the boots that keep on giving

I’ve never been much of a shopper. I’m most certainly not a shoe shopper, much less a boot shopper. I’d rather sit in the dentist’s chair than shop for shoes. (Okay, I exaggerate).
But I have only ever bought one pair of boots a year, and I wear them down till I’m walking on metal [...]

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assateague

When A. and I asked for a back country pass two weekends ago at Assateague along the Maryland shore, the ranger looked at us and raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I’m just warning you, since it rained last night, the bugs are going to be terrible.” A female ranger yelled from the [...]

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bird poop on the head

A pigeon, who was high up in the rafters, pooped on my head last Friday. I was at the U.S. Open in New York, watching a nail-biting 5-set match between U.S. player Taylor Dent and Spain’s Ivan Navarro. And then splat — green and gooey — on my face, white shirt and hair. Friends were [...]

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thanks for the furlough

Last week, I was scheduled three furlough days — where I had to use vacation or take them unpaid. I ultimately decided not to go anywhere because my brother was staying with me and arriving from Bangalore, India, where he spent the summer. But as the days approached, I couldn’t believe I was taking a [...]

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the first tri

I finished my first (sprint) triathlon in Brigantine, N.J., last weekend with B. She does it every year with her sister — and she doesn’t train. But her sister was on vacation in Italy, so I stood in as the loyal friend. I signed up three weeks ahead of time — and I didn’t train [...]

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no sleep for the happy

Oh, I’m so behind in my postings. And part of that is because I’ve been traveling — and hanging out with A., who has picked me up from the airport twice.
On Tuesday, A. and I played tennis in Alexandria. He picked me up from the Metro (he’s always early, and was leaning against his red [...]

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appalachia and babies

I spent 36 hours with A. this weekend. That’s the most time I’ve spent with anyone in a very long time, and it was easy and relaxed. On Sunday, we drove out to the Appalachian trail near Front Royal, Va. As we walked along, in search of a stream, A. stopped fast and grabbed my [...]

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connecting with strangers

On the first leg of my ride home from a (wild) wedding in Santa Rosa, Calif. last weekend, I sat next to an elderly couple from East Knoxville, Tenn. They were short, gray haired and nearing 80 years old. The wife pulled pills from a baggie early on and gave them to her husband, who [...]

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more voiceovers. yeah yeah yeah

Last week, my coworker asked me to be a 75-year-old Palestinian woman. Anyone who knows my voice might think this is hilarious. I sound like I’m 12. But I loved sitting in the booth where Jack Speer and Lakshmi Singh report the news live each day at the top of the hour in Studio 2A. [...]

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this city is small

On Wednesday, I went to Poste for drinks with coworkers. We stood outside in the courtyard behind the restaurant that’s part of Hotel Monaco and drank $4 glasses of wine. Then I noticed a woman I recognized but I couldn’t remember how — until about 15 min. later I realized I met her Tahoe in [...]

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