Today is February 14. Valentine’s Day.
There are probably couples who will have a magical, romantic, Hallmark-style holiday. Good for them. Enjoy. Godspeed. Continue reading
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The Lemon Meringue Pie Approach to Writing Fiction
For some writers, stories spring into being, fully-formed and populated with fascinating, well-rounded characters. The act of writing is little more than taking dictation from the Muse, with perhaps a bit of sprucing up here and there to ensure that the foreshadowing is properly balanced with the revelation and the metaphors sparkle.
We do not like these people. Continue reading
Reflections on the Women’s March 2018
A year ago, I went to my very first protest march. Around the world, on all seven continents, millions of women, men, and gender-nonconforming people marched for a number of causes: women’s rights, pay equity, reproductive freedom, justice, equality, civil rights, disability rights, voting rights, LBGTQIA rights, immigrant rights, environmental protection, and others. Continue reading
Or Sometimes, Wait
We’ve all heard of setting ourselves up to fail. It’s what happens when we’re gung-ho about doing something right now even though any remotely rational person would say, “Um, honey? Maybe this isn’t exactly the right time.” Continue reading
The 100-Day Challenge, Redux
So I said to myself, “What better time that New Year’s Day to begin a writing challenge?”
Forget the details, like the fact that I didn’t actually start writing this until after midnight on January 2. As far as I’m concerned, until I go to sleep, the calendar doesn’t turn over. (An exception exists when I work all night, but I didn’t do that with this post. Instead, I reached a stopping point and went to sleep, and now I’m back again on the “second” day of the month.) Continue reading
Moving Home (summary version)
Adventures in Solo Dining, Part Two
After last night’s debacle, I found myself curious about how a solo female diner might be received elsewhere. It was time, I thought, to experiment.
Half a block from my hotel are a pair of sibling restaurants, Max Fish and Max Amore. A mere quarter-mile from the now-infamous Bertucci’s, they sit comfortably at the other end of many scales, including quality (higher), price (ditto), and service (ditto ditto). Continue reading
When Good Restaurants Go Bad
For years, Bertucci’s was one of my go-to places. Among its attributes: good food, reasonable prices, and an environment where a person who didn’t feel like getting takeout could dine alone and feel comfortable.
So much for #1 and 3.
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
November 22, 5:22 p.m. I have already changed into flannel pajamas and slippers, thus proclaiming that I have no intention of leaving my hotel room tonight. I sip chardonnay from a drinking glass, munch baked potato chips, and luxuriate in the twin blessings of silence and indolence.
Physical Books v. E-books: A Few Completely Subjective Thoughts
In 2000, I went on vacation alone for the first time. The prospect of a week on Captiva Island, reading and swimming and reading again, was delicious. Of course, the dilemma was what to read: mysteries, literature, general fiction, essays, or something else. Who knew what I’d feel like reading on a given day? So I did what any reasonable person would do: I loaded up my suitcase with books and tucked some clothes in around them. At the Fort Myers airport, as I tried to lift my suitcase into a rental car, I found myself wishing there was an alternative to hauling a library around.
P. Jo Anne Burgh 