The long goodbye

June 19, 2009

We are living in a pure chaos of stacked boxes, errands, goodbyes to friends … it’s frantic.  It’s happy, sad, heart-wrenching, exhausting.  I’ve been trying really hard to face the goodbyes head-on, and in the process, I realize what a rich life we’ve had here in Southern California for 12 years.  
Though this is overall [...]

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Barrettes for a previously bald chick

June 9, 2009

I got some barrettes!
This is a very big deal for me because at this time last year, I was bald.
I remember the first time after cancer treatment that I felt the wind in my (very) short hair.  What luxury!  It was a luscious feeling after months of being bald.
Soon after that, I needed to actually [...]

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Movie review: Up

June 7, 2009

If you want the short review: yes, go see it.  It’s not the best Pixar movie, but it’s well-worth the price of admission.  There are very poignant moments, imaginative moments, funny moments.  It’s entertaining and offers some good things to discuss with the kids after the movie is over.
Here’s the longer review:
We went to see [...]

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Straight talk, after Prop 8 was upheld by California high court

May 27, 2009

If one or both of my daughters are gay, then you can be darn tootin’ sure that if I have anything to say about it, they will be able to marry whosoever they damn well want to.
And, I’ll add that if one or both of my daughters marries a member of the same gender as [...]

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The bizarro world of buying & selling on Craigslist

May 26, 2009

My husband and I decided to take our girls to Disneyland before we move to Philadelphia.  In spite of the economy, we decided to go ahead and splurge.  None of the amusement parks near Philadelphia is like Disneyland, and we have no idea when we’ll get to Florida, though we would love to get there [...]

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OK, so I’m sitting here

May 18, 2009

For the second time in my life as a mom, my little girls have asked for me to let them put themselves to sleep like big girls.
So I read to them, got out of bed, turned off the light, turned on some lullabies, kissed them, told them I love them, tucked them in and slipped [...]

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See you on the flip side

May 11, 2009

We are moving across the country at the end of June.
When we were 30, my husband and I came out to California for an adventure. After 12 years, we’re heading back to Philly. We’re packing up the apartment we’ve lived in those 12 years, and then we’ll drive two cars and two cute twins [...]

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For six days, we eat chicken; on the seventh, we rest

May 5, 2009

Last time this year, I was undergoing chemotherapy, so I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing lately now that my hair is growing back, all fluffy.
I’ve also been reminiscing about my breast cancer surgery last August.
My mother came to town for the surgery and was an incredible help and support. She took care of [...]

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Show and tell

April 27, 2009

So, this is kinda Relay for Life, part 2. If you’re done reading about my cancer or about the Relay for Life walk-a-thon, it’s OK with me if you stop here. But the Relay for Life was one of those experiences that keeps on giving, so there’s a little more to share.
Monday is the [...]

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Relaying for life

April 19, 2009

Yesterday, I went to the Relay for Life at UCLA. Typically, I donate money directly to the causes I especially care about, rather than participate in events.
I have heard lots about the Relay from family and a good family friend who have done the Relay for years, and I donated money when I could [...]

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