No matter how sad and fragmented the world seems to be, people still love their pets. We depend on our animals as much as they depend on us for comfort, connection, and […]
Pets Are Our Link to Paradise
The Summer Vacation of My Dreams
I’ve always been a fan of summer vacation. Lazy, hazy days of freedom are my jam. Give me an early sunrise, swimming pools, walking shoes or sandals, outdoor concerts, ice cold tonic […]
Comings and Goings in “Sometimes the Light”: A Book Review
Campbell, Rick, Sometimes the Light. Charlotte, NC: Main Street Rag Publishing Company, 2022. If you’re a fan of travel narratives, I recommend the essays in Sometimes the Light by Rick Campbell, a […]
How to Have a Merry Family Christmas
Getting together with family for the holidays is something many of us look forward to with mixed emotions. There’s the excitement of knowing you’ll see loved ones, and the reality of ongoing […]
Giving Thanks for the Modern Medical Miracle of DBS
One thing people might not know about Parkinson’s is how difficult it is to diagnose. The early symptoms of Parkinson’s—shakiness, muscle stiffness, impaired balance, and depression—are common to myriad illnesses and begin […]
A Skeptic’s Ghost Story
I’d like to say I don’t believe in ghosts, the spirits that haunt the human world after the body has ceased to contain them. Ghosts have stories; they haunt a place, […]
What Our Dreams Can Mean
One of the most satisfying dreams I ever had was incredibly violent. I was a teenager in my dream, leading my friends through a maze-like neighborhood, while a group of bullies followed […]
The Best Girl Scout Leader in the World
Girl Scout Motto: Be Prepared The Girl Scouts is an early twentieth-century organization founded by women, for women. Being a Girl Scout from 1969 until 1974, from second grade through sixth grade, […]
Crime of the Month: Predatory Landlords
The Crime of the Month is greed, the kind of greed perpetrated by Westwind Enterprises, a private-equity firm. Located in San Jose, California, Westwind Enterprises is a predatory private-equity firm that buys […]
Confessions of a Gambler
The first time I won $1,000 gambling, I was playing the Enchanted Unicorn game in a small gambling parlor attached to Benny’s, my favorite local bar. Enchanted Unicorn has images of princes, […]
The Gloria Sirens 