On the surface, it may seem counter-intuitive for a perfectionist’s office to look like a cyclone hit it. But those of you who have the perfectionism affliction, or love someone who does, see the truth. Am I comfortable with this picture? No. Do I enjoy working in this environment? No. While a normal person might…
When I answered our rotary phone, the voice on the other end of the line was unfamiliar. I didn’t want to tell him I was alone in the house. But this guy was persistent. He peppered me with questions about my parents’ whereabouts, when I expected them back. “Wait, who are you again?” “I’m your…
I have written about my sleep issues before, but I haven’t fully explained I have always been a night owl. This has never been a convenient trait, and it drove my parents crazy. They would put me to bed and we all knew this was a silly game we were playing, that I was not…
“Hankie, keys. Comb, wallet-ey…” God, seriously? “Dad, I’m going to be late for school.” But my complaint doesn’t have the desired effect of stopping my Dad. He is compelled to start his ritual over again. Depending on how late we were and whether my brother was around to join in with me in interrupting him…
Late at night, I would sit next to my older brother and watch him play Lode Runner on our Apple IIe. The room was dark except for the bluish glow cast by the monitor. The room was quiet except for the sharp, but hollow-sounding game noises and our whispering about strategy and barely stifled laughter…
“My family and I saw your Dad with his campaign signs the other day,” one of my friends from school said to me one day. And what a sight he must have been, I thought. Embarrassment quickly flushed my face with a ruddy warmth. “Oh my God,” I muttered. What else could I say? ***************************…
Imagine a classroom of first graders, a group of six-year-olds in their first formal school experience. Now imagine the teacher openly labeling some of these children as “good” and the others as “bad.” Sounds ridiculous, right? My Mom did her best to prepare me for the start of first grade since past experience indicated I…