I have a confession to make. I can be a bit of a troublemaker. It’s put me in some dicey and some hilarious situations. When I was in college, I went to a lot of the campus theatrical productions. It was super cheap, usually good entertainment and a place to explore new ideas. Occasionally there
Read MoreHumor
Playing the Copa
When my friend Michele and I went to Brazil, we didn’t really know what to expect. It was a wonderful experience and we learned and relearned things. Like… what it’s like to be in a country where you don’t speak the language and you go out to eat; how we Americans see race and color
Read More
The Stumble Inn
My sister Mary and her husband Angus, fluent speakers of Portuguese, went to Brazil for months every year. One year they asked if I’d like to meet them there. I was thrilled. My friend Michele asked me, “Can I come too?” Next thing I know, we’re booking tickets. I think we got 15 different shots
Read More
Aliceville Breakfast
We were in Aliceville, Alabama at a blues festival and we were hungry. . Half my family is from the South and when I get back down there the deep southern comes out in my accent. Suddenly I remember phrases from long ago visits with the grandparents and start dropping endings and drawling my words
Read More
Maybe Zombies are Just Sleep Deprived
For some reason I’m not sleeping. That is, I am sleeping but in only 1-2 hour increments. I’ve tried melatonin, virgin hot toddies, sleep meditations, 1.5Hz binaural beats specifically for sleep. Still every hour or so I’m up, wide awake. I’ve tried relaxing all the parts of my body, one by one, placing a heated
Read More
Convince me. Do Deer Really Have Brains?
When you live in the country 30 minutes from town, there’s a good chance something will leap, fly, scurry, slither or saunter across the road in front of you. Deer are a real problem. Coming home one evening, I was just crossing an area of open fields when a huge buck leapt out in front
Read More
Yikes! Being present. A philosophical discussion at Starbucks
I put in a mobile order for a tall soy latte and egg bites at Starbucks. Usually I walk right in and pick up my stuff, but today I had to wait. The barista asked me my name and when I said, “Zain”, the guy next to me said, “And are you sane too?” Two
Read More
Brief History of The O2R Blues Band and Me
Let me tell you an origin story. A blues band origin story. What did you do when you were a kid that you still do now? For me it’s singing and loving music. My sister taught me St. Louis Blues when I was 5 but I was singing before that. I know lyrics from musicals,
Read More
Mom and Nako the Snake
I once lived in an apartment with 3 other women, all of us under 5’4” which we considered important. These women are still my lifelong friends although only two of us live near one another. Still, we are all wrapped up in one another’s history. These were great times. We had a lot of dinner
Read More
Psst…..kid. Wanna make a deal?
I admit to a streak of wildness. Sometimes this gets me into situations where I find amazing talents for tasks I never thought I’d even enjoy. Like lifting weights or riding a tandem bike. I’ve also done things that ended up being really risky. And afterward I usually say, “It seemed like a good idea
Read More
How I never saw Jaws
I’m not a fan of horror flicks or even movies with too much suspense. I can’t stand it and I can’t “un-see” or forget scary stuff. I get nightmares for years. I forgot to mention this little quirk of mine long ago when I met Richard. I was much less confident then. He asked me out
Read More
Bruce attempts the dip
Mom: (phone rings 5 times) Hello? Me: Good morning! Mom: Who is this?! Me: (hurt and kinda pissed) it’s me, Mom Mom: Who’s me? Me: Zain. It’s Zain your daughter. How are you? Mom: Oh. What’s new? Me: Well, I had a birthday yesterday and didn’t hear from you and Dad. Mom: Huh. Well happy
Read More
