Out in Left FieldOut in Left FieldWhere parenting and politics meet, but don't always play nice. Articles
Ode to Jay Marvin – down but not out
2011-08-16 15:15:00 “Nothing beats Gandy Boulevard,” Jay Marvin said. “WFLA was the best job I ever had.” For those in Tampa who lean to the left, our local radio station with right-wing talk shows and conservative credentials seems the least likely place for a radical leftist to feel at home. Yet Jay Marvin, talk show host and ...
Ode to Jay Marvin – down but not out
2011-08-16 15:15:00 “Nothing beats Gandy Boulevard,” Jay Marvin said. “WFLA was the best job I ever had.” For those in Tampa who lean to the left, our local radio station with right-wing talk shows and conservative credentials seems the least likely place for a radical leftist to feel at home. Yet Jay Marvin, talk show host and ...
FULL COLUMN: This is as good as it gets
2011-08-14 14:15:00 Sometimes I have to remind my girlfriends that this is as good as it gets. They aren’t always thrilled to hear it. Sometimes they get annoyed and a few have rolled their eyes at me. But no one can argue the point. No matter how bad our feet hurt after working all day, no matter ... More About: Column , Full , Good
PREVIEW: This is as good as it gets
2011-08-12 03:15:00 Sometimes I have to remind my girlfriends that this is as good as it gets. They aren’t always thrilled to hear it. Sometimes they get annoyed and a few have rolled their eyes at me. But no one can argue the point. No matter how bad our feet hurt after working all day, no matter ... More About: Preview , Good
FULL COLUMN: Jobless? Congratulations. You’re the new black.
2011-08-11 15:20:00 The unemployed have a lot in common with my kids during the summer – they’re in desperate need of something to do. Last week, The New York Times reported that many employers, in job postings, are asking the unemployed not to apply for open positions. Those out of work are suddenly as desirable as drug ... More About: Black , Column , Full
2011: Best of the Bay
2011-08-01 18:17:00 In 2009, I won Best Female Contributor in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay awards. Last year, I won Best Blogger, Best Contributor, and was an honorable mention for Best Troublemaker. This town is so good to me. Best Contributor is a huge honor because Creative Loafing is filled with contributors who rock my socks ...
FULL COLUMN: Bless me Cashier, for I have sinned
2011-07-31 09:10:00 …from yesterday’s Tampa Tribune. Older folks have been known to fret over a few things. For example, they lament the loss of traditional experiences when subsequent generations no longer find them important. These experiences include, but are not limited to, walking fourteen miles uphill in the snow, sexual harassment in the workplace, and pantyhose. My ... More About: Column , Full
Bless me Cashier, for I have sinned
2011-07-28 15:10:00 Older folks have been known to fret over a few things. For example, they lament the loss of traditional experiences when subsequent generations no longer find them important. These experiences include, but are not limited to, walking fourteen miles uphill in the snow, sexual harassment in the workplace, and pantyhose. My own family is guilty ...
North v. South Tampa
2011-07-20 00:52:00 I’ve lived in North Tampa for most of my life. I graduated from Chamberlain High and USF. My husband and I bought our first house in Wesley Chapel and stayed for over six years. I’ve also lived in Lutz and Carrollwood. During this time, I searched high and low for culture, creativity, and kosher pickles, ... More About: South
FULL COLUMN: How I gave in and embraced my inner domestic goddess
2011-07-17 09:22:00 From Saturday’s Tampa Tribune… I have miraculously, amazingly, heroically turned into a good cook. Like any lifestyle change, this didn’t come easily or without casualties. It took 41 years, 2 leg veins, and at least a hundred brain cells, but taste this three-cheese risotto. Delicious, right? When I was fifteen, Aunt Mimi asked me to put ... More About: Domestic , Column , Goddess , Full
How I gave in and embraced my inner domestic goddess
2011-07-15 04:22:00 I have miraculously, amazingly, heroically turned into a good cook. Like any lifestyle change, this didn’t come easily or without casualties. It took 41 years, 2 leg veins, and at least a hundred brain cells, but taste this three-cheese risotto. Delicious, right? When I was fifteen, Aunt Mimi asked me to put a meal together. ... More About: Domestic , Goddess
Florida peeps: Please get involved
2011-07-13 04:13:00 Contact your legislators and help us change the world – one parent at a time. More About: Florida
A PEAK: Sadness is so depressing
2011-07-01 05:29:00 I sat in a crowded business meeting discussing profit margins and sales quotas when my boss remarked that I’d been doing a great job, showing promise and generating a lot of “activity.” I reacted like any other professional. I cried. It wasn’t the ugly, blotchy, I just finished watching Sense & Sensibility cry. I didn’t ... More About: Sadness
FULL COLUMN: Review of Motherhood, The Musical
2011-06-21 22:09:00 When friends found out I was seeing Motherhood : The Musical , their response was, “I’m sorry.” Perhaps I know too many cynical broads, or maybe they just know me. Usually, I like my women fired up a la Vagina Monologues, where the irritation is focused on misogyny and injustice rather than diapers and swollen ankles. Despite ... More About: Review , Column , Full
A PEEK: Review of Motherhood, The Musical
2011-06-21 22:09:00 When friends found out I was seeing Motherhood : The Musical , their response was, “I’m sorry.” Perhaps I know too many cynical broads, or maybe they just know me. Usually, I like my women fired up a la Vagina Monologues, where the irritation is focused on misogyny and injustice rather than diapers and swollen ankles. Despite ... More About: Review
Broken dreams
2011-06-17 14:39:00 Every once in a while I hear from women who gave up something to have children. They lament about a postponed European trip or maybe a successful career long ago set aside in favor of Sesame Street and covert ways to get kids to drink prune juice. I feel their pain. I love my husband ... More About: Dreams
If it’s organic, don’t panic
2011-06-16 13:45:00 Anyone who’s been to an elementary school cafeteria cannot help but notice, after the meds wear off, that too many children are fat and eating badly. Boys weigh more than small cows and girls are embarrassed to wear shorts. What a shame. Kids should be at least eighteen before suffering from body-image issues. This is ... More About: Organic
My guest column for The Washington Post: Holding parents accountable
2011-06-08 19:55:00 Legislators, groups, and school officials across the country are trying to change No Child Left Behind and make the law, along with our schools and education in general, much better. They stress the importance of teachers, administrators, and community leaders, and bemoan our students’ lack of knowledge when compared to the rest of the world. ... More About: Washington , Washington Post , Post , Column , Parents
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
2011-06-03 03:00:00 It ain’t easy being us. Raising children, succeeding at work, and managing hormone-related mood swings is difficult and time-consuming. Not only do women need a break, sometimes our husbands and children need one, too. Thank goodness someone invented girls’ weekend. Twice a year, my oldest friends and I get together for mimosas, mud masks, and ...
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
2011-06-03 03:00:00 It ain’t easy being us. Raising children, succeeding at work, and managing hormone-related mood swings is difficult and time-consuming. Not only do women need a break, sometimes our husbands and children need one, too. Thank goodness someone invented girls’ weekend. Twice a year, my oldest friends and I get together for mimosas, mud masks, and ...
It takes a shtetl
2011-06-01 00:40:00 Parents don’t have to live in fear of change or run away from risks. Even when it ends badly, it’s not necessarily the end. About four years ago, with my encouragement and support, Husband took a pay cut to help a friend build his business in Colorado Springs. The kids and I joined him and, ...
Say goodnight, Mickey
2011-05-24 21:48:00 Disney canceled Grad Nite. Like New Wave music and Young Life orgies, another great trend is dead. But let’s mourn the passing of at least one tradition that doesn’t make Floridians look like complete idiots. If anything, Grad Nite was a reason to envy those of us who went to school in the Sunshine State. ...
Attention modern wives – you can do yoga and laundry at the same time
2011-05-20 02:40:00 Those of us staring at middle age with a vodka tonic in one hand and waxing strips in the other are rather lucky. Our mothers and grandmothers fought back against harassment, sexist laws, and humiliating policies so we could eventually earn 75 cents to every man’s dollar and find fulfillment in maxi pads with ... More About: Laundry , Yoga , Time , Wives , Modern
10 Signs the End of the World May Have Happened Already
2011-05-17 20:21:00 Anyone driving from Lakeland to Tampa is bound to have seen a billboard announcing May 21, 2011 as the day when the world, as we know it, will end. At first, I was thrilled. This means I no longer have to deal with vindictive IRS auditors, Snooki sightings, or Taco Bell employees who insist I ... More About: World , Signs , The World
Besides being a professional *pain in the ass*…
2011-05-17 01:30:00 Apparently, I’m another kind of professional, too. The Society of Professional Journalists saw fit to honor me as a finalist in their Humorous Commentary category based on these three columns submitted by Creative Loafing: The answer to everything Touchdown, curtain up and Toy story. Usually the highlight of my Monday morning is finding two socks, ... More About: Pain
Things to do in Tampa with your kids this summer
2011-05-11 12:34:00 I stayed home with my children until they were almost three years old when, if memory serves, they were ready to graduate law school and run for office. After that, until a few years ago, I taught high school so we would have summers off together. I call that period of my life, “Bartender!” It ... More About: Kids , Summer , Things
I need to chill out
2011-05-06 00:14:00 I have always been consistently freezing cold. Don’t let my warm exterior, friendly smile and engaging demeanor fool you. When no one is looking, Husband calls my toes “Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks.” My kids shiver when I put my hands on their precious faces. At work, I once compared my office to a meat locker. ... More About: Chill out
Two days of freedom
2011-04-28 14:24:00 Last week, Spring Break began for my children. Many people remarked that it seemed awfully late this year. “Have you and your kids been going crazy?” they asked. Crazy is such a relative term. Combine seasonal allergies with an impending holiday season that includes arguments over whether rice is Kosher for Passover and we’ve passed ... More About: Freedom , Days
Secrets are bad for your health
2011-04-21 22:12:00 I come from a large family where most relatives make it their business to know exactly what’s going on with everyone else. They pry because they care. Some cousins excel at this particular game. Endless fountains of information, they’re the ones I gravitate toward during gatherings and reunions. In the span of about a half ... More About: Health , Secrets
Full Column: Secrets are bad for your health
More articles from this author:2011-04-21 22:12:00 …From this Saturday’s 4You section in The Tampa Tribune. I come from a large family where most relatives make it their business to know exactly what’s going on with everyone else. They pry because they care. Some cousins excel at this particular game. Endless fountains of information, they’re the ones I gravitate toward during gatherings ... More About: Health , Column , Secrets , Full 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
 |
|
 |
