A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how getting old sucks. To be fair, though, there are parts of getting older that are totally awesome. I’m going to write about those things in this post. For one thing, I’m settled in my career. I’ve been with the Federal Government for over 25 years, and I have established myself as a well-respected expert in my field. I have a solid reputation. People seek out my opinion. When I started out, I was only 20 years old and tended to be dismi

When I love a book, I can wax lyrical for ages about its ups and downs, but for The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, this is going to be tough

It has been a pretty rough week for a thousand reasons but my husband, who knows me better than all, knew just the solution - June Farms. I had never been but several friends have and told me first hand how utterly beautiful it is. They weren't lying. In fact, words can't really describe it. I'll share as many photos as I can, but you can also head over to the GGS Instagram account to see more. The drive is 20 minutes from Albany and we left our home at 4:40pm - they open at

It's not October yet, but for lovers of horror, supernatural, and all things weird, there's no time like the present to start your fall reading. Let me start you off this season with Nyctophobia by Christopher Fowler. When I was a kid, I used to have very strange dreams where I swear I was awake, but still in the middle of a nightmare. I’m not talking about sleep paralysis or night terrors. I’m talking about being fully mobile, getting out of my bed, calling for my Mother, al

It’s days like these when every failure seems amplified. When new disappointments spur old hurts and old hurts seem to last forever. It’s in this darkness that I feel the most vulnerable; even childlike. Because I know I am supposed to be able to reach down and find gratitude, I instinctively pull in the other direction. Instead I want solitude. I want to stomp my feet like a four-year old and have a temper tantrum. I want to scream a raging scream and ugly cry until I feel s

I’ve always known that the aging process would not be all rainbows and lollipops. I know that as you age, you start looking older, may start having some health problems, etc., but damn. I was not prepared for all that aging has brought me so far! For example: A few months ago, I was on a work trip. I started feeling like I had a cold the day I was leaving, but I couldn’t cancel the trip. The second day I was there, I couldn’t get through a full sentence without coughing. I as

Dear Andy, By the time I give this to you, we will be divorced. Actually, the legal terminology is "dissolution of marriage." Almost, as if it never really happened at all. I have to be honest. I'm writing this on the eve of the meeting with the attorney to finalize the documents for our divorce. I had not bothered to read them until tonight, even though the documents were sent to both of us in May. It stung. It hurt. It was painful. I bawled. And I was unprepared for the flo

A lot of people do not know this about me, but I have several chronic health issues. I am a Type 2 diabetic, I take medication for high cholesterol, and I have fibromyalgia. I’ve been dealing with these health conditions for almost a decade. I don’t keep these a secret, but I don’t go around openly telling people, either. For one thing, it’s really no one’s business (especially at work), and for another thing, I’m not trying to gain anyone’s sympathy. Additionally, when I do

Originally published in the Albany Times Union, June 2, 2017. Republished with updates for where to purchase. I was in the middle of reading something mindless, probably having to do with the supernatural, probably the third book in some series when David, a friend on Facebook, told me I should read a book he had recently finished. He had never recommended anything to me before so I figured I should look it up. Once I saw the cover and read the summary, I knew he had been pay

I've always thought I was a good communicator. I have a great command of the English language, I’m intelligent, and I want to make things better for people. So, when family members come to me with a problem or issue, I figure out solutions to their problems, and I unselfishly offer up said solutions. I couldn’t figure out why those closest to me (David and my children) would get so upset when I did this. I mean, I thought they’d be thankful that I helped them solve a problem.

Ages ago before anyone knew how vile Chick-Fil-A's conservative contributions (financial and otherwise) were affecting our government, they had the best chicken sandwich out there. The sandwich is still good if you can suffer through the taste of female oppression, homophobia, and Christian hypocrisy - and we all know so many can. Yesterday on Twitter I saw a link to a blog where a guy reviewed Popeye's chicken sandwich - which I didn't even know was coming at the time. Appar

I know that as a parent, I’m responsible for ensuring my children’s well-being. I need to make sure I provide food, clothing, and shelter. When I was a kid, I knew that part of upholding my end of the bargain was to be respectful towards my parents, not only when they were buying me things, but just because it was the right thing to do. I learned VERY QUICKLY that parents are more likely to spend money/time on you when you aren’t a dick to them. I rarely asked my parents to b

If you're not familiar with the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, then surely you're familiar with the insanely popular show of the same name available on Hulu. It has captured the nation's, the world's, attention because to many women, it's beginning to feel eerily familiar with this administration's completely misogynistic, religiously conservative views. The novel was first published in 1985, and was quickly recognized as a modern classic. In college, it was req

When I started having kids over 27 years ago (man I’m old), I wanted to be the best mom for them. I wanted to instill values in them, provide guidance, love, and all the things a parent is “supposed” to do. I wanted to be involved in their schooling and lives, but not to the point of being a helicopter mom. For the most part, I think I’m a decent parent. I joke with people that if I ever wrote a book about my parenting efforts, I would call it The Good Enough Mom. I’m not per

This book was a free book of the month choice from Amazon. I have to admit I've been a bit more than fascinated by both fiction and non-fiction focusing on main characters who have some type of mental disorder, especially after reading Twelve Patients by Eric Manheimer. The perspectives can be so interesting, yet educational at the same time. One of the main characters, Eric Evans, has schizophrenia. We meet Eric at a particularly rough time in his life - his wife leaves him,

Warning: vulgar language/curse words in this blog post. I’ve been with David for a long time now, over 8 years. He has discussed marriage several times over the years, but I’ve always been hesitant. Know this: it’s not because I had doubts about loving him or wanting to be with him for the rest of my life. Part of the hesitation was because I was too afraid to finalize my divorce, which would force me to face my ex-husband (see previous blog posts about that whole mess). Par

Most of you who follow my book reviews are aware of my passion for historical non-fiction. When Carnegie’s Maid was offered up as a free monthly option from Amazon, I had to grab it. I was so glad I did. The only thing with which I was disappointed is that it’s fiction. Though based on any number of people the main character isn't a 'real' person. Confusing it even more, the events are real, other characters are real people, but the story itself isn’t true… but it could be. A

WARNING: Vulgar language in this post Elizabeth was continuing to do well in school. She was not exactly an “A” student, but so much better than before. She adjusted to having a new sibling, but the relationship between her and the baby was not close because she only saw the PES once or twice a month. This situation (living with us, seeing the PES occasionally) continued through her 4th, 5th, and 6th grade years. Fast forward a bit, to Summer 2018. The baby was now a three-y

WARNING: Vulgar language in this post I knew that being a stepmom would be challenging. I watched the issues my own stepmom encountered with a couple of my siblings (I was already 18 when I met my stepmom), so I didn’t expect it to be a cakewalk. However, I was thoroughly unprepared. It wasn’t so much the chjld herself as it was the baby mama, AKA the psycho ex-spouse. I’ll call her the PES for short in this blog. I am also a “baby mama” because my oldest son has a stepmom.

Trump has been rage tweeting for a couple of days now. It's only going to get more outrageous, yet hilarious, in the next 24 hours. Trending on Twitter: #TrumpsTerrifiedofMueller #MuellerReport #Article2 (Why? Keep reading.) #MuellerHearing Don't expect anything crazy tomorrow from Mueller. He states he's sticking to the report - which is perfect. One staunch Republican (Justin Amash) admitted to reading every word and he immediately called for impeachment proceedings, then r