This blog was supposed to be recipes, the recipes I had made my two children cook in my quest to make them learn to cook and obscure the fact that I was learning to cook. The project was going pretty well—not great—when my next-door neighbor Maggie lost her marbles. We got the first hint she… Continue reading A cooking site with a side of unhinged spite
Is it time to hoard yet?
If you ask me, it’s time to panic. My work is frozen thanks to Trump cuts and so is Calvin’s work. We are stunned and horrified. I struggle to not take it personally, as though I unemployed myself and my husband handed back grant money to the DOGE dudes voluntarily: “Oh, hey, I thought this… Continue reading Is it time to hoard yet?
Lessons from the past are helpful? I’m not sure
In 2001 I was a magazine writer and editor and I realized I hated everything about the work except the parties. During that time I was working as a freelance editor for a new travel magazine. I went into the office to meet with the top editor and the fact checker on the section I… Continue reading Lessons from the past are helpful? I’m not sure
Notes on grieving
I am not good at grief. After my father died, I spent the next three months ruminating about my past, going over interactions I’d had in the past from childhood to just weeks before. Then I would berate myself for handling those interactions poorly, for not being kind enough, for not being smart enough, or… Continue reading Notes on grieving
Time passes, things evolve, we’re fine
I just read what I last posted and I was so worked up about the swastika. It was more than a month ago, which is about 3 feline lifetimes and I am over the swastika. We filed reports with the ACLU and the FBI and the cops came and said, “maybe block her?” which of… Continue reading Time passes, things evolve, we’re fine
We have reached a new low
Maggie texted Calvin a swastika on Monday. She’s been texting him a lot. She’s been very feisty, very sparky for the past few weeks. The neighbors are agitated by the fake parking spot and that she hoses down her employees as she screams at them in the front yard. The woman I saw Maggie hosing… Continue reading We have reached a new low
It’s amazing that the world feels like it’s ending on such a regular schedule
A friend posted on Facebook that she was all stirred up by politics and fear and made herself go out and mingle with people. It was so reassuring, both the admission and the action. Also I felt a little jealous that I wasn’t there, so triple win on this post! Because I, as well, am… Continue reading It’s amazing that the world feels like it’s ending on such a regular schedule
An evening of hosing and cops, 2024 edition
Long ago, in the early pandemic, tussling in any way with Maggie would overwhelm everything else in my life for at least a week. Things have really changed. To catch up on “everything else,” here goes: So that is everything else, now onto Maggie On Thursday, Calvin heard her yelling at her newest helper, a… Continue reading An evening of hosing and cops, 2024 edition
Inventive new criminal twist or ingenious hack of NYC parking? You decide
This is my favorite hijink from next door, although typing that feels foolhardy! Maggie, as you may recall, fell down the stairs last summer, broke her tibia, healed poorly, and is now mostly crippled. She has a cool scooter and emailed me she was building a ramp to her house (or was it in her… Continue reading Inventive new criminal twist or ingenious hack of NYC parking? You decide
Massive Maggie tantrum right on schedule
Like every May for the past four years, Maggie erupted big time, but her big-time moves are significantly smaller and that is fantastic. She now spends every day almost all day on her stoop or sitting in her increasingly cluttered front yard. She plays her music, chats with her helpers, and yells soundbites at people… Continue reading Massive Maggie tantrum right on schedule
To add insult to injury! Sniff!
Maggie is popping up again, poking at us even though she cannot walk more than a few steps. She posted at Instagram and X about us today and she is calling me fat whenever I see her. The thing is that I am fatter and she has got me, again. It’s actually totally hilarious. I… Continue reading To add insult to injury! Sniff!
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