I’ll admit it. I’m a sap, a spineless, simpering, soft-hearted, sentimental fool. I’m one of those people who tears up at the slightest little things — a tidbit of news, an earnest child, the national anthem playing in the distance, a touching television commercial. And when the holidays roll around, I’m schmaltzier than ever. The…
Book Review
From the Meat & Potatoes Archives: The Twelve Takes of Christmas
“C’mon everybody!” I bellowed from our living room, “Let’s get this over with!” “KIDS!? HONEY!?” I yelled from behind my camera. It was perched precariously on top of an Anthony’s Seafood matchbook, two beer coasters, three National Geographic magazines, Roget’s Thesaurus, and our coffee table — at the precise trajectory needed to capture an image…
Alarm bells ring … Are you listening?
Every so often, something occurs that causes married couples to question everything. It happened to me, just last week. One teensy disruption in our mundane bedtime ritual set off marital alarm bells, rendering me vulnerable to resentment, doubt and blame — destructive emotions that push otherwise happy couples like Francis and me, to the precipice…
Open letter: To the friends I ignore
I can see it in your eyes. You’re not happy. You think I’ve been ignoring you. You think I’m an awful friend. Not too long ago, we were close. We talked on the phone. We had lunch. We met at the gym. We exchanged texts. I showed interest in your life. But recently, I’ve been…
What I believe about Hell and hand baskets