Household Words 9

The emergency room wasn’t the panicky place I expected—there were no red buttons, wailing alerts, or breathing machines huffing. There was just my mother on a bedlike contraption, with a blue bag on her elevated knee. A loose curtain on metal hooks was drawn to separate her from everyone, though the next exam space was […]

Kid Stuff

“The curator of the refrigerator door can’t be too ruthless. When Dad de-accessions a new finger painting overnight, Dr. Burton said, ‘the child quickly learns that this art that they’re making is very ephemeral.’ In other words, worthless.” — “Mom, You’re One Tough Art Critic,” Michael Tortorello, New York Times In elementary school, we made […]

Lost & Found

Since I go to church every Sunday like a goody-two-shoes, people often express their God-fearing to me. Like, oh, God must be mad at me. I never do any religious stuff! Actually, I don’t have insurance against trouble by going to church. It might mean I am more of a mess, that I feel I […]

Performance

In the 80’s, it was hard to find a Broadway show to take kids to. Maybe “A Chorus Line” wasn’t appropriate, but what was? Broadway was for grown-ups. As was Times Square, where we were offered cocaine, impressing the hell out of me. The city! Its dangers! I saw “A Chorus Line” on Broadway when I […]