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A Leak and a Flood and a Runaway Dog
Sometimes I don’t want to put anything on Facebook, because I want to use it on my blog. And then I think, wait, should I not put this on my blog, in case I need to use it in a story? If I put a photo on Instagram, should it not go on Tumblr? What…
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Angry Daddy vs the Bougainvillea
There is…was…a bougainvillea growing in the front, over an overhang. Two building inspectors said it should come down. Cadillac got a chainsaw and went to work today. Me: Maybe we shouldn’t cut the whole thing down today…after all, we have only one trashcan. Cadillac: I’m not. I’m just going to get this one part down.…
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Great Gatsby the Goldendoodle
A week and a half ago we became the honorary owners of Gatsby the Goldendoodle. Golden retriever, poodle. This is him after our hike and after he plunged into the black algae very low San Diego River. He has two speeds: Off, or HYPER! He’s 8 months old. His previous owner had an illness and…
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New York
I went to NYC last week. I hadn’t been before. My publisher offered to have me out for a meeting with my new editor and of course I wanted to go. Because I am magic, it went from 100+ degrees of sweltering to only 65. Brrr! I had to wear the one sweater I brought.…
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Summertime, So Far
Summer is a strange season in this age. No longer do kids just leave the house all day and return when Dad whistles into the yellow rays of the street lights to come home for dinner. I just read this article called The Case Against Summer Camp. It’s true, kids do need unstructured, unplugged time.…
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Chicago: ALA, Authors, Food, and an Accident
I would call our trip to Chicago for ALA a success. Some things happened. Everybody talks about how Chicagoans are rude; or at least, that is what people specifically told me (perhaps they tell other people different things?) but everyone was super friendly and helpful. Was it because we arrived the day before the big…
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Beach Day
On Sunday, we went to the beach with two of Cadillac’s cousins and some of their children and Cadillac’s dad and our children, so with (doing some math…[i.e. counting on my fingers]) 12 people. The cousins live in other cities, so we don’t see them that much; and some of them live in Colorado, so…
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Ladies and Gentleman…
I give you what you’ve all been waiting for… The awesomeness that is the over short! $19.99 at jcp. Perfect for all those times when you need to…um… I runned out of words. I fear the photo doesn’t accurately show the tinyness of these. They’re like a denim loincloth. In other news, ALL the pants…
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What Kids Are Reading
Today there was an article on NPR that said not only do kids choose easy books to read for pleasure, the reading that high schools assign is getting increasingly easier. This is the opposite of my kid’s experience. This year, at the public high school, my 9th grade daughter read THE KITE RUNNER, UNCLE TOM’S…
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Let Us Never Speak of This Again: A Kind of Gross After Effect of Childbirth Nobody Really Talks About
When you have a kid, everybody warns you about certain physical changes that may occur. Droopy boobs. Stretch marks. Peeing when you cough or sneeze or laugh too hard. (Actually, they should make this part of high school sex ed. Show them photos of actual post-partum bellies and feet and veins, the way they show…
MARGARET DILLOWAY 