »
The birthday celebrations have been going on all week of course, but yesterday was pretty spectacular. In the morning Steven Gould — whose birthday it actually was — had released the theme ingredient for the Iron Chef Battle we had planned. [1. Originally we were going to do it today, but decided to move it
40 years old today + Iron Chef Read More »
I wrote this on December 23rd, but forgot to post it. I’ve mentioned that my family has a giant Christmas Eve dinner every year with cousins and multiple generations getting together. This year is the 52nd annual dinner and we’ve got 31 people attending. One of the things that I loved when my grandmother was
The party favor for Christmas 2008 Read More »
The rules on this one are simple. For 8 days, post 1 thing every day that made you happy. Then tag 8 other people. Here’s mine. Last night I sat in front of the fire in my parents’ house with Rob and talked to my folks. Look! The stockings are hung by the chimney with
My column this week at AMC is Movies for the Holiday Season I am a total sucker for Christmas. Complete. To my very core, sucker for Christmas. Every year, my extended family descends on the house my grandfather built for a Norman Rockwell affair: We’ve got third-cousins twice-removed, there’s caroling, dinner for thirty-four people and
AMC Five Fantastic Movies for the Holiday Season Read More »
My cousin runs a wonderful online shop called EyeItalia where she blogs about life in Italy as well as has gorgeous gift items. This week’s entry is on Italian cheeses. It’s full of enticing details that a) make me hungry and b) will probably turn up in a story. Check this out and then swing over
A brief history of Italian cheese Read More »