Tag Archives: Family

It Wouldn’t Be Mother’s Day Without . . .

Posted on May 13, 2007 | Leave a comment

. . . a little contact with Mom.

Mom recently moved and didn’t give me her new address. Which is fine, because I do the same thing to her all the time. If I wait too long to tell her where I am, she sends the police to my “last known address,” which, in her mind, is the home of my ex-boyfriend’s parents. From five years ago. They always enjoy those visits.

When it came time to think of sending a card or getting in touch for mother’s day, not only did I not have her address, but she had also shut off her cell phone and discontinued internet service at home. Continue reading →

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It’s Not Really About Luck. Or is it?

Posted on April 7, 2007 | Leave a comment

The Luck of the Fortune Teller

St. Paddy's Day 2007, NYC

On St. Patrick’s Day, I was wandering around with a friend of mine, dipping my face in random pints of beer at whatever bar we could squeeze ourselves into. They say it’s a holiday for amateurs, I say screw them. I’m from Boston (located in the state that the most Irish people call home, second in Irish population only to Ireland itself) and was raised by (random fact number one:) an Irish-American woman for 2/3 of my life.

My grandmother decorated our house for St. Patrick’s Day like it was Christmas. The name of our church was St. Patrick’s. My grandparents helped build it with their financial contributions. I may not go to church anymore, but I still worship at the bar on St. Paddy’s. Continue reading →

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Posted in Life

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Emma’s First Florida Christmas

Posted on December 11, 2006 | 4 Comments

(Note: If you are new to my blog, read these two stories first; Slow Pirouette for the Dancing Girl and The Baby Powder Incident.)

Caption: Christmas with my first foster mother, 1 year old.

Caption: Christmas with my first foster mother, 1 year old.

Caption: Christmas with my first foster mother, 1 year old.

Twenty years ago this Christmas, I had recently moved to live with my grandparents in Florida. I left my foster home with Pearl in Boston with just the clothes I had on. I arrived at a house on the water with gardenia bushes out back with no toys and nothing to wear. I was starting over in the Sunshine State. I turned eight the month before Christmas. Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Of, Family

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The Holiday Table (Recipes and Photos)

Posted on December 7, 2006 | Leave a comment

It’s 7:30 on Christmas Eve. Grandma and I have already made the Christmas cookies. She watched over me earlier in the week as I lightly rolled the date balls, still warm from the oven, in a thin layer of confectioner’s sugar on the counter top.

The almond crescent cookies took me a few Christmases to master, but on this particular year I had gotten the hang of shaping them without handling them too much. If you heat the dough up with your fingers too often, the dough hardens and the cookies become both hard and brittle. Continue reading →

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Posted in Eating or Cooking

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“Birthdays Was the Worst Days . . . “

Posted on October 13, 2006 | Leave a comment

Wednesday was my Mom’s birthday. For many people who live far away from their parents, it’s probably not a big deal to call home, send a card, whatever it is you do to celebrate the birth of the woman who brought you into the world.

For me, it’s not quite like that. I hate to skip over chapters in the story to give you this piece, but it’s timely because it’s October and this month depresses the sh*t out of me for a number of reasons. This is even more weird to write about because, as I type this, my very best friend in the world is going into labor with her first child.

I don’t usually enjoy talking to my Mom. It sucks. I say,”I love my Mom,” like most people say, “I love long weekends,” or “I love Sam Adams beer.” Just doesn’t have that emotional ring to it. If you haven’t read up on previous chapters of my life, I suggest starting with “Slow Piroutte for the Dancing Girl,” and perhaps check out my conversation on Mother’s Day. Continue reading →

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