A catalog of the stuff in my apartment
My husband, Frank, has a bulky blue cooler he keeps around in case we go on any outings that require cold beverages. Beach days, picnics, that sort of thing. When we lived in New York City I was a strong advocate for getting rid of the cooler because it took up precious closet space that […]
During the summers of my childhood when my parents signed me up for baseball (contrary to my wishes, talents, and fragile sense of self-worth), my triumphs on the field and in the batter’s box were small in number. I was scared of the ball, couldn’t throw, couldn’t hit, and, frankly, didn’t have the firmest grasp […]
The front of the holiday card my husband, Frank, and I sent out this year features a photo of us in front of some evergreens. The location where the image was captured is just outside of our apartment building. Full disclosure: The boughs over my head were digitally enhanced to appear fuller than they did […]
In Portugal’s medieval legend of the Barcelos rooster, an innocent man is found guilty of theft and sentenced to hang. But before the execution, the guy persuades the authorities to let him see the judge while the latter is having dinner. As Portugal’s official tourism website tells it, the condemned man points “to a roast […]
Every day after I finish up work (I work from home), I carry out what I call the Five o’Clock Tidy Up. This involves going from room to room in my apartment and, as you might have guessed, tidying things up. There are housekeeping tasks that have to be undertaken on a daily basis—kitchen counters […]
I wouldn’t describe myself as an early adopter of new technologies. I didn’t opt to receive my paycheck via direct deposit until an employer made it seem like I had no choice (is that legal, by the way?). I resisted the streaming of movies until my DVD player broke. I still have CDs. Mere mention […]
I learned of my maternal grandmother’s death while I was on a ghost tour at Lizzie Borden’s house in Fall River, Massachusetts. Don’t worry—a ghost didn’t tell me. My mom did, by cell phone. I was taking the tour as part of an assignment for my job as a travel editor. Ordinarily, I don’t court […]
What do the contents of a person’s wallet reveal about its owner? Let’s take a look inside my own billfold and see what we find. I don’t have any photos or other sentimental keepsakes in my wallet. As far as I recall, I have never felt the need to hold such items on my person […]
This summer I had an issue with my gums. They felt irritated in this one spot in the upper left quadrant of my mouth. I suspected a red chili flake had somehow gotten lodged up there. I went to my dentist about the matter, and he gave me a prescription for a terrible-tasting mouthwash. I […]
I’ve had my current cell phone ever since I had to replace the previous one because I dropped it into the ocean while trying to take a picture of a bear. This happened in British Columbia. I’m going to go ahead and assume bear encounters top the list of reasons cell phones get lost or […]
Indirect Objects 