Yearly Archives: 2011

The upside of Chicago weather is it can be so bad, it doesn’t take much to cheer up residents. Yesterday, at the butt-ugly end of a day filmed in black and white with sideways rain for special effect, 200 ticketholders … Continue reading →

I think twitter is great for one reason: It takes away the ridiculous notion that writing is elite, difficult, the domain of the few. That stubborn old belief dates back even further than Medieval Times, when clergy wrote and nobody … Continue reading →

During the 1960s, Mom relied on the tombstone to create her unique brand. With what I considered alarming frequency in our Elmhurst household, she would declare repeatedly she wished her tombstone to read, “She cared. She tried.” I tried to … Continue reading →

On behalf of smiling, here are three items plopped like sandbags on a place that’s a bit flooded with sad stuff: 1. Gabrielle Giffords hasn’t let the tedious and lonely and crummy task of recovering from a brain-battering bullet get … Continue reading →

With practice, it’s possible to grow younger. It’s just a matter of ignoring everything you hear and women are very good at it, since we’ve had to practice. At 25 years old, we hear we are too old to make … Continue reading →

In honor of warmth, which has arrived in Chicago, here are three phrases that should be allowed to melt and disappear: 1. Win-Win situation.In order to feel the giggle-gurgle of winning, somebody has to lose and that somebody ought to … Continue reading →

The Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers yesterday, depriving Bear fans the chance to chest beat and bray our dominance in football. The last minute gonged defeat and I joined other fans who swapped mad for sad, although … Continue reading →

The newly published autobiography of Mark Twain, volume 1, weighs at least five pounds. The only logical way to read it is sitting upright at a table, so the book can rest its fat self. This demands commitment since it’s … Continue reading →

I know someone who gives the silent treatment. This is the loudest of all reactions. It is clever. The clever of it is that the person being given the silent treatment can’t tell for sure if this silence is intended … Continue reading →

I’m afraid to hope that head-wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, updated yesterday to serious from critical in Tucson, Arizona, will be okay. Like most hopes, I’m afraid because I am counting on it, needing her to be okay. In the week … Continue reading →