Darryle Pollack | I never signed up for this...
confessions of a cluttered mind
This is a piece I wrote about my daughter Alli– published in MORE Magazine, in March 2006. I finished college in 1971, a member of the first class of women to graduate from Yale. I would not describe myself as overly ambitious–still, I like to be first, and I like to be best. Of course [...]
I just heard the news about Al and Tipper Gore. I’m shocked. Yet I’m not. I won’t sink to speculate on the cause of their separation. To suspect Al Gore is another link in the chain of celebrity cheaters didn’t even occur to me. (Okay, it did– but just briefly). Whether fame and power are [...]
I don’t judge anyone who wants to improve their appearance. I mean, who doesn’t? But as a society, I think we’ve gone far enough with the obsession to make plastic into perfect. I hope I don’t probably sound snarky about it—still, I should say right up front: after my own experiences with breast and skin [...]
Sports is so old school. This year, the real March Madness isn’t B–Ball—it’s B–Boys. Bad boys. It’s been a banner year for men behaving badly. In the post-season, excitement is building to a peak for sports fans—as contenders for Worst Celebrity Husband move through their brackets toward the championship. No longer are simple sexual shenanigans [...]
Just. In. Case. The 3 words most used by Jewish mothers. The 3 words their kids least want to hear. Daniel was packing up for his semester abroad. According to airline regulations, his suitcase can’t weigh over 50 pounds—which forces him to weigh priorities. So he makes a colossal mistake and asks me if [...]
I don’t mean recent blog-less days when I was disconnected from everyone—and everything—online. And I don’t mean Daniel’s trip to Buenos Aires (3 days down, 5 months to go…..not that I’m counting.) My separation issues go way deeper…and way back. Back to the beginning…..when parenting experts inform you that separation anxiety is a big issue [...]
For the children most of us know, life is easy—- at least compared to the life of a Haitian orphan or Sudanese refugee. Still, an easy life doesn’t mean an escape from emotional pain. Stuff happens, usually things parents never sign up for. That’s what happened to a young mother whose husband is going through [...]
I realize you can’t really equate having cancer with having a baby (although they both cause you to end up sleepless)… but stick with me before you dismiss this as just a bad analogy. Breast cancer survivors compare stories like mothers compare stories of childbirth. Instead of centimeters dilated, we talk centimeters of tumors. If [...]
The Bucket List is way beyond the movie; it’s part of the lexicon, part of life—-the things you want to do before you die. Lately it seems as if everyone and his dog has a Bucket List. Which is great. Up to a point. There’s a place where the Buck(et) Stops. Where the brave [...]
New York Times. December 27, 2009. Book Review Section. Top of page 15, with the review of Miami Babylon by Gerald Posner. When I saw this photo in today’s paper, a different title leaps to mind: This is Your Life. This is MY life. Miami Beach. The Shelborne Hotel. Collins Avenue and 18th Street. Another [...]
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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