Column

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Hometown Acceptance

"Do you think she'll recognize me?" the voice behind me said.

I turned, and there was Mrs. R, a woman whose kids I had babysat all through high school. The speaker was Mrs. S. – I had babysat for her a few times, too.

It was the first time I had been to my hometown since my mom had moved from it, a year ago. Now my mom was back in town and so was I. I should have expected to see people I knew – after all, I had lived in our sleepy suburban village for 18 years – but somehow I

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Being Christian

We were having Margaritas, and my friend Luke paused in the middle of a tirade against evangelicals.

"Oh, wait," he said. "Um, are you religious?"

I hate this question.

Because "Are you religious?" implies a yes-or-no answer: yes, you're religious; no, you're not.

I'm not comfortable in either category, so I'm never sure what to say. Do I give them the long answer? Or do I mutter "No," which is shorthand for "I'm not evangelical or born again," which means: "I'm not the

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Mother’s Day. Sniff.

My mother is leaving.

I've been helping pack her up, pushing flats of cardboard into sturdy boxes, wrapping vases and paperweights and decorative milk pitchers into tight balls of newspaper, cushioned further with bubble wrap, so that nothing, no precious object collected in 30 years of house history, would break or crack.

I am also packing up my own history. Childhood drawings. My doll collection. Report cards. Photographs of friends I can't remember in places I don't recall

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Equal Rights Amendment--for Gays

Last month, the Equal Rights Amendment was reintroduced into both the House and Senate, with Democrats promising they would do their best to get it passed.

I love the ERA, which is now called the Women's Rights Amendment. It's about time it was added to the Constitution. Some people think it's a moot point—it's not.

But let's talk about something else for now. Let's talk about an idea I had after I learned about the reintroduction.

Let's call this idea The Equal Rights for

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

On the Market

I was not looking for a girlfriend.

So why is it that I found myself, credit card in hand, subscribing to Match.com? Suddenly, there I was, diligently filling in multiple choice questions about religion and children and fitness activities. I huddled over the “About Me” section, trying to make myself sound cute, interesting, smart, date-worthy. If I had concentrated this hard while taking the LSATS maybe I