Of Marigolds and Men. (*edited)

    Men I adore don’t buy me flowers.      Of all the men I’ve ever loved (really not many at all), only one has ever brought me flowers and that was the old standby cliché — the Apology Bouquet. Not a particularly romantic gesture by any means.      Again, men just don’t … Continue reading →

Going…Going…GONE. (Girl.)

     When the general populace finds something so intriguing, so presumably thought-provoking and even a bit shocking, jaw-dropping, I have to see for myself. I have it in me to WANT to see what it is that makes people twist around in their seats. It’s like that with books, TV shows, films, videos, op/ed pieces, … Continue reading →

Revenge Against the Literati!

   In my profession, the more intellectually “literate” one is, the more respected he/she will be. This, of course, includes publishing a number of obscure books and/or articles in scholarly journals no one ever admits to reading for pleasure. Those particular publications, dissertations, theses and so forth are often rife with rhetorical meta-analyses on various literary … Continue reading →

Advice for the Chronic Insomniac

To My Fellow Anxiety-Suffering Chronic Insomniacs, I write this with shaky hands and a foggy head, so if you cannot possibly comprehend me here, you must understand my predicament. You wouldn’t be reading this — or attempting to read this through the haze — otherwise.  Instead, you’d be among the Lucky Ones. You know, the … Continue reading →

A Lemon of a Class

     Noon classes are not my favorite. Most noon classes consist of students battling low blood sugar and total apathy. Every once in awhile, I get a noon class that’s attentive, but it’s so rare these days that I am starting to think I may have made up good noon class memories somewhere in my overactive … Continue reading →

Smiling Prettily in a Town of Fakery

(always learn to recognize a Stepford supermarket)      I’ve already been over the middle class crappery going on in my neighborhood, but the plastic, cheerful facade saturates the entirety of my town. My town even has the word “Haven” in it to emphasize its sense of community, fellowship and sanctuary. On the surface, it’s idyllic; it’s … Continue reading →

The Blockage Dilemma (nix the laxatives)

(Cape San Blas, FL, July 2014 — pretty photos calm me)     I can’t remember the last time I had writer’s block. I do know that I need to feel at peace before I can continue writing, and then I can often write through what could be a block.  It’s a tactic I learned … Continue reading →

Same Booth, Once a Year.

     Him again.       It wasn’t as if Shar hadn’t been prepared for his arrival this time. The minute she saw him lumbering across the parking lot, she’d already had the menu in hand and had waved the antsy, little hostess away. He’d sit in the same spot, as ever, a booth overlooking the street, … Continue reading →

The Ogre at the Sushi Bar

     I’d known since last week that today was going to be a hard one. At 41, I’m lucky to be alive. At 41, I’m foolish in that I hadn’t done anything for the safety of my health, my own sanity as well, until now. At 41, all I really want to do is … Continue reading →

25 Reasons Why Our Culture Is Already Dead

I hang my head in shame at it all. Still, there are plenty of people who feel just as ashamed about this mess: 1. The 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon (Have ANY women who’ve “enjoyed” the book taken into account that Christian Grey is a flat-out misogynist, and Anastasia Steele is the most idiotic, cringe-worthy female protagonist … Continue reading →