Freak lightning storms set off something like 800 fires in central California this week. When I woke up and left the house yesterday, the sky was tinged with smoke. I drove the 50 miles from San Francisco to San Jose yesterday afternoon under a gray haze. My brother works as a firefighter with the forest [...]
I never met my grandmother, Margaret. She died before I was born. But according to family photos, genes will out. We all have big smiles with big teeth, the better to eat big meals. Cousins were visiting from Minnesota last week and, while having a spirited discussion about lunch, my mom was pinned to her [...]
When I was a kid, I thought true success meant rising to the top of your field, raking in wads of cash, and vacationing on a tropical island named after you. (Or your dog, if you’re the modest type.) Now, I realize that success really means eating broccoli, exercising regularly, and being able to find [...]
When I was four, I had the great honor of being a flower girl. According to my mother, I was so excited that I gave myself a fever. Yes, I actually made myself physically ill from the glee of wearing a flouncy dress. She thought I’d be kicking up my little patent leather heels at [...]
(Note to my mother: You might want to stop reading this now, because I’m not moving. But I might get that land line.) I lived two blocks south of Harlem for four years. Nothing ever happened. I lived in the Mission – home of gangs and drug dealers who blocked my driveway so I had [...]
