(The first in a series.) Ladies and gentlemen! This afternoon in front of Unico Towers for Senior Residents here in Jersey City, New Jersey, in a raspberry scarf, blue jeans, and practical walking shoes, weighing in at 115 pounds, stands the indomitable, unfazed by bloodclots, kidney stones, stillbirth, miscarriages, MFA program maniacs, jealous bosses, backstabbing […]
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Fallen angel.
It began as a not-torqued brain day. I knew it as I lay on the pull-out couch, even before I opened my eyes. Sign #1: The window in my in-laws’ basement does not have light-blocking curtains, but the brightness did not anger me. It was quiet. Only the soft hum and whistle of my husband […]
How to eat ice cream.
(Excerpt from Every Last Drop, posted on September 28, 2015.) Mami and I are long-time, ice-cream eating professionals. We don’t waste a drop. We have a system: Lick around the edge of the scoop first, then continue toward the top to eliminate overhang. Nudge the scoop with your tongue into the cone opening; not too […]
Sugar and spice.
Perched regally in my booster chair and resplendent in my tutu, I was almighty. I gazed upon my kingdom. What I saw pleased me: potted herbs and a mini-mist bottle on the kitchen windowsill. The shiny copper canister that I knew held a spoon embedded in sugar. The steam puffs that rose from the pot […]
Little town blues.
It was a torqued-brain day. This is different than a code-red day: I wasn’t at maximum anxiety, only slightly breathless and jumpy. The excess nervous energy twisted the grey mass behind my eyes only slightly. The flood of excess stress hormone in my system is less, but still gives me a dull, insistent headache like […]
Wine on Wednesday.
I burst into the wine shop, breathless, run to the counter and grip the edge. Loulou looks up from the crate she’s unpacking. “Loulou! Guests, tonight. Dinner. Two reds. One, no two whites. Thirteenish each? Aaargh, what was the Greek one, John got it, maybe three months ago? I don’t know … ” Loulou smiles. […]
Fat Tuesday, fat chance.
(Originally posted in 2011.) My road to hell will be paved in sugar. I’ve tried to give up sweets, but can’t – not even for reasons of weight, dental health or religion. I need sugar like Easter needs Peeps. Some people remember favorite television shows from their childhood. I remember favorite candy commercials. I remember […]
Decommissioned.
This has not been the best week. I passed out at home on Monday morning. I woke up enough when my face hit the floor to call B, my husband. The ER staff informed us my fainting and discomfort were due to having passed a kidney stone the size of a lemon pit. I know […]
Letter to the editor.
I received the text from my father-in-law around midday. “I see you got published in the NYT.” I was but had not told anyone. The New York Times published my letter to the editor in the print and online versions of today’s paper. I wrote in response to a Saturday, January 23 article on Post […]
Speaking Boricua.
Jodona | feminine noun | English translation: an irritating and/or annoying woman. Used in a sentence: That woman is a real jodona. The following fictional scenario will help clarify the sample sentence: Let’s say there is a woman of Puerto Rican descent with a strong affection for candy. Strong, not desperate. This Boricua is not […]