I did it. Finally. I went camping for the first time at 43. It was car camping, but close enough. After avoiding it throughout life, I can call it done. I’ve had a brief delusion thinking my “outdoor girl” persona could survive. A short-lived stint in Idaho. Running outside in the winter in Chicago. But…
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
After a long holiday weekend, I hit the snooze button for 37 minutes, the amount of time I had allocated for the morning workout I detest. I overslept and skipped the gym, hardly the way I want to start a new week. That’s because no good deed goes unpunished. I’m already down, having dashed my…
Family Photo Perfect Display of Dysfunction
My parents recently celebrated a wedding anniversary. A big one. To the point I needed to visit a specialty card store, the kind that makes me feel instantly bad about myself when I walk in. For not sending enough cards. Or color coordinated enough. Or just not being … enough. Pickings for celebrating 50 years…
Are Shoes Function or Fashion?
Recently, I read an article suggesting a woman should build her outfit by starting with her shoes, claiming it’s a way to fully utilize fabulous footwear. I scoffed. Getting dressed is hard enough, figuring out what clothes fit that day and where I left my pants lying around the house. For me, shoes are the…
Who Knew Lipstick Could be the Gloss on My Mood
It’s not uncommon for me to have my eyeliner lightly smeared down my face or my hair sticking up in funny directions, untamed despite my ponytail. Yeah. I’ve gotten accustomed to ignoring how I look. While I can be a bit ignorant, it isn’t the blissful sort. It’s my own discomfort with my appearance, be…
I Have an Online Shopping Problem
I think I may have a problem. Of the shopping variety. Specifically, I have an online shopping problem. To be clear, this isn’t the “oops I’ve drank too much and ordered a handbag” concern that one in three people suffer from at night. I may be sleepy, at most, but I’m definitely stone-cold sober when…
Why I Need Sunscreen School
This past weekend was my first brush with the summer sun. My indoor-stabilized form, otherwise shrouded in layers of clothing to offset the fierce air conditioning blowing through every indoor space in Texas, was exposed to daylight for the first time in months. Immediately apparent: Why I need sunscreen school. The victim this time? My…
Why do Father’s Day Cards Suck?
As I’ve gotten older, selecting the appropriate Father’s Day card has become a physical experience. My stomach clenches with dismissive discomfort at each grossly inaccurate sentiment. “No. No. Oh, hell no!” I quickly reject nearly every card. They all seem to be written from the perspective of a sweetly naïve six-year-old girl. Happy Father’s Day…
Problems with Texas Texting Ban
With all the hubbub in Texas over bathroom bills and whatnot, one bill that quietly swooped into place is a statewide ban on texting and driving. It goes into effect on September 1. It’s not hard to see us go from texting ban to deportation from Texas for some unlucky undocumented immigrants. Gov. Greg Abbott…
Texas Legislature Takes on Craft Beer
Texas has cultivated a love affair with craft beer, but that doesn’t extend to the Texas Legislature, which recently passed a bill that beer advocates are calling grossly anti-competitive. House Bill 3287, aka the “taproom bill,” says that if a brewer with a taproom produces more than 175,000 barrels of beer on-site, they must 1)…