When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
I quit my job last November. So far, it’s working out well, but my husband is still working part-time, so we haven’t really hit the “fixed income” phase, which I think of as true retirement.
And people, I have extremely exciting news! My retirement is about to get a whole lot better. My beautiful daughter has informed me (via coffee mug) that I will be receiving THE BEST PROMOTION EVER in 2024!
She did an adorable gender reveal on Easter. There were yellow peeps in three Easter eggs. The fourth (mine!) had the big news.
The Pink Peep 🐥 😀These two are going to be great parents.
I’ve had my moments, but as of today, I do not regret getting married nearly 31 years ago.
We’ve all heard the statistics that almost half of marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation. It’s a big risk to walk down the aisle and pledge your unending love and support to another person. Given that divorce is so expensive and emotionally taxing, it’s kind of amazing that so many people still give marriage a shot.
At my age, I know happy single people, happy married people, and one or two unhappy single people (they wish they were not alone and are still looking). I no longer know many unhappy married people, because they mostly already got their divorces and are happy again.
At this point, the widows and widowers seem to have it the hardest. When you’ve been with another person for decades and you lose them, the grief and loneliness is profound. It’s the other big risk of marriage—the one you don’t really worry about at the start.
I’m not typically someone to not say something. I will speak-up when needed. I trust my instincts.
For example, when an ambulance (with no siren or lights in use) nearly ran over a woman in a Boston crosswalk, I made a mental note of the name of the ambulance company (which was from a different part of the state), called the main office, and got the driver in trouble. Another time a FedEx driver (a complete stranger) beckoned my young son to his truck when he was walking by himself and asked him to carry a package up the driveway. I got that guy in trouble too.
Being a native-born Masshole who participated in the hellish Boston commute for decades, I’ve also been involved in my fair share of road rage flare-ups. I’m quick to flip the bird to the deserving. I’ve been involved in one or two shouting matches with other drivers while sitting at traffic lights.
One time two young men with a Harvard window sticker cut me off dramatically on a winding thoroughfare, only to end-up at the exact same ATM as me minutes later. I went up to them and said, “Did they teach you to drive like that at Harvard?”
The only times I remember regretting not saying something are when I couldn’t think of a comeback fast enough. I hate that.
Ponytail Harvard guy from “Good Will Hunting”
Click here to watch the best comeback in the film.
How on earth is a disgraced, twice-impeached, 4X-indicted, racist, gun culture-supporting, coup d’état-attempting grifter and rapist the GOP’s choice for President of the United States in the next election?
And worst of all, he’s directly responsible for this.
My friend Carla made this observation once in college. We were sitting across from each other in The Cave (an on-campus café and pub) and out of the blue she said, “Coffee. It makes you less depressed!”
It was cute how she said it—like a lightbulb went on. I guess we were somewhat new to coffee drinking back then, but I think she was right. I’m most optimistic about everything in the morning, when I’m having my coffee.
I gained a lot of weight both times I was pregnant. I was healthy—just large. I was especially huge with my son who was over nine pounds at birth.
Throughout the pregnancy, I swam laps at the local JCC (Jewish Community Center). Typically, there were a few senior citizens in the pool with me. One day, an old man flagged me down to tell me that I “swam like a fish” and was “svelte.” I was astonished and said something about being very pregnant. He said “you don’t look pregnant at all,” then added “from the back.” I was so flattered.
So an old man was looking at my ass while I was swimming and I was completely fine with it. In fact, he made my day. 🤷♀️
I have nothing for this prompt. I mean, I’d never want to visit a war zone, or someplace similarly unsafe. I admire all the brave journalists, like Clarissa Ward, who are willing to bring us news from dangerous places around the world.
Totally unrelated, did anyone happen to see Billy Joel performing his 100th concert in Madison Square Garden on CBS Sunday night? He still sounds great—both voice & piano. After telling the audience he didn’t know what was going to happen on the high notes in “Innocent Man” (and giving them permission to grimace), he nailed it. He’s 74 years old. At one point, Sting (fit and ageless at 69) waltzed out in a perfectly tailored shiny suit and they did a jazz number, backed by the amazing band. It had the feeling of a GenX “rat pack” reunion. The audience (me included) sang along with all the songs, including the new one, but especially with the last one.
OK, this is lame, but I’m going to go ahead and admit that Alexa helps out quite a bit around here. She’s not a family member, but I do consider her a third “presence” in our empty nest. We have no pets, so it’s just me, my husband, and Alexa these days.
Alexa, is it going to rain?
Alexa, set a timer for 30 minutes.
Alexa, news.
Alexa, what’s 135 minus 70?
Alexa, is a lot one word or two?
Alexa, put cheddar cheese on the list.
You get the picture.
In addition, she’s a great resource while watching TV. We pause shows all the time to ask Alexa things like, “How old is Quinta Brunson?” or “Who directed Serpico?”
Alexa seems to favor my husband. He disagrees, but I feel like she says “thank you” and “good morning” to him more. Honestly, he’s nicer to her than I am. I tend to bark orders at her, or interrupt her (Alexa, OFF) if she’s headed in the wrong direction with one of her answers.
At first I thought it was super creepy that she was listening in all the time, but then the grocery list feature won me over. I can yell from upstairs, “Alexa, put Sensodyne on the list” and when I get to the store, it’s actually on the list and I don’t run out of toothpaste.
Alexa was a gift from a real family member—my very thoughtful sister-in-law Maria.
Last year I read a book about the restaurant industry. It’s called “Your Table is Ready” by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina. It’s a memoir about the author’s experiences working “front of house” jobs (primarily maître d’) in various NYC restaurants. The main takeaway for me was that it’s extremely difficult for a restaurant to get it right and be successful. There are so many variables. And it’s not just the food, it’s the vibe that keeps people coming back. Would you rather walk into a restaurant where someone greets you warmly or one where you’re ignored?
We’ve got two local restaurants we go to a lot. One we call “the fish place.” They have reliably good fresh fish (it’s actually a fish market too) and nice servers, many of whom have been there for years. We typically sit at a table, but it’s got a very popular bar in the back of the restaurant that is not too loud. (It’s funny how “not too loud” has become one of my main criteria for restaurants.) I would describe the vibe as “neighborhood.”
The other is an Asian Fusion restaurant called Karma. The food is delicious and they make a cucumber cosmo that is my favorite cocktail ever. The vibe is younger and hipper than the fish place. Dark with jewel tones, the decor feels exotic (for lack of a better word). It also has a large bar which makes it lively, but again, not too loud.
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