I’m a grandmother, now—one of my daughters had a baby three weeks ago (no, I’m not feeling old—thanks for asking). I must admit, I’ve been enjoying all the firsts. Like the first time the baby lifted her head and turned into a bobblehead doll, and the first time she smacked herself in the face and made herself cry. It’s a lot more fun when you’re not the parent so you know you’re not going to be blamed if they turn out terribly. Continue reading →

Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the bubonic plague outbreak that decimated Europe between 1347 to 1750. Well, technically, I’m celebrating the plague outbreak that decimated me last Wednesday and Thursday—it was a long two days, and I’m fishing for sympathy, here. Continue reading →

If you’re looking for a pet that’s soft and cuddly-looking—and that will immediately go into cardiac arrest if you touch it—guinea pigs are perfect. Continue reading →

The great thing about cooking is that the more often you try a recipe, the better you get at it. As long as you’re not making Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi. Continue reading →

At last, I’ve been vindicated. After years of grinding my teeth while reading shoddy prose, it’s happened: A U.S. court of appeals judge has officially agreed that commas matter—and he’s fined a Maine dairy company $5 million for omitting one. Continue reading →

“Would you like to try some chia seeds?” my mom asked me last week. Little did I know this was a trap. The next day, a 2.2 pound bag of chia seeds was staring at me—mocking me—every time I opened the fridge. Was this going to be another teff flour incident? Was this going to be yet another bag of something I’d never figure out how to use? No! I was going to conquer those chia seeds. Unlike the teff flour (and the dried lime leaves, yellow soybean paste and instant corn flour…all of which have languished in my kitchen for years) I was going to use those damned seeds. The Chia Challenge had begun. Continue reading →

In my last blog post—The Five Stages of Cat Ownership—I may have suggested that cats are not entirely perfect. I may have suggested that they have a few teeny tiny flaws. I was wrong. Cats have two huge flaws—anal glands. Continue reading →

You’ve probably heard about the Five Stages of Grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance—a roadmap, of sorts, to the emotional turmoil people go through during serious illness or loss. Well, I’m here to tell you that the Five Stages of Grief apply to way more situations than their creator—psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross—ever imagined. Just for starters, I think the Five Stages explains perfectly what happens—and, here, I speak from personal experience—when someone adopts cats… Continue reading →

I am, of course, a worldly traveler. And by “worldly traveler” I mean that I’ve figured out how to use Google Maps to snoop around other countries while sitting here in my pajamas. You, on the other hand, Continue reading →

When I went to bed last night, there were two baskets on the kitchen counter. They contained eight beautiful, perfectly ripe avocados—plus some plum tomatoes, bananas and a huge, heavy mango. This morning, I woke up to a crime scene.
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