Refraction – Page 2 – The Weight of My Days

Poverty amid plenty

I am taking a video inventory at the rental house, in case it burns to the ground. My voice is clinical and flat as I pan the camera around each room, peering into cupboards, narrating. Here in the kitchen, we have an electronic food scale and a manual scale, we have pots and pans brought … read more Poverty amid plenty

Driving Ms. Zoe

Sky, trees, sky, air, sky, sun, sky, road, sky, speed. There’s nothing quite like driving topless on an autumn day. It feels like it’s me who’s topless, as much as the car is. Liberated. Sun-kissed. A fast girl. Tom’s Z3, who is named Zoe because it suits her, will be 20 next year. Tom has … read more Driving Ms. Zoe

Yes, “thing” is an actual word

I was happily writing away on my iPad and typed the sentence, “That isn’t a bad thing.” A word suggestion popped up: “thang.” You read that right. Autocorrect suggested a facetious mispronunciation to replace an actual word. There’s my proof – the featured image above is an unaltered screen shot. I really couldn’t believe it. Then I … read more Yes, “thing” is an actual word

What I learned when I almost died

Exactly one year ago today, to the hour, an axe hit me in the head. A brain aneurysm ruptured and flooded my head with blood. The extreme pain, dizziness and nausea cut a dividing line through my life – one second I was fine, the next I was on the verge of death. I can … read more What I learned when I almost died

What you can do tomorrow

Fellow citizens of the United States: No matter who you are or where you are, no matter your party or lack thereof, you can do more than vote tomorrow. Vote – yes, of course, if you haven’t already. You can make sure you are ready to vote on ALL the positions and issues on your ballot … read more What you can do tomorrow

The World Series, part 2

[Continued…] I’m still not sure how my boyfriend Ed convinced a bunch of women at my newspaper to form a softball team. Maybe women just liked him. I’m also unclear how he convinced me to start lifting weights. He was a fanatic about that, too. I got a membership at the local YMCA. I swam laps … read more The World Series, part 2

How I got to the World Series

I was always one of the last kids picked when we chose up sides for kickball. I was tall and I could run very fast, but I couldn’t kick and I couldn’t throw. My sisters played baseball at home, but I only know this because of the family jokes about when Ann broke Maggie’s nose … read more How I got to the World Series

Editing on deadline

[Oct. 26] I didn’t really sleep last night. Should have been a good night’s sleep, because I was dead tired from two days of driving back from Virginia and the emotional exhaustion from the intensity of that visit. But duty called. I was up half the night waiting for page proofs. What a feeling. It’s … read more Editing on deadline

Wall hangings

I was fussing about the Baloch tapestries. They had been hanging on the wall at Azalea, and the debris from the tree crashing into the house had gotten into them. They were sent to the cleaners with the other textiles. Some items were deemed “non-restorable” because they couldn’t be cleaned. The cleaners sent me a … read more Wall hangings

I apologize

It’s Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which I think is among the greatest of religious holidays. As my friend Erika explains beautifully, Yom Kippur is a good time to call those who are important to you and tell them that you value their love and friendship over whatever differences you may have. Yom Kippur is also the time … read more I apologize