(to) submit (or not to) submit

I’m a failed blogger. Actually, let me explain – I blog every day. But not on my dear “A Word Paints a Thousand Pictures.” I’ve been writing a good bit for work, and if you connect with me on Google+, you’ll see I’m not a liar. Sadly, I’ve simply dropped the ball on this just-for-fun … Continue reading »

After Boston: what we wrap ourselves in

Horrified. How else to feel after a race gone awry, after shrapnel and blood rained on Boston’s runner’s high? I heard of what happened, appropriately, while running on the treadmill. I guess the gym must be the only place I watch the evening news, because I remember the headlines of the Newtown shooting alerting me … Continue reading »

a new card for a new era

Last Saturday I stopped by the local library to pick up a book on reserve – Nathan Englander’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (a beautiful short story collection). Digging in my wallet for my library card while checking out, I came up empty. No library card. What – it was just … Continue reading »

reads for chilly winter days

Cue short spew of complaints: a sore throat and sinus issues totally incapacitated me today beyond the ability to sit on my behind and read. You understand how this works. For goodness’ sake, Minnesota is experiencing negative temperatures, so I guess I should be thankful for the excuse to stay inside. Was I thankful? Hmm… … Continue reading »

baby love

Babies trust, so much. My heart hurts every time I babysit, and the parents leave, and the baby’s eyes get big and hurt. They think mommy and daddy are gone for good. And yet somehow, they always trust you eventually, you, the caregiver, enough to be happy again. Baby Evelyn cried and cried when she … Continue reading »

what “Perks of Being a Wallflower” gets wrong

It’s the holiday season (well, okay, it’s coming to an end, but hey, it’s only January 3!), it’s winter, and it’s freezing outside – so this is movie season for many Americans, myself included. Over the past few weeks I’ve taken in my share of flicks, including the well-acclaimed 2012 release The Perks of Being … Continue reading »

this frozen world

Boyfriend surprised me with a new digital camera for Christmas, and I am viewing the dim, glimmering, frozen northern world around me differently through its lens. Last week Boyfriend flew off to sunny Sarasota. He will enjoy the holidays with Mickey Mouse, palm trees, and tanned relative natives. Already he’s utilized the fact that you … Continue reading »

to be cleansed

For many college students, Christmas is a season of detoxing from all the virulent nastiness of a busy, stressful semester. With sixteen weeks of never-ending study completed culminating in a hellish finals week, we collapse in weary heaps in our childhood beds, finished with finals but nevertheless feeling grimy and covered in grit. We need … Continue reading »

all in a day

The way life unfolds in ways unexpected, beautiful, and tragic will never cease to cause me wonderment. For me, Friday marked the end of my college career. I couldn’t quite fathom how this happened. A graduate, already? The day dawned bright, unusually warm for a Michigan winter, blue skies and soft rays. My day began … Continue reading »