How a curious and wacko kid became an oddly-perceptive adult — I was a snoopy little fat kid who listened in on my parents through the heater vents. We all did — my brother, sister and me. We lived in an old farmhouse with a large grate at the top of the stairs. Lying on the floor with our heads on…

The Camino de Santiago melted my fat and built my muscles — Your body fat melts like butter. Your feet widen and flatten. Your skin browns, whether or not you use sunscreen. Your body will respond to the demands, and serve you well. It can break down, however. Be cautious. In Pamplona, I met an extremely athletic twenty-something who twisted his ankle…

I am heartbroken — Anyone who tells you it’s easy to be a stepparent has never been a stepparent. Pat and I bonded over our roles. He married my husband’s ex, a beautiful gentle woman. He became a stepdad. His wife was fragile. After a few health issues, such as a small stroke one…

It’s time for an update! — No ‘wallflowers’ standing against the wall at The Narrative Arc! Happy writers are swarming like honey-sweet bees to enter their tales of love, lust, and woe. What is love to you? What is love to all of these amazing writers? Everyone is approaching the writing cue differently, which is what…

No one would ever lie online, would they? — I fell into online dating in 2001, back in the early days. A computer user since the days of huge rooms filled with mega computers, I was excited when I stumbled across a site with scores of photos of eligible bachelors. According to most of the photos, they were all…

Some claim it’s normal to fall in with people in the same IQ range but to be sapiosexual is different — A few nights ago, I was watching a video of my current favorite musician Billy Strings. He is other-worldly. His last name was given to him by a beloved aunt, who noted he could play anything with strings. In interviews, however, Billy Strings seems like a very normal guy. More…

You’ll have your own favorites, if you can remember through the ‘purple haze’ of it all — One of the advantages of being old as dirt and blessed with an amazing memory is looking back over the many years to recall all that great television of the early days. Hardy-har-har! (allusion to ‘Mr. Ed,’ get it?) While today’s children scream about Blippi, not to be confused with…

People do take dumps in the dressing rooms sometimes — At forty, I had my last miscarriage. Shortly after, I caught my ex cheating and I made plans to leave Cambodia, where we lived. Setting up an overseas publishing company was never my idea of a life plan, but I went along with it until my husband got all sexed…

That’s what young girls do sometimes — Mom was proud of me as I left the house. I was wearing a flowered summer dress and looked like a pretty young girl, albeit with too much ‘Heaven Scent’ perfume. And eyeshadow. Not to mention pink lipgloss that tasted like candy. And mascara, my favorite. Less was not more…