Darryle Pollack | I never signed up for this...
confessions of a cluttered mind
I was 45 years old; divorced with two children, when I re-married a man who wasn’t Jewish. My father refused to come to the wedding— and shut me out of his life. Though we were not raised to be strictly observant Jews, he had been raised Orthodox; I knew that Orthodox Jews don’t accept inter–marriage; they [...]
I don’t just feel sad; I feel like an accomplice in the murder. Since I’m a Jewish mother, and we specialize in guilt— I can’t help feeling guilty about taking part in killing bookstores. What makes it worse is that technically this is a crime of passion—since there are few things I love more than [...]
Have you seen it? It’s a phenomenon: a brilliant concept, cleverly done. An instant classic, it’s the flip side of Goodnight Moon; required reading for parents and grandparents. The title alone sells it; anyone who’s been a parent will get it—and wish they wrote it. Written in the soothing rhymes of a bedtime story, it’s [...]
What a concept. A woman blows out her candles on her 75th birthday and makes a wish—to look like she’s 29 again. Who couldn’t relate to that? Only in this story, it happens. She wakes up the next morning—and there she is—looking and feeling like her 29-year-old self with her 75- year- old brain and [...]
She’s a young mother with two small children….recently uprooted by her husband’s new job, living in a foreign country. Confronted by constant cultural challenges, she feels isolated and alone. That’s the premise of Susan Conley’s new book, The Foremost Good Fortune; set in China, where she lives for a few years. While living there, she’s [...]
Though lately I’ve been occupied with boobs, I’m shifting over by one letter. I missed writing about the latest books from my online book club– but don’t miss reading them. Room by Emma Donoghue, and The Kids are All Right-—by Diana, Liz, Amanda and Jack Welch. One is fiction; one is true—both are about [...]
Hundreds of years ago, ordinary citizens were the watchmen who protected and patrolled their communities, on alert for early signs of danger. Instead of weapons, they carried wooden rattles that made a loud, harsh, clacking noise—an alarm designed to wake the citizens from their sleep. The rattle was barely audible when I first heard it [...]
1. What uses more water—hand-washing or a dishwasher? 2. Is it better for the environment to use a garbage disposal or throw food scraps in the garbage? 3. When you’re confronted with choices from free range to cage free to fertile to certified organic—how do you know eggs-actly what the labels mean? (For the answers, [...]
We all know couples like this. My sister met her husband when they were 15; a cheerleader who dated the captain of the football team. They never looked back, married right after college, and lived happily ever after, ever since. Or my in- laws. They also met in high school; married at 19. Today is [...]
My favorite part of the Sunday New York Times is the Modern Love essay—-which I might be reading as you’re reading this. Awhile back Laura Munson wrote an essay about the day her husband suddenly told her he didn’t love her anymore—and how she didn’t believe it. Intriguing story—so I was interested to read her [...]
After becoming a writer, artist, TV journalist, mother and breast cancer survivor----I realize nothing turns out the way we expect. So I blog about handling the big and little things — with humor, humanity, and hope.
The knobs say it all: Susan is the super-hero inside every woman. Made of ceramic knobs, hand–painted tiles, on a painted background. Measures 12″ X 12″ .
It's the combination, of course. And the locks will open for the right person---(to be revealed on the back when you take her home.) Made of combination locks and hand-painted tiles on a painted background. Measures 14" by 14".
Pun intended. A nice pair---of pears...made of miniature porcelain boxes, surrounded by painted tiles and broken china on a painted background. Measures 11" square.
Hope: not only on her driver’s license, but in her heart. Ceramic ribbon, hand-painted tiles on a painted background, measures 9 inches square.
Word surrounded by hand-painted tiles in bright and beautiful (gold and marine blue) colors, with border of tiny gold tiles. Measures 11" square.
True beauty lies in the imperfections. Irregular mirror surrounded by hand-painted tiles with a border of ceramic tiles. Measures 11" square.
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