Archive for October, 2008

Why Is That On Your Head?

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

I’ve spent the last couple of Tuesdays volunteering at the amazing 826 Boston, helping first and fourth graders write stories about aliens and super heroes and dusty bikes and things. I never thought I’d say this, because I hate working with kids. But apparently, I like working with kids.
It’s like traveling to another country — they [...]

On the Drive to Rhinebeck

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

There was a brief time in my life when I thought I might smoke cigarettes. I thought I might “be a smoker”. It was the beginning of my junior year at Bard: I had just knit my first pair of leggings, cut my hair short and dyed it black, and had recently discovered boys’ baseball [...]

Small Talk

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

I had brought a book with me to the doctor’s appointment. The wait is rarely long at all for my doctor, but books seem to break the ice. “What are you reading?” they’ll ask. “What is it about?”
The doctor at the Women’s Center had gotten a blank, disinterested look on her face when I presented [...]

How to Solve This Problem

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

For the past month and a half I have been listless and ill-tempered, struggling to get out of bed in the morning. I haven’t wanted to write. I haven’t wanted to leave the apartment, to do much of anything. Dust accumulated in layers, enveloping pictures and knick-knacks like future fossils, insects frozen in amber. Bedsheets [...]

Four Stories on Waiting

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Last Tuesday evening, I sent a quote around asking some talented awesome people if they wanted to write a short story about it. “P.S.,” I said. “it’s due in three days.” To my surprise, people did: and to no one’s surprise, the stories are awesome. Here they are: four stories on Waiting.
Waiting was something [...]