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Jan 15, 20123 min read
A lament for the lost children
January 15, 2012 To the unparented son: I am so sorry your mother failed you. I’m sorry she had you so young, that she didn't go to...
Nov 27, 20113 min read
What did we do in Kathmandu, after all
November 27, 2011 Traveling to Nepal has been a joy. Meeting our friend Chet’s wonderful family — and living with them like part of the...
Nov 13, 20113 min read
Awful global sex trade is growing worse
November 13, 2011 Sumitra is tall and model-thin with waist-length black hair and large, almond eyes. She’s 16, a beautiful, studious...
Nov 6, 20113 min read
Home ground: Meet the goat you will eat
November 26, 2011 We are in Bhaktapur, Nepal, an ancient town near Kathmandu, with our friends Chet and Annie. Chet is from Nepal and...
Oct 30, 20113 min read
Road to Nepal: One bad thing after another
October 30, 2011 I shouldn’t tempt fate by saying this, but 2011 has been the worst year Chris and I have faced in our 25 years together....
Aug 14, 20113 min read
People who replaced my knee are just that:— People
August 14, 2011 Grasping a morphine pump in my hand, child of the 60s that I am, I imagine recreational drug use might get my mind off...
Jun 26, 20113 min read
Why did we turn our lives over to a puppy?
June 26, 2011 Ever accident prone, Chris and I have accidentally adopted a puppy. This began as the idea of one of the teenagers we...
May 15, 20113 min read
Keys to marriage found in a Coke can
May 15, 2011 Chris and I placed our world on temporary hold to visit his parents, ages 91 and 87. Chris’s folks are amazing people. But...
Mar 20, 20113 min read
Personal crisis overwhelms even news from Japan
March 20, 2011 As a global-scale tragedy plays out on the world’s stage, I am aware of the colossal loss, but only barely. This is the...
Jan 16, 20113 min read
Taking on teens changes life in many ways
January 16, 2011 Over the holidays Chris and I accidentally adopted teenagers. This is not another column about stray kittens under the...
Nov 28, 20103 min read
Outsider confusing anti-affirmative action with civil rights
November 28, 2010 “No Child Left Behind is the most ironically named piece of legislation since the 1942 Japanese Family Leave Act.” — Al...
Oct 10, 20103 min read
Gays can choose — to put trust in themselves
October 10, 2010 You are the only you that there will ever be. You are unique and irreplaceable. You are beautiful and rare and...
Sep 19, 20103 min read
Let's take a look at what Obama has accomplished
September 19, 2010 As I pulled up to a traffic light in my left-leaning neighborhood yesterday, an old man in the car next to me gestured...
Aug 22, 20103 min read
U.S. truly became a democracy on Aug. 26, 1920
August 22, 2010 1920 was a big year for my grandma. In March she gave birth to her first child, my dad. In August, she won the basic...
Jul 18, 20103 min read
We don't need vigilantes sitting in judgment, making lists
July 18, 2010 I’m an enthusiastic list-maker: “Things to Accomplish Before the In-Laws Arrive,” “Books to Read,” “Summer Salad Recipes...
May 30, 20103 min read
At 50, it's a very good thing to have a birthday
May 30, 2010 I met a sweet little baby named Barbara the other day. Just kidding. There are no babies named Barbara. Name fashion has...