We called him Jack, Jack the party crasher. As things would turn out, that wasn’t really his name, but it seemed to fit. Jack, sauntering in to a Christmas party in full swing and hopping up on my couch, the good couch at that. Earlier in the day, as is my habit with entertaining, I was attempting to cram into three hours what most, better organized hostesses would spread out over a couple of days. I was a one-woman wrecking ball: cheesecake, meatballs, spicy candied … [Read more...]
Hecho En Mexico, Well, Not So Much
May 13, 2017 By
The comedy of errors continues in my path to higher education. Two years ago, almost to the day—I graduated after a 42-year summer break, from the University of New Mexico with my B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication. Seemed fitting, since I’d been a journalist for lo these many years, with a few political press gigs, corporate communications and a truck load of video production dumped in, just for good measure, and, well, better pay. I was super proud. I felt … [Read more...]
If He Could Talk to You Today
February 1, 2015 By
A year ago today, my little brother J.R. passed away. It was a long, sad, heart wrenching descent into the grips of alcoholism. I know, upbeat topic for today, right? But this week, this week alone, I have had two people who I love very much tell me about their family's heartaches because of addiction. One friend told me her son is in trouble with cocaine. He is a father, with three kids. Another friend was recounting the sadness and horror of losing her nephew to a … [Read more...]
Same Little Legs Still Carry You
May 30, 2014 By
The little girl in the bright yellow tee-shirt caught my attention. Must have been nine, maybe ten. It was rainy, not a downpour, rather one of those spongy May mornings. Stationary raindrops clung where they landed, glistening spheres on feathery iris, pale and pearly white. The landscape was awash in purples, pinks, grey and green. Many shades of green. I noticed her because she was alone. This is a rare sight on a busy street during the morning rush and the little … [Read more...]
Three Little Words
March 31, 2014 By
He had no idea the maelstrom of emotion that would blow in behind one short, declarative sentence. On a day when I was supposed to get a make over at the Clinique counter, with a particular interest in the “Dark Circle Corrector” and a new, natural look, which for me is code for “get out of the 80s”, but I cancelled due to too many competing demands for my squeezed-into-two-precious-days life now, I went to the gym instead. The gym was just one entry on my unrealistic … [Read more...]
If You Don’t Stop That, You’ll Go Blind
April 29, 2012 By
The email from her Blackberry said it all. “At a funeral. Back in the office soon.” It is a telling reflection of the world in which we live when a person feels a compunction to return an email in the middle of a funeral. This is beyond the pale. I am not throwing stones however, as I live in a glass house, which you’ll understand in a minute. The person who felt an overwhelming obligation to respond to one of 9,000 emails she probably gets in a day, I’m sure, just … [Read more...]
It Gets Settled
January 1, 2012 By
If I could reach out to the victims of Jerry Sandusky with a single message, it would be this: someday it just won’t matter anymore. Before somebody throws a molotov cocktail through my front window, please hear me out. I’m not saying that what happened to them wasn’t criminal. I’m not saying that the perpetrator and the people who served as his de facto accomplices with their silence and accommodation, shouldn’t be punished. Heads should roll. It’s just that in the … [Read more...]
If You Died Tomorrow Would You Live to Regret It?
October 11, 2011 By
Hi y'all, I'm working fast and furiously on the book, but wanted to share a short OP ED I sent to the New York Times today after reading about Steve Jobs, being born in San Francisco in 1955 under less-than-perfect circumstances. Sound familiar? A lot of this is old news to you, I've lifted a few lines from previous posts. But I was hoping to stimulate some thought outside my circle of readers. Mostly, I just wanted to say hello. More soon. Peace and love, Jean If … [Read more...]
The Working Class
September 25, 2011 By
So I’m sitting in a bar in St. Louis last week at a going away party for a friend. She got a new video editing job in another town, pays more, and she’ll be able to work on better projects. You can only edit so many fried chicken videos. One of the guys sitting at the table, a local indie movie guy, who comes off a little cocky because he’s made a couple of movies that a few people liked, starts railing on the people who work at fast food restaurants. “I always check … [Read more...]
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