It’s official. I’m now a bionic woman. I had to have knee replacement surgery on both knees, one performed in August and the other in November 2009. I’m still in recovery, as the muscles, ligaments, and soft tissues around my new knee joints have yet to settle down and settle in. There’s still some residual […]
ARIEL WATERMAN
Posted inOpinion
Blue Christmas?
How to wrap up the holidays when you have no spirit
Ah, the holiday season is here, filled with song, the hurry-scurry of gift buying and menu planning, family and friends gathering, the glow of expectation on little faces as they gaze at gifts piled under a tree or near a menorah. Holiday colors light up the street, store windows, and most living rooms—green and red, […]
Posted inOpinion
Let us give thanks
Hopped up on painkillers? You can still enjoy the holiday!
Every year, we celebrate Thanksgiving as a time to count our blessings, spend time with family, eat our fill of a traditional feast, and watch a parade and football game while reclining with our pants unzipped—and it’s perfectly acceptable. So from whence did this tradition come? Oh, I know it has something to do with […]
Posted inOpinion
Halloweens, past and future
Trick or treat, my aching feet!
Halloween is my favorite holiday, even more than Hanukkah and Christmas. There’s no stressful gift buying, card writing, or party-planning. Halloween is even better than Thanksgiving. No visitors, putting up guests, putting up with family quirks, meal planning, bird thawing, pie baking. But those holidays are another story. Let’s focus on All Hallow’s Eve! You […]
Posted inOpinion
Cor blimy! I’m married to a Brit!
Independence Day reflections on life with someone from across the pond
The Fourth of July has special significance at my house. That’s because I am married to an English gentleman who, although he arrived in the United States in the 1960s and became a naturalized citizen, continues to live the lifestyle of a true Brit. While I run about draping the porch in American flags, he […]
Posted inOpinion
Man alive, I’m 55!
One local gracefully reflects on aging
My mother called a few days ago to sing “Happy Birthday,” then asked if I had applied for my AARP card yet. “You’re officially a senior citizen,” she said. Wow, thanks, Mom, you sweet old bat! I just had a birthday, my 55th, and suddenly I began to see things more clearly. Not literally. In […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
You gotta have hearts
When you don’t know what to give for Valentine’s Day, remember: Simple is best
Happy Valentine’s Day! Who doesn’t want to hear those words, accompanied by a heart-shaped box of chocolate, a bouquet of flowers (preferably roses), and a card covered in hearts and flowers (preferably roses)? I know that men, in particular, go nuts this time of year, trying to figure out what the perfect Valentine’s Day gift […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Cheer is in the air
Grab the family and get into the holiday spirit
The only thing worse than getting a Chia Pet or a fruitcake for a holiday gift is trying to get into the seasonal spirit during a recession. And boy, do we have one big Chia fruitcake of a Christmas present this year. My British husband and I are raising a 7-year-old grandson, whom we recently […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Catch the spirit
The Melodrama’s Holiday Extravaganza is one Dickens of a show
Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, was first published in England on Dec. 19, 1843. Yet its powerful message of the meaning not only of Christmas, but of compassion for one’s fellow human beings, still rings true today. The origin of this timeless story is also pertinent now, in the face of a horrific economic […]