Mother Courage

Setting: An oral surgeon’s office in the second-wealthiest county in the United States. On one wall are paintings of pitchers and bottles. On another, a huge ugly abstract painting with a black frame. In front of the black-framed picture sits a woman, 32, with blonde hair and dark roots, and dirty black patent-leather shoes. She […]

Pascal’s Wager

The last two summers of my elementary school years, I went to camp. The first time was pretty scary—I rarely had slept away from my parents. Although I was generally an independent sort, when there were sleepovers, friends slept at our house. We were the party house. I was worried about becoming homesick the way […]

The Student Massage

I needed massages when I became a teacher. If you sit at a desk and type all day, you don’t need massages. You like them, your eyes roll up in your head, but you don’t need them. You need a massage if part of your job is telling people the same thing 6-100 times a […]

Celebrating continues.

Last night I celebrated our nation’s return to reason. I read the New York Times and listened to cello music on a scratchy record. I baked a cake, and I chatted with a gentleman caller, completely unchaperoned. As Mr. Vonnegut would say, “If this isn’t nice, what is?” …Every time I hear “President-elect Obama,” my blood […]