Aging giddilyLast Friday, I got Botox for the first time–or technically, Dysport, a gentler nudge of neurotoxins, what you might call the thinking man’s…Sep 5, 2023Sep 5, 2023
Role PlayingA few days ago we were eating at our local breakfast taco place when the Brooks & Dunn song “Neon Moon” (1991) came on and I remembered…May 23, 2023May 23, 2023
The Idea of PermanenceA few weeks ago and with absolutely no context, Beatrice (who goes by Apollo now) ran up to me and said, “I can’t believe you threw me into…Jan 1, 2023Jan 1, 2023
Fundamental Event Elements; Big, Bad Ideas; and Being Open to The ExperienceThis year Halloween landed, for me, in the hiatus between (adult) vaccinations and new variants when I felt briefly okay-ish about going…Jan 2, 2022Jan 2, 2022
An Empty Apartment, A Haunted Body, and A Crowded HouseThe very first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant with Thomas was google “triple bunk beds.” I did this even before I went…Jun 30, 2021Jun 30, 2021
Same Old YearSome time ago, I became allergic to everything. I’d always had a few mild allergies to a few foods, things like avocados and sunflower…Dec 31, 2020Dec 31, 2020
23 Ways To Celebrate Halloween At Home This YearThere’s been a lot of talk in the last week or two about whether or not there will be a Halloween this year. Of course there will be a…Aug 4, 2020Aug 4, 2020
Social Distancing, Stranger Danger, and The Campaign To Save HalloweenLast week, after months of sadness and worry, I got a promotional email from the Spirit Halloween store and instantly I felt glad to be…Jul 28, 20201Jul 28, 20201
Nuclear Families, Time To Move, And Less Of EverythingI started this letter on March 4 and just reopened it again. The original letter began:Apr 9, 2020Apr 9, 2020
The Mnemonics Gene, Fifth-Grade Drama, And Some Lessons From Outdoor Science SchoolThis week the most extraordinary thing happened. Beatrice was studying for a geography test, filling in a blank map of the United States…Jan 15, 2020Jan 15, 2020
Basic Bitches, Collective Delusion, and The Long American History of Being Defensive About PumpkinsThis year Starbucks released the pumpkin spice latte on August 27, the earliest date yet and before Labor Day, another contender for the…Oct 7, 2019Oct 7, 2019
Vacation Aspirations, Swimming Pool Schemes, and the Last Gifts of SummerWe got married! At the end of the day, at the end of the summer, on the edge of a mountainside, everything held still at the precipitous…Sep 14, 2019Sep 14, 2019
Published inHuman PartsWe’re All Waiting For The Big OneOn Dr. Lucy Jones, canned corn, slow rollers, and fast catastrophesJul 23, 20192Jul 23, 20192
Animal Omens, Apocalyptic Metaphors, The Meaning of Notre Dame, And Looking For God’s HouseThis spring came the plague of butterflies. For two weeks in March, millions of painted lady butterflies flew through Southern California…Jun 13, 2019Jun 13, 2019
Our Town, Joni Mitchell, Sad Mall Moms, and Two Kinds of WatchingMargaret was born in September and I spent the rest of the year walking in circles. An irritable newborn, she was happiest outdoors. so I…Jun 12, 2019Jun 12, 2019
Temporary Structures, Tiny Tim’s Tinny Screeching, The Heroism of Live Theater, And An…The winter after I turned four, the Scientologists set up their first Christmas display on Hollywood Boulevard, a beautifully campy…Jun 12, 2019Jun 12, 2019
A Partial History Of Trick Or Treating, Mutual Need, Compulsory Kindness, And The Immortal…Everyone remembers their neighborhood’s full-size candy bar house. After moving away from Los Angeles in 1996 and living many other places…Jun 12, 2019Jun 12, 2019
Published inThe StartupPostmortem Portraiture, 1980s Orange, The Soft-Focus Filter Of Nostalgia, and How Instagram Will…Every few weeks I make the mistake of logging into Facebook and I am always punished for it. Yesterday I signed in to buy tickets to this…Jun 12, 2019Jun 12, 2019
Rotting Skunks, Burial At Sea, Romantic Decay, And The Conviviality Of The DeadOur friend Travis found me a dead skunk, in January, where he was camping near the Santa Barbara coast. He kindly saved him in an ice…Jun 12, 2019Jun 12, 2019