“Where’d You Go, Bernadette”
“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” by Maria Semple is a hilarious story about a family that lives in Seattle, Washington. Bernadette Fox is an architect who moves from Los Angeles, California with her husband, Elgin Branch whose animation company was acquired by Microsoft. Bernadette and Elgin didn’t have to leave sunny California but after she experiences a career crisis (which she refers to as the “hideous event“) and a strong recommendation to come north from Big Brother (the author’s affectionate name for Microsoft), the couple decide to pack up and relocate to “Rain City.” Read more 
The Big Face Collection
T-shirts have never taken up much space in my closet, despite its immense popularity in this country. In fact, I can count on one hand how many t-shirts I own. It’s not that I have a blanket aversion to t-shirts (although my daughter claims I do), it’s just so rare that I find a t-shirt that I like – the exception being the Big Face t-shirt collection by The Mountain. The Big Face t-shirt collection is best described as three-dimensional animal faces on a t-shirt that look so real, they appear to pop out at anyone that looks at them. So, when I saw the guinea pig t-shirt, I had to have it since I am somewhat known as a guinea pig when it comes to tasting food. Read more
My Husband’s Mistress: Fern
Several years ago, my husband starting leaving the house to go work on the “road” – the name we gave our driveway that meanders through a dense forest in the Adirondacks. Thinking it strange that he spent so much time on the road, I peeked out a window one morning and encountered him on his hands and knees gently pushing aside ferns to pull out prickly raspberry vines and weeds that were vying for ground space. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was clearing out the brush and weeds to give his ferns space to grow. My husband loves ferns: those fragile looking green-leaved surface cover plants that can spread as fast as kudzu if given the chance. Read more
“Then We Came To The End”
There are many books about families and the dysfunction inherent in the groups we were born into but not many books are written about the workplace where people choose to spend at least a third of their day (with the other third devoted to family and friends and the remaining third supposedly sleeping). Workplaces become a microcosm of a family – a big family – and are full of dysfunctional and odd characters who can be hilarious, annoying, intimidating but also endearing. Enter the employees of a well-known Chicago advertising agency in the fictional novel “Then We Came To The End” by Joshua Ferris. Read more
Why Not Brownies?
Products that are difficult to make at home or those that someone already does an incredible job of making are the ones to seek out: crispy potato chips made in olive oil (San Nicasio), caramel (Suss or Bequet), Viennese Crescents (Amy’s Cookies), delicious sugar cookies that look as good as they taste (Eleni’s), chocolate chip walnut cookies (Levain’s Bakery), chocolate (Tristan’s, Maison du Chocolat, Marie and Freres), croissants (Galaxy Desserts through Williams-Sonoma), cream cheese biscuits (Gagne’s), granola (Early Bird or Adirondack), hors d’oeuvres (Dufour Pastry Kitchens), specialty desserts (Galaxy Desserts), and jams (Sarabeth’s). Notice there is no brownie supplier on that list. Read more
An Open Letter to All Non-Parents from a Parent
When I was in my early 20’s, I worked in an office with several women who had children or were having children. One woman in particular was referred to as “Earth Mother” and was a frequent butt of jokes and resentment because she would bring her baby to the office, breastfeed him in the empty conference room, work special hours, and from time to time ask us to pick up the slack on group projects – none of which endeared her to us. She was also brilliant, hard-working, and a time management czar. Read more
Thoughts on Fashion
Most dresses look better on models than real women but when a dress looks awful on a model, then something has to be wrong. In our fashion conscious society, every woman over the age of sixteen knows that solids generally look better than stripes on the female form, especially when it comes to a dress; the exception being the traditional french sailor top paired with a solid skirt, pants or shorts. When I came upon this striped dress, I did a double take and couldn’t help but wonder “what was the designer thinking?” followed by “what was the buyer of the store thinking?” Even a 5 foot 10 inch, 120-pound, size 4 model doesn’t make this dress look good. Stripes – especially the large bright variety – belong in Dr. Seuss books, not on our bodies. Read more
A Mother’s Gratitude
Mother’s Day seems to be about the kids bringing Mom breakfast in bed or going out to brunch and sometimes even about flowers and chocolates. These are all thoughtful and delicious, but, I want to offer a different take on Mother’s Day this year that focuses on gratitude; gratitude for my husband who gave me my daughter. Read more
20 Things That Shouldn’t Be Difficult….
Through the years, I’ve learned there is a difference between aggravations and problems. Most problems are really aggravations and most aggravations we encounter day-to-day shouldn’t be so difficult. Among them: Read more
Soliciting Grocery Shoppers for Donations
Over the past week, I’ve been asked 11 times by retail clerks if I want to donate money to a charitable cause. This question has been asked by cashiers in grocery stores and in a variety of retail establishments. Yesterday, I decided to use the self check-out at a Stop & Shop grocery store in Connecticut and was approached by three separate sales clerks asking if I wanted to donate money. After I finished bagging my groceries, I went to the manager’s desk and politely told her that most people want to grocery shop in peace, that the grocery store is one place where the expectation is to be a customer, not a source of donations. Read more
Paddock Post 