. It’s a word with connotations, all of them bad. “I can’t stand your attitude” is the prelude to a barrage of personal failings that start and end with nothing good. This seems strange, because at first glance, “attitude” seems like a neutral word. But let’s examine the definitions that Merriam-Webster posts for it. Aha.… Continue reading The Pep-Squad Police and YOUR Attitude
Want to learn how to drive me up the wall? Insist that every time two characters make out, that the novel has a romance. Argh. Here in publishing, romance is a very specific genre that basically means the plot revolves around the characters being or falling in love with each other. There must be an… Continue reading Actually, People Can Screw Without Romance
What does it take to make you put down a book and walk away, never to resume reading again? A couple weeks ago, I was reading a book that was less than steller. The first chapter had seemed exceptionally funny and well-written, but within a few pages of where the Amazon preview had ended (and I had… Continue reading When Do Books Cross the Line from Outdated to Unacceptable?
[I invite you all to listen to the song “Appalachian Spring” while you read this post, available from Youtube here. It is a most appropriate soundtrack for this piece, and one of my favorite songs.] On our way down to visit my brother in Tennessee last weekend, we’d passed a twenty-five mile tailback going… Continue reading Appalachian Spring
Five years ago, I woke to a text from my sister that there had been an earthquake in Japan. I thought little of it, lying in my bed in Ohio. Only a few weeks beforehand, an earthquake there had appeared on the evening news. In America, where a 4.0 can destroy houses, it’s difficult for… Continue reading Swallowed By the Waves: Remembering Tohoku 2011
There’s a new Barbie, and she comes in three different sizes. You’ve probably already heard about this; I’m not a news site, so I didn’t rush to post this on Thursday when the announcement was released. But nevertheless, I’m pretty darn excited. Like most girls my age in the United States, I grew up with… Continue reading Girls Matter, and So Do Their Toys
I read an article online this week that hit home for me. It’s about chemicals in the Ohio River and attached aquifers, and the cover-up that the chemical company DuPont has put into it. The politics aren’t why you should read it (though they are as fascinating as they are heartbreaking) but rather the way… Continue reading Down To The River And Pray
As you can probably guess from the title up there, I can’t spell. Like, I can’t. I’m awful at it. If it weren’t for the wonders of spellcheck, this post would be riddled with various errors that I would never, ever notice. You’d be amazed how many people have tried to call me a moron… Continue reading My Inability to Spell Doesn’t Mean I’m Stupid
I’m one of those people who prepares for a flight like I’m getting ready for a weather emergency. Do I have water? At least one meal? Shoes that I can run in? Okay, I’m ready. In my teens I was once stuck on a train for fourteen hours, traveling up through Kyushu and Honshu to… Continue reading Airline Travel: Like Survivor, But More Stylish
Christmas is one of those days that echos, haunted by its past selves. The good, the bad, the fun, the lonely, they hover over our shoulders, taking notes. This is my third Christmas away from my family in Ohio. The first was spent in Japan. I was supposed to have a date Christmas day, but… Continue reading Ghosts of Christmases Past and Present
Under-Paid, Over-Enthused 