-
Bella Donna
I’ve been asking questions since we got to Turkey. Startlingly often, people have not been able to answer them. Certainly, some people vamp a bit and try to drum up something that might satisfy; others drop open their yaps and carry on for several minutes before trailing off, looking sheepish at their lack of conclusion;…
-
Don’t Mind the Gap
A little tip for those situations that might seem intimidating or beyond the boundaries of the comfort zone: As you eye the gap between here and there what you’ll find amazing is that the tools necessary to build a bridge are trifling maybe thirty words of common language– no grammar– a cute sidekick who sometimes…
-
The Shape of a Girl
Bjork once described herself by saying: “I am a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl.” Although I like how her thinking strips away all pretense while still acknowledging the overlay of gender, I wish her words had gone on to include the importance of whimsy: “I’m a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl draped in the…
-
A Fine Cargo
A few days ago, I said to my husband, “So I’m about to turn 44. What the hell is that?” Barely looking up from the curry he was stirring, he replied, “You’ll be divisible by 11. That’s what 44 is.” Aside from smartass responses and the fact that my husband recently wore a pot of…
-
The Only Thing I Missed Was Joe Strummer
“By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.” –Samuel Johnson Personally, I think Samuel Johnson might have gotten a little something out of Thailand or Uzbekistan, too, but his point is taken. London is full of awesome. Usually. When I was there last fall with Groom and the…
-
To Feel the Sun from Both Sides
I met her fifteen years ago, when I was 29, and she was 59. We taught at the same college, and my first semester there was her last. She retired when she turned 60, and although we’d met when we were colleagues, our friendship didn’t really begin until we no longer worked together. Having encountered…
-
Yappin’
I know how Mariah Carey feels and not just because I wear my sequined gowns so tight I can blow my nose with my cleavage. Rather, like Ms. Carey, I now know what it’s like not to the leave the house unless an entourage is tripping along in my wake. Whereas she requires body guards,…
-
Blocking the Blog
Hi–This is a friend of Jocelyn’s, here to put up a quick post for her. Here’s the deal: a few days ago, the Turkish government started blocking access to Blogger, so Jocelyn hasn’t been able to get to her blog, post, or read comments; even worse, she hasn’t been able to visit the blogs of anyone…
-
Uniform Lack of Quality
More than five months ago, my husband and I realized how aligned were our impressions of Turkey (this was terribly unusual, as our association up to that point had been typified by dramatic quarrels). Realizing that it could be fun to take the same subject, having me write up my usual drivel and having him come at it with his…
